STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 351 



If the seed is boiled it fattens pork rapidly. Over one-half of 

 the croi3 in Kansas is used for feeding purposes. So we see the 

 crop coming to be of great benefit to many and in many ways. 



The increased facilities in making sugar by our friend Porter, 

 of Red Wing, is one of the greatest j)oints in my opinion, and the 

 future will witness some great advances in this industry. 



Eice County, Minn. 



FUTURE OF THE SORGHUM SUGAR IN^DUSTRY. 



BY PROF. WILEY, OF WASHINGTON, D. C. 



At the annual convention of the Wisconsin State Agricultural 

 Society, held at Madison, in February, 1884, an interesting pa- 

 per was contributed by Prof. Wiley, from which we make the 

 following extracts: 



"In regard to the future of this industry I will say that as a 

 syrup-producing plant, sorghum cane has already become firmly 

 established; that the j)roduct of syrup in the country is already 

 approaching that which the country consumes. I have found 

 that the amount of syrup that was imported into the country 

 during the past year was less than 50,000,000 gallons, while 

 the amount that was made from sorghum syrup in the country 

 during that i^eriod was nearly as much. From the best informa- 

 tion at hand, the product is almost equivalent to one gallon per 

 head for all the people of the country at the present time. An 

 industry which is already developed to such an extent needs no 

 prophecy in regard to its future; its future is already assured. 

 I will say to the farmers of Wisconsin, sorghum cane is of more 

 importance as a syrui3-producing plant, to your State, than as a 

 source of sugar. As a syrup-producing plant it is a certain 

 crop. As you well know there is no more hardy crop than sorg- 

 hum cane; it will grow in a dry or in a wet season, in a hot sea- 

 son or in a cold season. Of course in a cold seasoH there is some 

 difficulty about its maturity, but it is not necessary in order to 

 make a fair article of syrup that the plant be ripe. In almost 

 any season you can have a crop of sorghum. 



The sugar consumed in this country is more than forty j)ounds 

 per head, and hence it becomes an immense article of consump- 

 tion. This country does not begin to produce the sugar it con- 

 sumes. People sometimes think the sugar they get is nearly 

 altogether made in this country, particularly in Louisiana; while 

 the fact is that the sugar made in Louisij,ua, is a very small pro- 



