INDIANA CANB GROWERS. 471 



E. W. Deming. The only land that can be cultivated is in close proximity to 

 the Mississippi river, and will include about one-twentieth of the State They can't 

 get back in the woods to get the timber out only in the dryest months of summer. 

 When a man buys a plantation, he buys so much river front, and runs back as far 

 as he wants — 200 miles if you want. Many of the farms around New Orleans have 

 not more than fifteen arpents of river front, running back and widening out. 



E. W. Deming read the following on 



CANE SEED FLOUR. 



Having received many letters seeking information in regard to the conversion 

 of cane seed into a flour, I take this opportunity of replying. 



Having nearly 3,000 bushels of cane seed, no stock to which we could feed it, 

 and believing its sale for planting would be limited, we very naturally concluded 

 to test its flour as a substitute for buckwheat. Our first experiment, that of remov- 

 ing the bran by a buckwheat huller, was a failure, because of the bran adhering so 

 closely to the meal and the general hard nature of the seed causing it to break 

 straight across. Our second experiment, on a wheat buhr, resulted in grinding 

 much of the bran fully tis fine as the meal, making a thorough separation by bolt 

 impossible, and its oily, heavy nature, gummed the stone and soon rendered the 

 bolt useless. 



Our third experiment was with a sharp feed stone. This gave better results. 

 The seed was ground midway between buckwheat and cornmeal, and bolted, giving 

 four pound of flour and two of oflfal. Still there was snflicient bran in the flour to 

 give it a reddish cast; not enough to interfere with its use, but quite sufficient to 

 deter the trade from investing. Owing to the large per cent, of offal that had no 

 value whatever, unless it be to the tanner, this experiment was also a failure. I 

 may now add that this seed is very hard, difficult to grind, and damaging to bolts, 

 because of its oily nature and tendency to ball up. The millern generally are fast 

 learning this, and their experiments in this line will probably soon cease. After 

 much persuasion we induced the millers to test the seed on a set of rolls. The first 

 break gave one pound of flour from ten pounds of seed, bolted from the sample 

 now on the table. The second break has not yet occurred. According to the 

 miller's judgment, at least three breaks, with bolts after each break, would be nec- 

 essary to properly reduce the seed. As his machinery was not adapted to this 

 work, and the prospective profits not justifying us in the outlay for machinery, 

 experiments in this line have ceased for the present. 



By the use of rollers, the bran of the seed is left in large flakes, and, therefore, 

 can be easily removed, while the flour is coarse, and there is less danger of injury 

 to the bolting cloths than when ground very fine. This leaves a pure white flour. 



For individual use, a sharp chopping stone and a buckwheat bolt will give a 

 cane seed flour that will be far superior to the trade buckwheat for griddle cakes, 



