Year: 1879

The only homemade sugar with which
our people are familiar is the maple, and |
this is great favorite with all classes, both
on the farms and in the city. But the !
manufacture is expensive and the pro luct |
per acre too small to render it source of |
profit. 1t is made because sap flowing |
takes place at period when the farmer is |
not busy with his ordinary work, and be
produces it usually as a luxury for his own !
family. This is why so little genuine |
maple sugar finds its way to the market.


But the sugar of common use has
become one of the prime necessities of
life, and no longer holds a rank among
luxuries. Its consumption is enormous
the people of the United States have paid
nearly the entire gold and silver product
OF the country to purchase their sugar.
Whatever looks, therefore, to the cheapen-
ing Of this commodity should interest the
public. circular issued by the Commits
sioner Of Agriculture upon the manu-
iacture of sugar from maize and sorghum
presents facts of interest not alone to
farmers, but to every one who desires the
development of the resources of the country.
Experiments by Professor Collier, chemist
of the department, have established the
fact "that there exists no difficulty in
making from either corn or sorghum
firstrate quality of sugar, which will
compare favorably with the best product
from the sugar. r.cane grown in the most
favored localities" He then gives some
facts in regard to the nature Of the expert
ments made and the quantity produced.


The point OF chief interest to our farmers
is that sugar can be made from the corn
stalks after the corn has been gathered,
thus making two crops instead of one. This
gives it advantages over sorghum and
beets, which must be grown solely for con.
sumption i'll sugar manufacture. If it
should prove that the stalk has greater
value before than after the complete
hardening of the corn, then the choice
would be between losing the value in the
former case the grain could be very profit
ably used for canning. Corn can be grown
on almost every tillable acre of northern
territory, the poorer qualities Of land pro
ducing enough for valuable sugar crop
though the best only sutficcs for prof
upon the grain.


On the point of proftablenrss the circu
lar Is definite and satisfactory in its infor
nation. Thus farmer of Minnesota, il
the season of 1878, which was not a gooC
one with him for corn, produced on,


hundred and sixty gallons of syrup to tn,


acre, at a cost of twenty-six cents per gallol


when the cane was purchased, but con


81 lerably less when raised by the manu-


facturer. Experiments have been tried il


Illinois, Michigan and Missouri with sati:


factory successes. The process for manu


facture adopted by the department is tina


in use by Mr.. Stewart of Pennsylvani;


and is very cheap. Mr.. Stewart assert


that corn is richer in sugar of the tru


cane type than any other plant that grow


in northern latitudes, and that its sacch


rine juices are hardly excelled by the be-
-- corn grown in louisiana; that the yield
sugar per acre from single crop is frol
. two thousand to three thousand pounds,
9 equal to the best acreage from the car
: and beet, and at one-half the expense, Il
= maximum of cost being three cents p
pound, including seed cultivation, harves
) ing, manufacture, cost of materials, an
interest on machinery.


4 The value of the discovery lies in Il
{ fact that the machery is so cheap that al
farmer can buy it and the process so simp
that no chemical knowledge is needed
3 its successful operation. As the man
Z facture extends it will of course reaC
2 greater excellence, and processes for mo
3 thorough refining will be introduced. Wi
3 corn on every farm from Maine to Orego
9 there is no reason why this country shou
< not produce all the sugar it needs, and al
2 the $200,000,000 that it now pays in
. foreign markets for this chief among t
3 necessaries of life to the wealth of I
9 farmers of America. The farmers the
e selves are to decide whether this shall
the case or not. To those who live in
. East and are being crowded out of whe
raising by western competition, it presel
a cheap and easy solution of the profile
{ of their future prosperity. Fl
man.