480 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W, [Julij 2, 1920. 



It is difficult to arrive at the money value of a ton of sorghum, since the 

 sorghum is usually consumed on the farm where it is grown, and it is rarely 

 if ever sold. The practice a good few years ago was to charge sorghum as 

 being worth 10s. per ton for fodder. The prices of all fodders have advanced 

 very considerably within the past two years, chaff being at present about 

 ^12 per ton. It appears therefore that sorghum ought to be worth consider- 

 ably more than 10s. per ton, and that 16s. or 18s. would be a more correct 

 figure*. Sugar-cane is worth about 40s. per ton in the field with a yield at 

 least as high as sorghum, and costing no more in labour to produce it. 



To this figure would have to be added the cost of cutting, trashing, and 

 transport, which might easily cost 6s. per ton. 



The 95 per cent, alcohol from sorghum, as grown, must be produced and 

 sold at Is. lid. per gallon to enable it to exist as an industry. Industrial 

 95 percent, alcohol is at present sold at Is. 4|d. per gallon, and methylating 

 or denaturing costs about 3d. per gallon, leaving Is. lid. as the price at 

 which 95 per cent, alcohol must be produced. 



Now, one ton of sorghum as grown in the field and of the mean quality 

 stated in Table I, would produce 3*49 gallons of 95 per cent, alcohol if 

 theoreiical results be obtained, or 3-14 gallons 95 per cent, alcohol if the 

 usual 90 per cent, of theoretical result be obtained ; these would require to 

 be sold at 3s. lid. or 3s. 6^d. respectively. The cost of cutting, trashing, 

 and transport would therefore exceed the market value of the alcohol 

 produced. On the mean figures given in Table I, the manufacture of indus- 

 trial alcohol could not be successfully carried on. 



Percentage of Juice Extracted. 



Referring further to the percentage of juice extracted from sorghum canes 

 by crushing in sugar mills, the following extract taken from " Sugar " by 

 Lock and Newlands, published by E. F. M. Spon, 1888, page 534, is of 

 interest : — "It was found that on account of the spongy and loose texture of 

 the canes (sorghum] it was impossible with the heaviest and most modern 

 crushers to extract more than 40 per cent, of the juice by the process adopted, 

 which was similar to those used in the .... [sugar industry]." 



The results obtained from the Hawkesbury sorghums gave 36 per cent, as 

 a maximum, and 27"7 per cent, as an average value for the juice expressed. 



The effect of the spongy nature of the sorghum canes is shown better in 

 Tables III and IIIa. In Table III it will be seen that there is more sugar 

 left in the megass than is expressed in the juice by single crushing. 



Table IIlA shows this perhaps more clearly. In the variety Planter's 

 Friend 44 per cent, of the total sugars in the sorghum were expressed in the 

 juice, while 56 per cent, remained in the megass. 



Similarly, variety No. 34 yielded 36 per cent, in the juice, leaving 64 per 

 cent, in the megass, and Saccaline 42 per cent, in the juice and 58 per cent, 

 in the megass, 



• Since this was written, sorghum has been sold on the Sydney market at £3 10s. 

 per ton. — A.A.R. 



