254 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



Mr. Day. Did you make any estimate of the actual cost 

 of a gallon of syrup ? 



Mr. Gold. I made some estimates, but, like other new 

 things, I made a great many false moves. 



Mr. Wetherell. Will you state to us the general charac- 

 ter of the soil on which you grow it ? 



Mr. Gold. They all grew it on common corn soils. It did 

 better on the lighter quality of land than upon the heavier. 

 But they didn't give it half a chance, most of them. It was 

 ignorantly planted, it was ignorantly cultivated, it was half 

 the time carelessly manufactured ; but we made a good, pleas- 

 ant article of table syrup, that was preferred on our table by 

 a large number of those who had an opportunity to use it, to 

 maple syrup, and we found it, as an article for making cer- 

 tain kinds of cake, and for sweetening fruits, a more desirable 

 article than the molasses that we could buy. 



Question. What is the method of boiling down ? 



Mr. Gold. We neutralize the acidity of the juice with 

 lime, without any very fixed rules about it. Sometimes we 

 did not get in enough, but we learned enough about it to 

 know that there was a chance of doing a good deal better. 

 We did not succeed in crystalizing any sugar. 



The report referred to by Mr. Wetherell was not published, 

 owing to some informality in its delivery, and was referred 

 back again to the same committee. This committee, consist- 

 ing of Profs. Johnson, Silliman, Goessman, and others, have 

 made an exhaustive examination of the subject of the pro- 

 cesses of Prof. Collier, and of the practical work at Rio 

 Grande, N. J. I have seen this report. It is now in the De- 

 partment of Agriculture at Washington. The claims of Prof. 

 Collier that sugar can be made from sorghum and that with 

 certainty, are triumphantly vindicated by the practical tests 

 of the past season. 



Mr. Bill. Can't you go to the market, and for the same, 

 or a less amount of money, than it has cost you to raise it, 

 purchase as good or a better article ? 



Mr. Gold. Well, sir, I am so far satisfied with the result 



