The Belding banner-news., 1921-04-13
URGES FARMERS
TO GROW MORE
SORGHUM CANE
UNLESS GREATER ACREAGE is
PLANTED THIS YEAR WILL
BE LAST FOR LOCAL MILL

John j. Spriggs, well known man
who has for several years past op-
Grated a sorghum cane a nd syrup
mill on South Bridge street during
the season when the cane was being
brought in. thinks that farmers and
others around here are losing great
opportunity in not taking more stock
in the sorghum crop. Mr.. Spriggs
says that unless a larger acreage Is
planted here this year that he will
close up the mill at the end of the
coming season and move it to some
ether place where he has a standing
offer to bring it.
Mr.. Spriggs knows a lot about the
crop and has prepared an article
dealing with sorghum and its possi-
bilities which is as follows:
Of interest to farmers and 9TH
ers, who have a small parcel of land
or can rent lot or several lots and
are undecided what to plant, to yield
the greatest returns at the smallest
the best plant to fill those require
ments would be the annual Sugar
Cane botanical name, Sorghum
Sacharatum) of which there are ov-
er $50 different varities. But for
the best results there is no doubt but
for this latitude there is none that
can compete with the variety known
as the Early Orange. For years
it has been grown by Frank Trues-
dell, near Muir, in this county, and
each year / have made his sugar.
The first year he planted it on 1-2
acre of ground and he had one wa
gon load of cane Last year he plant
ed the same ground and had wagon
loads of cane from which l made
him 63 gallons of syrup, the clear
est, best favored syrup / ever made
in the state and / have made some
pretty good syrup too, in Michigan.
/ purchased of him some of the syrup
as he did not have sufficient storage
and resold it at $1.75 per gallon.
This winter he brought me 51H
pounds of seed from his own cane,
clean and pure, hoping farmers and
others will test it out. (See ad in
paper for price) and | see there was
mistake in that ad, it stated l
pound to the acre, it should have
been 2 pounds. Mr.. Truesdell says
that the seed will go farther to feed
hogs than corn and they like it bet
ter. He said he will have 80 bushel
of seed off his cane this year and as
amount of corn, and corn fodder is
not to be compared with it as a milk
producer for cows.
If you think | exagerate just write
to Mr.. Truesdell enclosing stamp and
he will verify this statement / am
positive. His address is Ionia, Mich,
R. F. ID. No. z, Box 95.
Then why not raise patch of cane?
1t is sure as renumerative a crop as
you can raise and now | will give
you his system of culture. Have your
ground as clean as possible and no
doubt the better the soil the better
the cane, but any ground that will
grow good corn will grow good cane
and as this variety Early Orange)
is two weeks later than the the Early
Amber, it should be planted at least
a week before early corn planting
time, and if your corn ripens your
sorghum will also. Plant in hills
feet apart each way and tend both
ways same as corn. After seed is
up two "a three inches high thin
out and leave four of the largest
stalks in each hill, keep clean Of
grass in hill When four or six inch
es high keep succors pulled off from
the roots and always see that sue
cors are kept pulled off until cane
is matured. If succors are allowed
to grow it saps from the main stalk
and the cane cannot mature and ri
pen as it should and when not pull
ed off but allowed to grow they new
err mature and when ground up with
the good cane they give the syrup
dark color and a strong, green taste.
This is Mr.. Truesdell's mods of cul-
ture and no doubt it is one of the
best.
Continued on Page Five)