185*7.] Sugar Cane Correspondence. 549 



thorouglily ripen the seed. Mr. Hartman, of our place, had seed 

 ripe, planted the first week in June. I planted a small patch 

 about the 15th of June, and on the 30th two acres more for fod- 

 der, which haS grown sufficiently to make good molasses. 



The first patch contained 477 hills, and averaged G stalks to the 

 hill, 13 to 15 feet high, amounting to 2862 stalks. The seed had 

 not got fairly ripened before the frost of 29th of Sept. This frost 

 killed the top leaves, but did not hurt the stalk. I pressed these 

 stalks in a Mill made to order, of which I wil! give a description be- 

 fore closing. The 2862 cane-stalks made 163 gallons of juice, 

 which made 24 gallons of molasses, this would be 17 stalks to the 

 gallon, and 4 1-4 stalks to a quart. I pressed from two stalks one 

 quart of juice. Taking 7 gallons of juice to make 1 of molasses. — 

 I am now making from the two-acre patch, and find it to turn out 

 better than I anticipated. From 24 stalks we had one gallon of 

 juice, which when boiled down to thick molasses made a little over 



a pint. 



My manner of boiling and clarifying was principally taken from 



the Tribune, with some improvements. I found that it improved the 

 syrup by the following process: — after pressing, I took the juice and 

 strained it through a cloth, and to every six gallons I took a table- 

 spoonful cf cream of lime and two eggs. The lime and eggs were 

 put into the juice when milk warm, and then permitted to come to a 

 boil. It was then taken off and after standing fifteen minutes, the 

 scum taken oflf, and strained again through a cloth, then put into an 

 iron kettle which held three batches, or eighteen gallons, and boiled 

 over a rapid fire till so much water was parted as to cause the ther- 

 mometer to rise to 240 deg., when immersed in the mess. After ii 

 boiled suSiciently, which a person can tell after 'coiling a mess or two, 

 I strained it again through a flannel cloth. This removes all sedi- 

 ment. 



lam satisfied it will be a profitable crop for this latitude, for making 



molasses, sugar and fodder. It will save to the town of Cedar Falls, 

 alone, from $10,000 to $15,000 a year. Experiments have been made 

 at Cincinnati, St. Louis, Louisiana and Texas this fall, in a manner 

 which has thoroughly tested the cane for making sugar. Those 

 instances are sufficient to set at rest all doubts as to whether the 

 eyrup derived from the Chinese Cane will granulate or produce su- 

 gar of commerce.* There is no waste to this valuable plant. I 



* To corroborate which, the reader is referred to Prof. Belcher's article as quoted 

 in our article on the Sorghum ! 



