AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



421 



SOR 



crease of glucose* in each specimen examined. 

 From tiiis it would appear that the effect of 

 cold, even protracted, is not injurious to the 

 quality of the canes, but that they should be 

 speedily worked up after freezing and before 

 they have again thawed out. This is a matter 

 of such practical importance that some exper- 

 iments should be made to learn whether the 

 syrup prepared from the juice of frozen cane, 

 differs from that prepared from cane not 

 frozen, but in other respects of like quality. 

 The Early Amber, Chinese, Liberian and 

 Honduras Sorghums and the Pearl Millet ex- 

 amined, mentioned as having been grown 

 upon the department grounds, were all planted 

 the same day. May 15, 1879. The relative 

 weights of the different kinds of Sorghum 

 experimented upon are as follows : 



Pounds. 



Early Amber, average of 40 stalks 1.73 



White Liberian, average of 38 stalks 1.80 



Chinese, average of 25 stalks 2.00 



Honduras, average of 1(5 stalks 3.64 



Sincp these wei"e all grown side by side, and 

 upon land presumably of equal fertilitj^ it 

 will afford the data for calculating the rela- 

 tive amount of each variety to be grown per 

 acre. For more clearly presenting the facts 

 developed by the examination of the four 

 kinds of Sorghum, it may be observed that 

 the Early Amber and Liberian correspond in 

 their development, being almost identical, 

 and yet clearly distinct varieties. It may 

 also be stated, that while these two varieties 

 attain a content of sugar in their juices equal 

 to the average content in the juice of Sugar- 

 cane by the middle of August, the Chinese 

 does not reach this condition until the last of 

 September, while the Honduras does not 

 reach this point until the middle of October. 

 After having attained approximately the max- 

 imum content of sugar, this condition is 

 maintained for a long period, affording ample 

 time to work up the crop. It is doubtless 

 true that, had the season been longer, it 

 would have been found that the Chinese and 

 Honduras, having once attained this full de- 

 velopment, of sugar, Avould also have retained 

 it ; but the heavy frosts and subsequent warm 

 weather, which happened about November 

 24th, caused a rapid diminution of sucrose in 

 each variety, and a corresponding increase of 

 glucose. The converse of what is found true 

 of the sucrose is true as to the development 

 of the glucose, and a minimum quantity, once 

 attained, is continued a long time, and this 

 minimum is quite as low as the average 

 amount found present in the sugar-canes. It 

 is obvious that the results are not to be taken 

 as entirely exact, but the general fact is, with- 

 out doubt, true. An average of all the exam- 

 inations made of these four Sorghums during 

 the periods when they were suitable for cut- 

 tings, gives the following results : Early Am- 

 ber, from August 13th to October 29th inclu- 

 sive, fifteen analyses, extending v\rv seventy- 

 eight days, 14.6 per cent, sucrose. Liberian, 

 from August 13th to October 29th inclusive, 

 thirteen analyses, extending over seventy- 

 eight days, 13.8 per cent, sucrose. Chinese, 

 from September 13th to October 29th inclu- 

 sive, seven analyses, extending over forty-six 

 days, 13.8 per cent, sucrose. Honduras, from 

 October 14th to October 29th inclusive, three 

 analyses, extending over sixteen days, 14.6 



SOR 



per cent, sucrose. Besides the investigations 

 above mentioned, there have been made 

 thirty-five experiments in making sugar from 

 Corn-stalks, Sorghums, Pearl Millet, etc., in 

 all of which there have been used over twenty- 

 three tons of stalks. The result of these 

 experiments has been to fully confirm all the 

 experiments not only of the previous year, 

 but also to help towards the solution of cer- 

 tain questions of the highest practical impor- 

 tance. In every'case it has been found that 

 the quality of the syrup obtained has been 

 precisely such as the previous analysis in the 

 laboratory of the juice used made probable. 

 An average of the nine best syrups obtained 

 showed a percentage of Cane sugar present 

 equal to 92.7 of the amount originally present 

 in the juice, while an average of the nine 

 poorest (i. e., containing the lowest percentage 

 of Cane sugar) showed a percentage of Cane 

 sugar present equal to 90.1 of the amount 

 present in the juice. This must not be under- 

 stood to mean that there has been no loss of 

 sugar in the process of manufacture, as such 

 conclusion would be quite erroneous. An ex- 

 periment was also made to determine whether 

 splitting the canes before they were passed 

 through the mill would increase the percent- 

 age of juice obtained from the stalks. One 

 hundred pounds of butt ends of Honduras 

 Sorghuui were split lengthwise, and then 

 passed through the mill. Another parcel of 

 one hundred pounds of butts of the same 

 variety of Sorghum, equal in all respects to 

 the previous lot, was passed through the mill 

 without splitting them. The results obtained 

 were as follows : Percentage of juice obtained 

 from split stalks, 54 per cent. ; percentage of 

 juice obtained from unsplit stalks, 57 per 

 cent. ; from which it would appear that in this 

 case at least the previous splitting of the 

 stalks occasioned an appreciable loss in juice. 

 A few of the experiments made give a reason- 

 able basis for estimating the probable yield 

 of syrup and sugar to the acre ; and, there- 

 fore, an approximate estimate of the cost of 

 producing sugar. Below is a tabulated result 

 of a few of the experiments from stalks grown 

 upon the grounds of the department. These 

 stalks were grown in rows three feet apart 

 and in drills, and although a good crop, there 

 is no doubt but that, upon good land, the esti- 

 mated yield to the acre could be obtained : 



Varieties. 



Chinese Sorghum 



Liberian Sorghum 



Early Amber Sorghum 

 Honduras Sorghum... 



Pearl Millet 



Field Corn 





3,673 

 3,783 

 3,661 

 7,537 

 4,865 

 1,807 



The first and second columns give the re- 

 sults actually secured, but the several juices 

 wei-e not in their best condition. The third 

 column is the amount of syrup the same 

 weight of stalks would have yielded had they 

 been cut at the proper time. The juice ob- 

 tained from the stalks by the imperfect means 



