142 • SORGHUM. 



passed through the mill with the leaves on, than if it is stripped ; but 



owing to the fact that the juice from the leaves is impure, containing 



an excess of glucose and solids, it is found that the presence of the 



leaves on the cane causes a gain of about 6^ per cent in the amount 



of syrup, and a loss of about 6f per cent in the amount of sugar to be 



obtained. 



. This matter will be again discussed at another place, page 144. 



In those cases where the sorghum was stripped and topped, the fol- 

 lowing percentage of stripped stalks, and of leaves and tops, was ob- 

 tained : 



In 1882, as the average of eight experiments, the relative weight of 

 stripped stalks to leaves was as 100 to 17. 6S, this would give the 

 amount of leaves as 15 per cent of the topped stalks. 



Comparative Analyses of Juices from the Stalks and Leaves of Sorghum. 



Owing to the trouble and expense involved in stripping the canes for 

 the mill, the following analyses were made for the purpose of deter- 

 mining the effect of leaving the cane unstripped. In the eight experi- 

 ments below recorded, the stalks were topped as usual, and the blades 

 from each lot weighed, passed through the mill, and the juice ex- 

 pressed. The juices from stalks and leaves were then analyzed as 

 usual. 



In the Annual Report Department of Agriculture, 1879, page 59, it 

 will be seen that, as the result of seven experiments, two with stripped 

 and five with the unstripped stalks of sorghum, there was an increase 

 of juice calculated to the raw stalks (i. e., to stalks as cut in the field 

 without topping or stripping). This would indicate that stripping was 

 not necessary, and actually resulted in loss of syrup, if not in sugar. 

 To more fully determine this, the above-mentioned experiments were 

 made, and the results are given in the following table: 



