226 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



more and some less, the amount to be determined by the use of litmus 

 paper in the case of the beginner, and by the smell arising therefrom by 

 the skilled operator. 



Steam heat from a boiler at 80 to 100 lbs. pressure is the best agent to 

 perform the work of separation and evaporation. After the lime has been 

 thoroughly worked through the sap, bring to a boiling jjoint and hold 

 until the blanket of scum is well removed, repeating the operation of turn- 

 ing on and off the heat and removing any refuse which may arise, until the 

 body is entirely free from scum. Then add a bleacher in the form of 

 water charged with sulphuric acid gas. The amount required may be deter- 

 mined again by litmus paper, but more easily in either case by experience. 

 A little boiling should be done in the defecator, after which turn off the 

 heat and let the sap settle, when it is ready to be drawn into the evapora- 

 tor. Meanwhile the other boxes or defecators are placed at work in like man- 

 ner, so that their alternate charges may give steady work to the evaporator. 

 The evaporation should be done upon the moving or running plan — a con- 

 tinued inlet of clarified juice running through the evaporator toward 

 the inlet of live steam. A thermometer j)laced near the outlet indicates 

 the density at which it should be allowed to leave the evaporator. Care 

 should be observed at this point, that the syrup be quickly and sufficiently 

 cooled before allowed to collect in a large body. If this caution is not 

 observed, the work which may have been well done to this point may be 

 permanently injured by scorching, A good plan to accomplish the cool- 

 ing is the running of the syrup through a tin pipe, say three or five feet 

 long, inclosed in a larger one, through which a small stream of cold water 

 is admitted at one end, and discharged at the other. 



Syrup produced after this plan is giving good satisfaction wherever 

 introduced, leaving corn and glucose goods far in the shade, and furnishes 

 an article of sweetening which not only takes the place of New Orleans 

 molasses for baking, but is being quite generally used as a table syrup. 



As a sugar producer we do not claim for sorghum as yet that place 

 which a few years ago was so fondly hoped it would sobn occupy. 

 Not that crystalizable qualities do not exist, but that a plan of operation 

 has not been introduced or invented which will compete with the cheap 

 labor of the sugar plantations; but instead of being discouraged by this 

 feature we find a demand for this article of molasses that will give employ- 

 ment to large numbers of our people and diversify our productions, caus- 

 ing us to be more independent and furnishing the markets with an article 

 of food both pure and healthful. 



A general discussion was then entered into by H. B. George of Cold- 

 water, W. H. Yates of Kochester, Wm. A. Herring of Jonesville, and 

 others, who nearly all stated that in the raising of the cane the seed should 

 be planted upon light sandy or gravelly soil and that there should not be 

 any coarse manure used on the land, as it would give the molasses a strong 

 taste and it would be of a darker color. Mr. Yates thought that the cane 

 should lie at least two weeks after being cut before being ground, and that 

 he thought it best to stand up in a covered building in bunches so that he 

 could get around between them and thus work up any that might not be 

 keeping as well as other piles. 



Mr. McFetridge recommended that the cane be left at least ten days 

 before being ground and that he thought the better way to keep it was by 

 piling it up on the ground, so that the air could freely ijass through it and 



tL 



