LECTURES AND ESSAYS READ AT INSTITUTES. 343 



the history of the culture of the crop from its planting until the juice was 

 made into syrup. 



LAND AND PREPARATION. 



The area of land used was exactly one acre. The soil was a sandy loam 

 of good quality, well drained, and considered as good corn laud as the college 

 farm affords. Early in the spring, contrary to orders, the land was manured 

 with ten loads of barn-yard manure. Just before planting it received, accord- 

 ing to orders, an additional dressing of thirty bushels of unleached ashes, which 

 was plowed under and thoroughly harrowed. 



SEED PLANTING AND CULTIVATION. 



The variety of seed selected was the well known Minnesota Amber, which 

 was obtained from D. M. Ferry & Co., of Detroit. 



May 19 this was planted in hills four feet apart each way, using ten to 

 fifteen kernels to each hill. The weather was unusually dry, and from this 

 cause or the poor quality of seed a greater part of the acre had to be replanted 

 June 3, by which time a good soaking rain had fallen. The crop was culti- 

 vated five times during the summer upon the following dates : June 4, June 

 15, July 5, July 12, July 15. It was hoed and insufficiently thinned once, June 

 27. Although the cane was late in starting it made a good growth, and at the 

 time of cutting averged eight feet in height and was of a good stocky appear- 

 ance. 



CUTTING AND STRIPPING. 



• 



September 23d, the cane having arrived at maturity as shown by the hardened 

 condition of the seed, the first work of manufacturing the crop was begun. 

 While the cane was still standing, several students, each armed with an ordi- 

 nary lath, went to work stripping the cane, by a quick downward stroke of the 

 lath by which the leaves were separated from the stalk. This work is the slow- 

 est and most tiresome part of the manufacturing process. Following the 

 strippers were the cutters, provided with a common corn cutter, who cut the 

 cane, also removing the head including about six or ten inches of the upper 

 portion of the stalk, and piled the stalks ready for hauling to the crusher. 



ilACHINERY AND MANUFACTURING. 



The machinery used consisted of a No. 3 Victor crusher and a No. 5 Cook's 

 automatic evaporator, mounted in an ordinary brick arch, together with tubs, 

 pails, skimmers, dippers, and a tin cup for visitors to taste from. This last 

 piece of apparatus is essential. 



Before going further it may be well to describe how the mill and pan were 

 mounted relative to each other. It was found necessary to mount the mill 

 four feet above the level of the ground, upon posts firmly fixed, in order that 

 the man who fed the mill with cane should not "lose his head" at each revo- 

 lution of the sweep. The juice coming from the crusher was first received 

 into a tub whose bottom was two feet and a half above the level of the evap- 

 orating pan. Running from the bottom of this tub was an iron pipe an inch 

 in diameter provided with a valve which emptied into a second tub standing 

 next to the evaporator, from which the juice was run by an ordinary faucet 

 into the upper end of the pan. Over the mouth of this tube in the first tub 

 WuS a fine gauze strainer to prevent the tube becoming clogged with pieces of 



