128 



SORGHUM. 



After fi weeks : 

 (Stripped).. 



After l.S weeks ; 

 (Stripped).. 



November 2nd. 



December 20th. 



Cane sugar. 



8.4.5 



Glucose* 



3.7-t 



To jn(]<!;e by the table, the cane chanjres very slowlj-, but in reality the loss 

 of sugar is quite rapid. If no loss of sugar took place, the juice would of 

 course become richer in sugar, on account of the evaporation of part of the 

 water. In reality this is not the case. The cane sugar becomes gradually 

 changed to glucose, which in turn is destroyed by fermentation. In this way 

 the juice may become even richer in sugar, but the quantity of juice is greatly 

 diminished. The juice becomes also vf ry acid. The effect produced by shock- 

 ing the cane in the field was tried, with very unsatisfactory results, the cane 

 sugar being destroj'ed very rapidly. 



In the following table is given the comparative results obtained in 

 the manufacture of syrups from several varieties of sorghum. In the 

 one ca.'^e, the crop had been suckered, and the stalks were cut and 

 promptly worked ; in the second case, the crop had not been suckered, 

 but was promptly worked after cutting ; and, in the tliird case, the 

 crop had been unsuckered, and was allowed to remain from one to four 

 days after having been cut, topped, and stripped, before it was brought 

 to the mill for pressing. In each case the juices expressed and the 

 syrups made from them were analyzed with the following results. The 

 amount of any single lot of stalks was generally too small to permit 

 a lot of syrup to be made from it, but each lot of juice and of syrup 

 was so near alike in quantity, that the average fairly shows the effect of 

 suckers, and of lack of promptness in working. It will be seen, that, 

 of the sixteen varieties of sorghum experimented uj)on, the presence 

 of suckers had, in five cases, lowered the available sugar to a minus 

 quantity, while the average of the sixteen juices shoAved a loss of over 48 

 per cent of the available sugar, and of nearly 42 per^ccnt in the syrups 

 made from their juices: also, that, in none of the eleven syrups, and 

 in but one of the sixteen juices from the stalks which had been kept 

 for a few days before working, was tlie available sugar other than a 

 minus quantity. 



