PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 259 



the average was over one gallon per rod, or IGO galls, per acre. 

 Some was at the rate of 212 galls, per acre, and of a quality that 

 has granulated. I think there is an advantage in cutting off the 

 tops very low down. I cut my own as low as the third and fourth 

 joints from the top, and although I'un as late as November 12th, 

 after it had been frozen hard many times, and thought to be 

 spoiled, it made the best syrup that we have run this season, 

 being quite thick with sugar, and as pleasant as the best sugar- 

 house syrup, and yielded, after cutting so low, at the rate of 170 

 gallons per acre, more than making up in quality what is lost in 

 quantity. From my experience with sorghum, I am satisfied that 

 ten acres of suitable land planted to cane, in an ordinary season, 

 will. produce more real profit than one hundred acres, farmed as 

 most farmers manage in the State of Michigan. 



Mr. R. stated that it had now been demonstrated that the 

 whole west can be furnished with all the sugar they require from 

 their own farms, and at a cheap rate, while the sorghum will 

 be a paying crop to the farmer. 



Dr. Trimble remarked that the cultivation of sugar cane, or 

 sorghum, depends in a great measure upon the expense of trans- 

 portation. Here land is too high priced, and sugar can be too 

 easily obtained from other sources, for sorghum to be a profitable 

 crop ; but in the west, where the cost of transportation is so 

 great, and land costs far less, it seems to be worthy of the atten- 

 tion of the farmer. 



Dr. Holton said that sorghum had been raised successfully for 

 several years as far north as Milwaukie, The great difficulty at 

 first was the want of appliances for pressing out the juice. This 

 difficulty was now overcome. 



NEW PLOW. 



On motion, a committee, consisting of Messrs. Dought}^, Robin- 

 son and John G. Bergen, was appointed to examine and report 

 upon Messrs. Collins & Co.'s steel plows. 



FRAUDS. 



Dr. Trimble offered the following resolution : 



Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to inquire 

 into and report upon the frauds of this city, practiced especially 

 upon the farmers and other visitors from the country. 



Mr. Robinson. — I move to amend so as to include the frauds 

 practiced by the farmers upon the people in the cit^s ; and, par- 



