SUGAR FROM SORGHUM 211 



tist as well as to the people. I am venturing upon a field that 

 has grown more crops of dissension and contest than acres 

 of the juicy reed. I refer to the possibility of an indigenous 

 sugar supply from sorghum cane. 



It may be of interest to note that almost the earliest im- 

 pulses given to the consideration of the manufacture of sugar 

 from the beet root and sorghum cane were from Philadelphia. 

 As early as the year 1836, the sugar beet was first introduced 

 into the United States by a society in this city; * and Dr. 

 Goessmann called the attention of the agricultural institutes 

 of his native country, Germany, to his own observations con- 

 cerning the nature of the juice of sorghum, made during the 

 summer season of 1857, while here. 2 



Nearly three quarters of a century have been spent to develop 

 the chemical processes of the beet-sugar industry, and im- 

 provements are even now being introduced. The working of 

 sorghum juices will be found as difficult as those of beet, 

 and true success cannot be hoped for until the processes used 

 for the one are as complete and scientific as for the other. 

 It is not meant by this that the processes and machinery are 

 to be identical. 



Sorghum will have to develop a chemistry of its own. This 

 will not be the work of a day or a year, but it will be accom- 

 plished sooner or later. 3 



The pronounced success of the beet-sugar industries of 

 France and Germany should serve as a beacon-light to the 

 struggling and distressed manufacturers of other countries. 



I wish to sketch briefly what chemistry, particularly plant 

 analysis, has done for sorghum. 



Before taking up this subject in detail, it may be well to 

 state that the sources of sugar supply to the world are from 

 a few plants 4 the sugar beet, maple, sugar cane, and sor- 

 ghum. 



1 Observations on the Sugar Beet and its Cultivation. Philadelphia, 1840. 



2 " Sugar Cane, Sorghum Saccharatum," by Dr. C. A. Goessmann. From 

 Transactions, N. Y. State Agricultural Society, 1861. 



3 Bui. No. 14, Chem. Div. U. S. Dept. Agr., page 43, by H. W. Wiley. 



4 A fifth source of sugar supply is threatened by introducing upon the 



