106 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
A small experiment, preliminary to those above recorded, was made 
with stalks of maize, and as it was within the means at the command of 
the laboratory, it was carried to a full conclusion, except only in this, that 
the stalks were cut in an ordinary hay-cutter, then beaten in a mortar, 
and the juice expressed by a small hand-press. 
The amount of juice thus obtained was less in amount and poorer in 
quality than could have been obtained by the use of a good machine, 
but owing to the completeness of the results this small experiment has 
considerable valine as indicating what may be done on a more generous 
seale and with the necessary appliances. Im this experiment 28.18 
pounds of raw stalks were taken, which gave of stripped stalks 19.08 
pounds. From these stalks there were obtained 8.43 pounds of juice of 
a specific gravity 1.065. 
This juice, after clarification and evaporation, gave an excellent sirup 
which was concentrated to a boiling point of 112° Centigrade, equal to 
234° Fahrenheit, and this sirup speedily crystallized, and yielded of 
excellent sugar .55 pound, and of molasses .28 pound. 
According to the above result, one ton of raw stalks would have 
yielded of sugar 39.03 pounds, and of molasses 19.87 pounds. 
As has been already said, there is no doubt but that a more thorough 
removal of the juice from the stalks would nearly, if not quite, have 
doubled the above yield, but the experiment is valuable as showing the 
facility with which a very large percentage of crystallizable sugar may 
be obtained from the sirup, amounting in this case to what would be 
regarded as an excellent result, even when working with sugar-cane, 
viz., almost exactly two-thirds the entire weight of sirup obtained as 
crystallized sugar in the first crop of crystals obtained from the sirup. 
The above experiments, although confessedly far from being complete, 
have at least established the fact that there is no trouble in making 
sugar from corn and sorghum, and they have this merit also, that every- 
thing has been done quantitatively, so that each may see for himself 
where there is room for improvement, and can calculate with some de- 
gree of accuracy the probable yield per acre of these crops in sugar, and 
the cost of manufacture. 
An experiment was also made with a small lot of sugar-beets, reeeived 
from F. D. Curtis, of Charlton, Saratoga County, New York, the object 
being to learn whether the process for the preparation of sugar from 
corn and sorghum, as above described, was applicable to beets; 14.5 
pounds of sugar-beets were ground up, and 7.87 pounds of juice were 
expressed, having a specific gravity of 1.080. This juice yielded a sirup 
which crystallized readily within twelve hours, and yielded .61 pound of 
sugar, which polarized 91.7° and .58 pounds of sirup, from which an 
additional quantity of sugar may doubtless be obtained. 
Still another experiment was made with a larger sample of sugar- 
beets and the result was the easy production of sugar of a very dark 
color, but which was easily refined, and in this dark condition polarized 
91.5 per cent. 
The molasses expressed from the above maize and sorghum sugars, 
owing to want of space in the laboratory for storing the several tubs 
containing it, was added together as follows : 
Tub A, from maize, Nos. 2, 3, 4. 
Tub B, from sorghum, Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. 
Tub C, from sorghum, Nos. 12, 13, 14, 19. 
No. 1, from maize, and No. 5, from sorghum, were kept apart, these 
sirups having been somewhat scorched in their manufacture. 
A second crop of sugar continued to form in these lots A, B, and C, 
