10 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



Honduras 



Pearl Millet . 



Louisiana Eibbon Cano 

 Plant, 1879 



Louisiana Eibbon Cane 



Plant, 1878 



Do 



Developnieul of plant. 



Seed-head not out. 

 Seed just in milk . 

 Seed hardening ... 

 After hard frost . . 



In blossom 



Suckering at top. . 



Leaves dying 



After hard frost . . 



1.20 

 8.40 

 15.10 

 14.20 

 LOO 

 8.70 

 11.30 

 7.40 



12.47 



16.50 

 14.31 



Beside the above there •vrere made very many examinations of other 

 specimens of sorghum, and also of cornstalks. 



These examinations confirm the general jjrinciple above stated, viz., 

 the practical equality and great value of each variety of this plant. 



In the following table is given the result of the analysis of each of 

 the plants in four successive stages of development. It wiU be observed 

 that the amount of glucose (or uncrystallizable sugar) diminishes and the 

 amount of sucrose (or true cane sugar) increases up to a certain time in 

 the develox)ment of the plant; that these plants differ widely as to the 

 time when the sucrose is at its maximum, but are ahke in this, that the 

 maximum is obtained at about the same degree of the development of 

 the plant, viz., at full maturity, as indicated by the hard, dry seed and 

 the appearance of shoots or suckers at the ui:»per joints of the stalk. 



It is also to be observed that the heavy frost of October 24, which 

 was sufficient to form ice half an inch in thickness in tubs of water, did 

 not produce any marked diminution of sugar. Three varieties of sugar- 

 cane received from Louisiana in excellent condition, and which doubtless 

 fairly represent the average character of this famous sugar-plant, were 

 analyzed and the analyses are embraced in this table for purposes of com- 

 parison. 



Something over 23 tons of the stalks of corn, sorghum, and millett 

 have been used in making investigations, the result of which has been 

 not only to fully confirm the work of last year, but also to aid in the set- 

 tlement of certain other questions of the highest i)ractical importance. 



In other cases it has been found that the quality of sirup obtained 

 has been i^recisely such as the previous laboratory analyses of the juices 

 used made probable. 



The average of the nine best sirups obtained showed a percentage of 

 cane sugar present equal to 92.7, being a loss of 7.3 of the amount orig- 

 inally present in the juice, while *the average of the nine poorest, i. e., 

 containing the lowest percentage of cane sugar, showed a percentage of 



