144 SORGHUM. 



The above results show, that the effect of stripping the cane is to di- 

 minish the quantity of juice, but to improve its quality. It has been 

 almost invariably stated, that by leaving the blades upon the stalks a 

 large amount of juice would be wasted. 



Such is far from the case, but it is to be observed that in no case was 

 there any available sugar in the juice from the leaves, owing not to the 

 excess of glucose, but to the much larger percentage of solids not su- 

 gars in the leaf juice. 



The general result, then, of putting the unstripped stalks through the 

 mill is, as an average of the eight experiments, to occasion a loss of avail- 

 able sugar equal to 6.66 per cent of the amount found in the juice from 

 the stalks, and to cause a gain of 6.33 per cent in the amount of syrup 

 over that to be obtained from the juices of the stalks alone. This is due 

 to the fact that the total sugars, with those solids not removed by defe- 

 cation and skimming, go to increase the amount of syrup to be ob- 

 tained from a juice. 



Method of Stripping. 



Owing to the value of the leaves as fodder, many may wish to strip 

 their cane, if ouly to utilize this material. 



In stripping, a wooden blade about three feet in length may be used, 

 when, by two or three dextrous blows, the blades may be easily re- 

 moved while the cane is standing. The seed heads may be removed 

 by bending down under the arm a small bundle of the standing cane, 

 and, by a blow of a sickle, several tops may be at once struck off. 



In saving the seed, it may be gathered up in small handfuls and 

 laid upon the ground to dry, care being taken to turn it every few 

 days until it is dry and ready for threshing. It may be threshed in 

 the ordinary machine used for wheat and like grain ; but, after the 

 threshing, great care should be taken to provide for its being 

 thoroughly dried before it is put in bulk. By such means, the Rio 

 Grande Sugar Company economically secured their large crop of seed 

 in good condition. 



Some criticism has been made against the use of machine threshed 

 seed for planting, owing to the danger of its being broken up aud 

 its germinating power destroyed ; but, of course, after testing the seed, 

 more may be planted, if necessaiy, since the expense for seed is but 

 triflingo 



