wr et i ee aes ne fe OF —-; AD ty a Ct 
meee ot AI ASR a le ee : ‘ WE i Pee, 
REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. bs aed ya 
ihe only of taking charge of a factory, but also qualified to conduct net 
dependent research, which, in so fruitful a field, could not but result 
in great good to the industry. 
The improvement of the sorghum cane is also one of the subjects 
which should receive immediate attention. 
Although very little has been attempted in this line, enough has 
been done to show that the cane sugar is greatly increased by good 
culture, and that it is susceptible of very great improvement by the 
various methods known to scientific agriculture there can be no 
doubt. The idea that sorghum cane will grow anywhere and do well 
with any kind of treatment is one of the main causes of poor cane. 
Instead of receiving thorough culture, it generally gets only such 
- attention as can be spared from the other crops. If the price paid 
for cane could be regulated by the actual amount of sugar it con- 
tained, the farmer would soon find it to his advantage to devote 
more time to his cane-field. 
The establishment of a sugar refinery within easy reach of the 
sorghum-sugar factories will be one of the imperative needs in the 
near future. The demand for any kind of sugar but white granu- 
lated is comparatively limited. The sugar produced at Fort Scott 
averaged within 23 per cent. of being as pure as the best granulated, 
while the selling price has been about 14 cents per pound less, or a 
difference of about 25 per cent. The most feasible manner of con- 
ducting the refinery, at least in the near future, will be to supply 
one or more factories with the additional appliances needed, and 
when the season’s work is over the sugar from a number of factories 
_could be refined there during the balance of the year. 
CONCLUSIONS, 
< 
In reviewing the work the most important point suggested is the 
complete success of the experiments in demonstrating the commer- 
cial practicability of manufacturing sugar from sorghum cane. 
(2) That sugar was produced uniformly throughout the entire sea- 
son. 
(3) That this was not due toany extraordinary content of sugar in 
' the cane, but, on the contrary, the cane was much injured by severe 
drought and chinch-bugs. 
(4) That the value of the sugar and molasses obtained this year per 
ton of sorghum cane will compare favorably with that of the highest 
yields obtained in Louisiana from sugar-cane; and, taking into con- 
sideration the much greater cost of the sugar-cane, and that it has no 
equivalent to the 2 bushels of seed yielded per.ton of sorghum cane, 
also our much cheaper fuel, I say without hesitancy that sugar can 
be produced fully as cheaply in Kansas as in Louisiana. 
- M. SwWEnson. 
SUMMARY OF CHEMICAL WORK DONE AT FORT SCOTT, 1887, UNDER 
DIRECTION OF THE CHEMIST OF THE DEPARTMENT. 
- [By C. A. Ceampton and N. J. Faxz.] 
Analyses were begun on the 3d of September, but a full chemical control of the 
work was not established until the 8th. 
Samples of the fresh chips, diffusion juices, and exhausted chips were taken in 
the usual way, great care being takento have them represent as accurately as pos- 
sible the mean properties of the several substances mentioned. 
