Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-11-05
EXPERIMENTAL SUGAR
CANE CROP NEAR CITY
DECLARED SUCCESSFUL

That new industry has been
opened III the Sulphur Springs valley
which bids fair to enjoy unlimited
success became definitely known
Thursday afternoon when directors OF
the Douglas Chamber OF Commerce
and Mines inspected the cane syrup
plant in operation on the c. M.
I,anneley ranch four miles nortn'
east of McNcal.
More than 400 gallons cf the high
est grade cane syrup have already
been produced and it is estimated
that the experimental crop will pro-
drce, in all, about $50 gallons. Near
ly 100 gallons of the syrup has been
brought into the local chamber of
commerce and is offered for sale.
For several months DanneIey and
directors of the chamber of COM
merce considered the feasibility OF
attempting to grow sugar cane in the
Sulphur Springs valley with q view
to producing high grade syrup. II
was finally decided 20 plant an eX-
rerimental crop Of cane in order to
determine definitely. whether or not
the cane would flourish in the dis
tr.ct.
len acres WCIS pIelhlC-i e|AANt NO.
lit was seen that the crop was going
to mature, despite unfavorable wealth
er conditions, the local chamber OF
commerce CO. operated with Danneley
in procuring a mill with which to
extract the juice from the cane, the
cooking plans and supply Of cans
in which to put up the syrup.
A syrup expert who mas been on
the ground at the small plant de-
clared Thursday afternoon that tho
cane grown near McNeal was as fine
as any he had ever seen of that par
ticular variety in any part of the
country. He also stated that the cane
produced q high grade, clear syrup
of exceptionally fine flavor.
After the cane is cut and stripped
it is FED through a crushing mill
which extracts the juice. This juice
is cooked in a large, rectangula= pan
which has partial dividing partitions
and one end of which is slightly
higher than the other. AS the cold
juice warns, and cooks, it forces the
finished syrup to the higher end of
the cooking pan, where it is drained
through strainers and put III cans.
The equipment uses IN producing
the syrup is not expensive, the great
est expense of production, after the
cane has been harvested. being the
fuel which is necessary for the cook
ing furnace.
Albert w. Stacy and Harvey John
son, directors of the local chamber
of commerce who made the Inspection
trip Thursday, were informed that
ordinarily one could expect a pro-
duction of not less than 20c gallons
of syrup to the acre of cane. The
stand of cane en- the NcNeal ranch
was said to have more than come up
to expectations, but difficulties were
encountered in harvesting and strip
ping, due to the inclemcncy of the
weather
1t was explained that consider
able portion of the juice of the cane
returned to the ground because it
VAS Impossible to harvest it fast
enough and it became ever ripe. De-
spite this fact it is considered GER
tain that at least $50 gallons of
syrup will be obtained from tho
first experimental crop.
Cane syrup of the quality produced
on the Danneley ranch ordinarily
NHOlSSeClSS lOF duoul 91-Gu per Sdl-
| Ion. 1t can be seen that if the cane
crop is properly handled a very
reasonable profit can be derived from
the growing of cane for syrup mann,
facture.
Directors of the chamber or COM
n?erce are pleased with the resuIta
obtained in the experiment and they
consider that the enterprise should
prove of considerable interest to the
farmers Of the Sulphur Springs val
ley
The "silver drip cane, the variety
grown on the Danneley ranch, ma
lures about 80 Gays after planting,
hut only one crop can be producer
per year in this section of the coun-
try.