142 ANNUAL REPORT. 



as it is needed for the mill carrier. The cane when raised by the 

 derrick is swung under a knife, which cuts off the seed head of 

 the bunch, which is deposited in a convenient receptacle, to be 

 loaded on the cars as they return to the field, and is carried to a 

 convenient point to their pig pens, where it is stacked for feed- 

 ing the hogs, of which they keep about five hundred. The 

 bagasse from the diffusors is also carried to the pens and worked 

 into manure of the very best quality for their cane fields during 

 the winter. This manner of disposing of their seeds and bagasse 

 enables the comj^any to make both pork for the market with 

 their seed and an abundance of manure for their fields, which 

 produce the finest quality of cane. 



Mr. Hughes sent me a polite invitation to visit them during 

 the working season, but I was unfortunately unable to do so. I 

 have not been able to learn the result of their season's work, but 

 will guarantee that their report will be a gratification to all. I 

 will not allude to what is being done in Louisiana, as I expect to 

 hear from Prof. Porter fully on that locality, and possibly more 

 definitely from Rio Grande from some one in the convention. In 

 conclusion I still say that the amber cane sugar and syrup indus- 

 try will overcome all adverse and opposing influences in Minne- 

 sota in spite of Prof. Wiley's isothermal line and the unfriendly 

 legislation of the government. 



THE AMBER CANE II^DUSTRY AT NEW ORLEANS. 



BY PEOF. E. D. PORTER. 



Prof. Porter was then called upon to report on the New Orleans 

 exhibit. He said: 



Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Association: 



My report will be very brief. I presume you are all interested 

 to know what kind of a show Minnesota is making among the 

 sugar makers of our country. Before making a report upon the 

 exhibit there I want to say a few words, by way of preface or ex- 

 planation, concerning the very disastrous years of 1882 and 1883, 

 which were very discouraging to Minnesota amber cane growers 

 and to the industry generally throughout the Northwest; and 

 that will account, of course, in part for the diminished attendance 

 and membership at the present meeting. Last year, 1883, scarcely 

 a stalk of cane was matured in Minnesota. The very backward 



