NATURAMKISTORY. 89 



The stalks should be passed through the mill twice or more, 

 until most or all of the juice is expressed. 



The juice should not be allowed to stand long after being 

 expressed, but boiled at once, if possible. A slow fire should be 

 made under the kettle, — wliich should be of brass, or much bet- 

 ter of copper, — and the juice should not be allowed to boil until 

 the green scum has all been taken off. Lime-water may be 

 used to aid in clarifying and to neutralize the acid ; the exact 

 quantity is not yet determined, but to every five gallons of juice, 

 say from one to two teaspoonfuls of powdered lime, or the 

 same dissolved in water, and strained, before being put into the 

 juice. 



When all the green scum has been removed, the fire may be 

 increased, and the juice boiled down until nearly as thick as 

 common molasses in hot weather, when, if intended for sirup, 

 it should be removed from the fire, for this completes the pro- 

 cess; If intended for sugar, it should be allowed to boil longer, 

 and until it will ' string into threads,' or present an appearance 

 of being sufficiently boiled to grain, when it should be thrown 

 off into troughs, or coolers, at once. I am not able to give 

 exact information in regard to the time it should be boiled to 

 crystallize readily. Further experiments will determine. 



If made into sugar, it should be removed from the coolers to 

 casks with holes bored in them, so that the molasses may drain 

 off and leave the sugar dry, as it should be. These casks are 

 generally placed on timbers, with a cement cistern underneath 

 to hold the drippings, or molasses. After remaining in the 

 ' purgery ' until sufficiently drained, it comes out fit for sale, or 

 use. 



If cultivated exclusively for fodder, it should be planted as 

 early as the weather will allow, and quite as thick as stover- 

 corn. When the panicles appear, or even before, it may be cut 

 either for soiling or for drying, and the roots will at once throw 

 up another crop. 



If it is desired, the juice may be fermented, like the juice of 

 apples, being put into casks at the mill, and treated like cider. 



The begass, or waste, may be dried and used for fuel, or for 

 making paper, or. rotted down for manure. 



If the storms should blow down the seed-cane, no fears need 

 be entertained, as it will remain weeks in that condition without 

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