Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1920-10-14
Nineteen"
"Nineteen What?"

Nineteen"
nineteen What?"
Nineteen patches of sorghum be.
tween Jefferson Junction and Madison,
counting only those on the north side
Of the train"
The conversation took place in a
Madison-bound day coach and not only
stirred up a realization that Wisconsin
had found a new sweetener, but recall
ed memories of the "old sorghum mill"
Along in 1880 Wisconsin produced
rather large quantities of syrup, but
with the price of sugar very low
sorghum growing fell into disfavor,
only to grow popular again with in
creased cost of sugar during the last
few years.
A. H. Wright of the college of agri-
culture, estimates that Wisconsin will
make over 100000 gallons Of syrup
this year, worth more than a half mil
lion dollars. Mr.. Wright objects to
the name mOlasses because he says,
Sorghum syrup is not mOlasses, nor
sorghum mOlasses, but just downright
good sorghum syrup. 1t is so good
that very little ever goes to market,
but is kept by the farmers themselves
or sold to their neighbors in the i'm.
mediate community, for eighth, quar-
ter and half-acre plots do little more
than supply the needs of one or two
families during a year
Better Mills Used
However, the business has now
progressed so that it may be consid-
cred as having reached a commercial
SCALE" and he proved the statement
by holding up two pictures. Here's
the old mill with it's inefficient crusher
which took out only 50 per cent of the
Juice, and here's the new type of mill
with unloading cranes, special evapor-
ating pans, and crusher which extracts
over IS per cent Of the sugar juice.
The new mills take in everything, and
there is no stripping of leaves or cut
ting of heads with the waste left in
the field Everything is hauled to the
factory, run through the crusher and
the juice goes to the evaporating pans
while the refuse or bagasse may be
used for fuel or manure, or put into
the silo to be fed to stock"
Sorghum can be grown anywhere
dent corn natures, but the southwest
ern half of the state is most suitable
and practically all Of the sorghum is
grown south of a line extending from
Burnett to Racine county, although
Portage, Waushara and Waupaca
counties are we'll adapted to sorghum
growing. 1t is only the lakeshore re-
gion north of Milwaukee, the red clay,
around Lake Winnebago, and the ex-
IRENE north and northeastern cOun-
ties which are not suitable for the
crop.
Sorghum needs no special SOIL"
continued Mr. Wright, although it ma
lures earlier on sandy soils and thrives
best on good corn soils. 1t should
not be grown on weed-in1ested land
because its slow growth in the spring
will necessitate hoeing if it is to be
kept from weeds. Sorghum takes the
same plantfood from the soil as does
corn, and works into the rotation in
similar manner.
Sorghum Is Profitable.
"That sorghum can be made one of
Wisconsin's profitable crops, is shown
by figures on crop grown at the ex-
pertinent station farm in 1881. Even
at the old price of cents a pound
for sugar and 80 cents a gallon for
syrup. the crop returned more than
500 an acre. Now, in 1920, if we con-
slider the average yield Of sorghum to
be rs gallons an acre which is less
than half of what some growers obtain
the cost of making from so to 60 cents
a gallon, and the price per gallon is Sc,
farmers still have ample opportunity