TRANSACTIONS. 233 



Ions ; assuming the yield of the juice to correspond with 

 the average results obtained by experiment, say 50 per 

 cent, of the entire weight, with proper machinery, express- 

 ing 70 per cent., we have a yield of 570 gallons per acre. 

 I examined carefully the specimens of syrup boiled under 

 the eye of Mr. Peters, and also by myself. Several of 

 these specimens were of a superior quality, all of them 

 surpassing my expectations, in view of the crude manner 

 in which they were made. There is present in all of them, 

 to a greater or less degree (owing to differences in manipu- 

 lation,) a peculiar flavor, reminding one of the maple sugar, 

 which is very grateful to the palate, and gives it a decided 

 preference over the article which we get under the name 

 of New Orleans syrup. This, so far as I know, has been 

 the uniform judgment of all who have tested it. These 

 Byrups give a precipitate of foreign matters with the bas- 

 ic acetate of lead (a delicate test,) little, if at all, greater 

 in amount than New Orleans syrup. The precise nature 

 of these precipitates remains to be ascertained and com- 

 pared. The syrups vary considerably in density; those 

 from the Chinese cane ranging from 1-298 to 1-335, while 

 that of the New Orleans sample was 1-321. This variation 

 in the density is an evil which should be corrected, to pro- 

 duce a good marketable syrup, which shall keep well. Sam- 

 ples of the Chinese cane syrup have been valued by the 

 intelligent dealers in the article, in our section, at from 65 

 to 75 cents the gallon, by the barrel. 



" In calculating the yield of this crop, we must take into 

 consideration twelve hundred pounds of excellent fodder, 

 and twenty-five bushels of corn, worth, as food for stock, 

 Bay two-thirds the value of the ordinary corn ; so that we 

 can fairly off-set against the syrup crop, in the way of ex- 

 penses, nothing more than the labor of its manufacture, 

 for the forage and corn will repay the expense of the cul- 

 ture. A full consideration of the facts, which have been 

 passed over somewhat in detail, must make it evident to 



