THE GENESEE FARRIER. 



3S7 



compensate for the loss of his health and strength in 

 a billious climate. Hence he sold his stock, crops 

 and chattel?, left his farm deserted, and returned to 

 the high hills he had left. But apropos of those 

 Bhakes, always more severe in a stimulating atmos- 

 phere than in the region of fever and ague proper. 

 Nature is kind to those who obey her laws of accli- 

 mation; but when they distrust her, and take fever 

 and ague to an uncongenial region, they will only 

 shake the harder for the time being, though they sup 

 on blue pills and breakfast on quiniue. S. W. 



Waterloo, Oct. I4:lh, 1857. 



CHYSTALIZED SUGAR FROM THE CHINESE SUGAR 

 CANE.* 



As the season for making syrup and sugar from 

 the ISorghum Saccltantttun is later at the North 

 than in this quarter of the Union, it occurs to me 

 that our experiments with the jnice of this new 

 plant, and experience in sugar making, may be useful 

 to persons cultivating the Chinese Cane in colder 

 localities; and, therefore, I send for publication a 

 few facts derived from personal observation. 



Hitherto some doubt has existed vrhether the 

 Chinese Cane yields any other sugar than that of 

 fruits, and my first investigations were directed to 

 this point, the results of which are thus stated in the 

 Augusta Chronicle ^' Sentinel of the '9th of Sep- 

 tember: 



"Sugar from toe Chinese Sugar Cane. — Dr. D. Lee, 

 df the Southern Cultivator, lias shown U8 a sample of 

 one or two pounds of well-graniilated and well tasted 

 Sugar, made by him at the plantation of Mr. W. J. 

 Eve, of tliis city, as the result of his Jirst experiment 

 with the juice of the Chinese Sugar Cane. This result 

 is the more interesting from the fact, that scientific 

 gentlemen in Boston have expressed the opinion that 

 this plant contains no cane sugar, but grape or fruit 

 sugar only. Dr. Lee's knowledge of chemistry has 

 enabled him to correct this error, and demonstrate that 

 the Chinese Cane is nearly as rich in crystalizable Su- 

 gar as that of the best cane grown in Louisiana." 



The sugar above referred to was defecated by the 

 use of a little cream of lime, four table spoonsful to 

 three gallons of the recently expressed juice of the 

 Cane, put in while the juice was cold; but which 

 was immediately heated nearly to the boiling point, 

 to form a thick scum. This being removed by a 

 skimmer, the liquid was filtered or strained through 

 a cloth bag into another pan or boiler, to separate 

 fine particles not removable by the skimmer. Know- 

 ing that the juice of this plant contains a good deal 

 of green coloring matter, (cUloroplnjUe) glucose and 

 caseine, and the usual amount of albumen and mu- 

 cilage, ail of which ought to be removed, I took 

 extra pains in clarifying the syrup before attempting 

 to crystalize sugar from it. The caseine is the most 

 difficult of removal, whether in the true sugar cane 

 of Louisiana, or in the Sorghum. Dr. Evaxs, in his 

 Sugar Planters' Mrnnnd, recommends a solution of 

 nut galls (tannic acid). Another gentleman uses 

 a little vinegar to coagulate the curd-like matter. I 

 have not tested either sufficiently to warrant me in 

 recommending them; j-et I name them, becau,-e, in 

 skilful hands, both attain the end sought. Where a 

 whole plant is crushed to express its sugar, the latter 



•The above interesting article from Profe.s.sor Lee was intended 

 for the October numbei', but did not reach us in time. — Eds. 



is necessarily far more contaminated with other sub- 

 stances than is the limpid sap of the sugar maple 

 Hence any one, even Indian.s, can make fair t-ugar 

 from the saccharine liijuid obtained by tapping the 

 sugar tree of the Northern and Middle States; bu 

 sugar making from beet roots, and canes of v.-hatever 

 kind, is a more complicated process. It will, there- 

 fore, take some little time for farmers to leaiii the 

 best ways and means to produce good sugar from 

 either the Chinese or African Cane. Of the latter 

 Mr. Peters has 40 acres, and 70 of the former, which 

 I have recently seen. The African seed was latest 

 planted, and the crop is not ready to grind; it is 

 much more like the true tropical cane than is the 

 Sorghum. And I saw at Gov. Hammo.nd'.s, a few 

 days since, two vigorous plants growing irom the 

 two separate joints of the cane which had been cut off 

 from the parent root, and planted precisely as cane 

 joints are planted in Florida. This fact goes far to 

 prove a close relationship between the two sugar- 

 bearing plants, and Gov. H. regards them as one 

 species. The accident of not bearing seed, but blos- 

 soms only, in the Florida cane, is ascribed to the 

 long practice, in India and China, of cutting off the 

 heads of the true cane early, to increase the sugar 

 in the stems below. Both starch and sugar are 

 largely consumed in plants while forming their nu- 

 merous seeds. Gov. Hammond commcEces opera- 

 tions this week on a crop of 110 acres, which is late, 

 owing to the late arrival of Mr. Weat, who has a 

 very complete apparatus for making sugar in a small 

 way. Mr. W. has a patent for his process for ma- 

 king syrup and sugar from whatever plants saccha- 

 rine juice may be extracted. The practical value 

 of his plan has yet tt) be tested in this country. 

 Messrs. Hammond and Peteks will soon put into tae 

 market over sixty thousand gallons of good syrup, 

 while there are many whose crops range from tea 

 to one hundred barrels. Where the syrup is prop- 

 erly manufactured, it sells as high as Stuart's best 

 Alter deciding to my own satisfaction, the best way 

 to clarify syrup for making sugar, or pure syrup, I 

 will write you the particulars. D. Lee. 



Athens, Ga. 



^»'#«M . 



DOMESTIC PIGEONS. 



Of all the feathered race. Domestic Pigeons have 

 always been great favorites of man: In every age, 

 and in every country, even back to our earliest re- 

 cords. Noah, we have every reason to believe, re- 

 joiced more in this, bird, when it returned with the 

 olive branch, than in all his Arked miscellany be- 

 sides. 



The pigeon is also famed in classic lore. Aristo 

 tells us that the death of Orillo was made known to 

 all Egypt by the Carrier Pigeon in a few hours. 

 We also read that when Brutus was beset in Mo- 

 dena, he, by these birds, kept up an uninterrupted 

 correspondence with Hirtius without, Anthony fail- 

 ing in every stratagem to stop these winged couriers; 

 luckily for those poor birds, powder and shot were 

 not then in use. 



The Messenger or Carrier pigeons have been bred 

 and trained to such perfection, that they will readily 

 return from the principal cities, and the wonder is no 

 longer at the birds return, but at the surprising swift- 

 ness and exactness with which instinct has endowed 

 them to direct their course, so that the reduction of 



