144 ANNUAL REPORT. 



commenced about five years ago at Red Wing, without auy 

 previous experience; he was a tanner by profession, but taking 

 a deep interest in this new industry he went to work, and the 

 result of a single season was about 1,500 pounds of sugar, made 

 with the use of the crudest home implements and machinery. 

 We have here three specimens differing in color, and, as I said, 

 we have about a ton of sugar like these specimens on exhibition, 

 with about ten barrels of syrup. The syrup was manufactured 

 chiefly by Mr. Kenney, of Morristown, and both the sugar and 

 the syrup are attracting an immense amount of attention there. 

 Almost at any time you may find an interested group of sugar 

 planters of Louisiana or Texas, and peojjle from all i^ortions of 

 the South, around that exhibit. I was very much amused at 

 one group shortly after the exhibit was first up. There were in 

 the number some four or five gentlemen and all of them I found 

 afterwards to be sugar planters of Lower Louisiana; they were 

 making remarks. One of them went by our exhibit, which we 

 had just got in place. We had an open pan l>y a table and syrup 

 for testing, and he touched his finger to it and tasted it; he looked 

 at the sugar and read "Minnesota." He took some of it between 

 his fingers and rubbed it between them and tasted it, and looked 

 astonished. He called to a party that was passing by and said, 

 "Come here, judge !" He asked what was the matter. He came 

 up and the other said: "I'll be d — d if these Minnesota fellows 

 haven't scooped us !" (Laughter.) One of them came up to 

 the attendant in charge and began to ask (questions, such as: 

 "What does it cost to make if?" etc. The other interrupted 

 and said, " That has nothing to do with it; they have got the sugar.^^ 

 They looked at the mottoes and examined the exhibit very care- 

 fully. The barrels are made of black walnut and are finished off 

 in a neat' and attractive manner. 



On one side of the exhibit appears the following: "Minnesota 

 Amber Cane, Matures its Crop in I^inety Days." On the other 

 side, "Minnesota Makes Her Own Sugars and Syrups." On 

 another side, "Minnesota Don't Fear the Sugar Line." On 

 another face is this: "We Are With You, Major Burke, on the 

 Sugar Question." Of course the sugar planters coming there* 

 do not leave until they have read the four signs, and ask ques- 

 tions as to where it is raised, what is the cost, and so on. They 

 have been greatly surprised at the idea of sugar being succCvSS- 

 fuUy grown nearly 1,200 miles beyond what has been supposed 

 to be the sugar belt, and sugar of the fine quality which is made 



