SORGHUM AS A SUGAR PRODUCING PLANT. 421 



The average of the mean of all the data is 7.97 tons per acre. It has 

 already been seen from the analytical data, obtained from manufacturing 

 establishments, that the average quantity of available sugar per ton has been 

 22.68 pounds. The amount of sugar per acre, therefore, which the sorghum 

 crop of this country, taken as a whole, has been able to produce up to the 

 present time, is a little over 180 pounds. It is useless to hope for a com- 

 mercial success in sugar-making when the yield per acre is so low. In the 

 light of the foregoing facts there is no longer any wonder that every manu- 

 facturing enterprise, looking to the production of sorghum sugar, has proved 

 a failure. 



COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENTS WITH SORGHUM AND SUGAR CANE. 



P'or the first time in the history of sorghum sugar-making, an opportunity 

 was presented at Fort Scott in 1886, to try under identical conditions, the 

 relative merits of Louisiana sugar-cane, and sorghum, as sugar-producing 

 plants. The light, which this trial has thrown on the vexed problem, has 

 served to illuminate many points which were in obscurity. A candid study 

 of the results of the experiments will set at rest all doubts as to the relative 

 merits of those two sachariferous plants. 



The mean composition of the juices, 70 analyses in all, expressed from 

 small quantities of sorghum cane, during the entire season at Port Scott, was 

 as follows: 



Sucrose - .- .- 9.34 per cent. 



Glucose.... 4.10 



Total solids 16.94 



The theoretical available sugar in juice, calculated on difference between 

 sucrose and other solids, was J. 74 per cent. The theoretical yield of sugar 

 on 85.5 per cent extraction, allowing for 5 per cent loss in manufacture, was 

 28.26 pounds per ton. The actual yield of sugar obtained on 85.5 per cent 

 extraction was 21.6 pounds. The small samples of cane above mentioned 

 were taken in such a way as to represent as nearly as possible the general 

 <3haracter of cane entering the mill. It would be idle to claim, however, that 

 in nearly 3,000 tons of cane, varying in such a marked manner, as has already 

 been set forth, such a selection of 70 samples could accurately represent the 

 composition of the whole. The mean character of the cane would be more 

 accurately represented by taking samples from each cell of chips and 

 analyzing the juice from them. Such samples were taken on twelve different 

 days, from October 15-27, and each sample represents the mean composition 

 of 10 tons of cane. The mean composition of the juice from these 12 tons of 

 samples was as follows : 



Sucrose 7.28 per cent. 



Glucose 3.74 



Total solids 14.80 



Theoretical percentage of available sugar in juice, none. 



A still better idea of the nature of the juices worked for sugar at Fort 

 Scott can be had from a study of the diffusion juices themselves for the entire 

 season. In all 76 analyses of these diffusion juices were made. The samples 

 were collected as follows: from the diffusion juice discharged from each cell 

 a measured quantity was taken. After ten cells had been discharged the 



