No. 108.] 67 



ts great strength, adapt it equally to the finest, and the coarsest pro- 

 vender. In rapiditiy of execution, it is not excelled by any machine 

 which cuts as short. By the use of the different size rollers, the 

 length of feed may be varied at pleasure. 



C. T. BOTTS. 



On Corn Stalk Sugar. 



T. B. Wakeman, Esq. Cor. Sec'y. 



In answer to your inquiries in relation to corn stalk sugar and its 

 manufacture, I would state: 



That the juice of the corn stalk grown with a view to sugar mak- 

 ing, will give sugar of a superior quality; that it will yield as much 

 sugar per gallon as juice of the sugar cane, and the only doubt in 

 my mind upon the subject of growing maize for purposes of profit 

 in this way, arises from my having no well authenticated information 

 as to the number of gallons of the juice which can be obtained per 

 acre. 



I have strong doubts as to the economy of manufacturing sugar 

 from corn stalks by farmers for their own consumption. The expense 

 of apparatus is to great, unless it be manufactured in large quanti- 

 ties. It is true that common sugar may be made over the naked fire, 

 in copper vessels, without other apparatus; but the labor, fuel, 

 moulds, et cetera, would render its cost very nearly, if not quite as 

 great as the price usually paid for cane sugar. 



If the quantity of juice which can be procured from an acre of corn 

 stalks be as great as from an acre of sugar cane, then there can be 

 no doubt that, in the large way, its manufacture would prove highly 

 profitable. The corn stalk has many advantages over the cane, its 

 joints are less frequent and not so strong; less power is therefore ne- 

 cessary to express the juice than is required for sugar cane. The hra- 

 gass, or refuse, after passing the mill, can be used as fodder, and the 

 corn blades are also very valuable for the same purpose. 



For particulars as to the best method of manufacturing brown or 

 yellow sugar from corn stalks, I would refer you to my letter to the 

 Hon. H. L. Ellsworth, contained in Congressional Doc. No. 109, 

 folio 75, for 1843. 



If the yield per acre be as much as supposed, the manufacture of 

 this kind of sugar would, in the large way, succeed. If the farmers, 

 in a district of country sufficiently large, could be induced to devote 

 their lands exclusively to the growth of maize, and a refinery were 

 erected in the center of such a district, then white sugars of the fin- 

 est qualities could be made directly from the juice. A well regulat- 

 ed refinery, properly constructed, would cost (exclusive of building) 

 $20,000 to $35,000, and would be capable of producing 15,000 lbs. 

 of white and yellow sugars per day. On such a scale it would prove 

 profitable; but should the amount of stalks be such as to prevent 

 the proprietors from manufacturing more than one-third of this quan- 

 tity, it could not possibly prove profitable. The expenses of such 

 an establishment would form a large part of the cost of the sugars, 

 and as the expenses for manufacturing 5,000 lbs. would be nearly as 



