JtEPOET OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



11 



cane sugar present equal to 90.1, a loss of 9.9 of the amount originally 

 present in the juice. 



This very satisfactory result, showing as it does conclusivelj' the pos- 

 sibility of securing from the juices all the cane sugar present without a 

 loss of more than 7 to 10 per cent., is of great importance in view of the 

 fact that all these juices were evaporated in an open pan. A few of the 

 experiments made give a reasonable basis for estimating the probable 

 yield of sirup and sugar to the acre, and therefore an api^roximate esti- 

 mate of the cost of producing sugar. 



Below is the tabulated result of a few of the experiments from stalks 

 grown upon the grounds of the department. 



These stalks were grown in rows three feet apart, twelve to fourteen 

 inches in the row, and although a good crop, there is no doubt that upon 

 good land an equal yield to the acre could be readily obtained. 



Chinese sorghum 



Liberian sorghum 



Earlv Amber sorghum 

 Hontluras sorghum ... 



Pearl millet 



Field com 



3,673 

 3,783 

 3,661 



7,537 

 4,865 

 1,807 



The first and second columns give the result actually secured, but the 

 several juices were not in their best condition as compared with the 

 results given in the first table. The third column is the amount which 

 this same weight of stalks would have yielded had they been cut at 

 the proper time. The juice obtained from the stalks by the imperfect 

 means at the command of the department was a little more than one- 

 half of the amount present in the stalks. The fourth column rei)resents 

 the results obtainable by the use of a mill that would have given CS per 

 cent, of the juice, a result which is possible and claimed as common by 

 the manufacturers of the mills. There is no doubt that when the 

 present industry shall have received the employment of the capital and 

 scientific ability which has developed the beet-sugar industry, even these 

 results, which may appear extravagant to many, will be equaled and 

 probably surpassed. 



Although as has been stated these sirups were obtained from stalks 

 in which the maximum content of sugar had not been develoiied, yet 

 they all crystallized well and yielded an excellent article of sugar. 



The sugar had not been separated from the Chinese sorghum sirup, 

 which gave 54.7 of sugar, nor from the field corn, which gave 39 per 

 cent, of sugar. 



The experiments with field corn are worthy of special notice, since the 

 results secured are not only most suri)risingj but contrary to almost 

 universal belief. 



