EXPERDJEXTS IS' SUGAR M-^XUFACTURE, ETC. 521 



ical results show, the maximum content of both s^Tup and sugar was 

 found when the average specific gravity of the juices was 1.082. 



Experiments tcith the Small Mill. 



Isear the close of the season, when some varieties had already l:>egun 

 to fall off in their content of sugar, and other varieties were still improv- 

 ing in quality, the crop of thirty-five varieties of sorghum, grown on 

 the grounds of the Department of Agriculture was cut, leaving enough 

 of each variety standing in order to continue and complete the dailv 

 analyses going on in the laboratory. 



The several lots were in succession cut, weighed, and the juice ob- 

 tained from each lot, and a .sample analyzed. 



The juice was defecated with milk of lime, as usual, and the defe- 

 cated juice evaporated iu an ^>pen pan to a syrup sufficiently dense to 

 be kept without danger of fermentation. The syrup was weighe<i and 

 also analA'zed. 



The object of these experiments was to determine whether it was not 

 possible to prepare, with simple and inexpensive apparatus, such as 

 the ordinary farmer might possess, syrups of high grade, i. e., contain- 

 ing a large per ceutage of sugar. These syrups, it was intended to 

 further reduce and crystallize in the vacuum pan of the large mill, 

 and thus show the farmer' that he could, with little expense, prepare 

 syrups from which sugar cuuld be profitably extracted ; and also con- 

 vince refiners and others that they could safely purchase these svrups 

 and as readily obtain from them the sugar as from similar products 

 from the sugar-cane. 



The experiments made at the Department of Agriculture in 1878 

 and 1879 had sufficiently demonstrate<l the ease with which crvstalliz- 

 able sugar could be obtained even with this simple outfit, but the 

 practical difficulty experienced in purging it without a centrifusal 

 machine was such as to warrant us iu recommending the farmer not to 

 endeavor to make sugar, but to make these hisrh crrade svrups. He 

 then could secure a local market for consumption as syrups, or, should 

 the product be ver}- great, the refiners would become purchasers so 

 soon as convinced that they could safely and profitablv work these 

 svrups for sugar. 



As evidence that our work in previous years sufficed to warrant our 

 discontinuing experiments in that direction, those results are here 

 given, from which it will be seen that we then obtaine<l an amouut of 

 sugar fairly comparable with the average results from sugar-cane. 

 In 1878, we obtained the syrups from the juices of sorghum, maize, 

 and pearl millet of very excellent quality in their content of suear. and 



