SUGAR FROM SORGHUM 219 



do not prove that on certain soils, which are deficient in one 

 or more essential constituents of plant-food, that the addition 

 of proper fertilizers will not be of great value. 



"The analysis of the ash, taken with that of the soil, is a 

 good guide for the application of mineral fertilizers. Sorghum 

 is a very much less rapacious potash and phosphoric acid 

 consumer than the sugar beet." 1 



The importance of this statement about potash is obvious, 

 when it is remembered that alkalies seriously interfere with 

 the successful manufacture of sugar. 



Many interesting facts about sorghum may be culled from 

 the earlier reports of the Agricultural Department. 



From comparative analyses of different parts of the stalk 

 of the sorghum, it appears that the amount of juice present 

 in the upper and lower halves does not vary widely. Hence, 

 the practice of cutting the stalk several inches above the ground 

 involves a large waste of sugar. 2 



Analyses of the stalk and leaves show that the stripping 

 of the cane diminished the quantity of the juice, but increased 

 its quality, although there is no available sugar in the juice 

 of the leaves, owing to the larger percentage of other solids 

 than glucose. 3 



Experiments at the Rio Grande Station were conducted : 



"No. i. To compare mill juice from unstripped cane with 

 diffusion juice from thoroughly cleaned stalks. 



"No. 2. To compare the diffusion juice from stripped and 

 unstripped sorghum. 



"The results were as follows: 



"No. i. Eighty-nine per cent, of the total sugar in the cane 

 was secured by diffusion. Forty-eight per cent, of the total 

 sugar in the cane was secured by milling. Milled products, 

 therefore, must be increased by eighty-four per cent, in order 

 to equal diffusion products. 



"No. 2. Diffusion juices from stripped cane excelled mill 

 juices in concentration, color, taste, and purity. Diffusion 



1 Dept. of Agr., Chem. Div. Bui. No. 3, p. 19. 



2 Chem. Div. Dept. of Agr., Report, 1883, Collier, p. 30. 



3 Report, 1883, Collier, p. 30. 



