CORN FOR SUGAR. 



half. The quantity of sugar produced 

 on a given space of ground is greater, 

 besides being of better quality. An 

 examination into the nature and pro- 

 ductive powers of these two plants 

 will show that no other results could 

 have been reasonably expected. It 

 is a well-established lact, that every 

 variety of production found in plants 

 is derived from the sap. It is also 

 ascertained that the principal sub- 

 stance found in the sap or juice of 

 many vegetables is sugar ; therefore, 

 the amount of saccharine matter pro- 

 duced by any plant of this description 

 may be estimated from an analysis 

 of the fruit, seed, &c., of such plant, 

 when ripe. The grain yielded by 

 corn, and the seed from beet, in the 

 second summer of its growth, are 

 nothing more than this sap or juice 

 elaborated by the process of vegeta- 

 tion, and presented to our view in 

 another form. 



" Now, as it is contrary to the econ- 

 omy of nature to suppose that there 

 should be any loss of nutritive mat- 

 ter in this change of sap into seed or 

 grain, does it not follow that there 

 must be the same difference in the 

 quantity of sugar produced by the two 

 plants as there is between the nutri- 

 tive properties of beet seed and corn ! 



" The juice of maize contains sugar, 

 acid, and a gummy, mucilaginous 

 matter, which forms the scum. From 

 the experiments of Gay Lussac, The- 

 nard, Kirchoff, and others, it is pro- 

 ved that starch, sugar, and gum are 

 extremely similar in composition, and 

 may be as readily converted into each 

 other by chemical processes as they 

 are by the operation of nature. For 

 example : starch, boiled in diluted 

 sulphuric acid for thirty-six hours, is 

 converted into sugarof greater weight 

 than the starch made use of 



"This result goes to show that ev- 

 ery pound of starch found in the seed 

 of a plant has required for its produc- 

 tion at least one pound of sugar in 

 the form of sap. If it be objected 

 that this deduction is too theoretical 

 to be admitted, it may be answered, 

 that experiment, so fa- as it has gone, 

 has fully attested its correctness. 



" The raw juice of maize, when 

 cultivated for sugar, marks 10 ' on the 

 saccharometer, while the average of 

 cane juice (as I am informed) is not 

 higher than 8°, ani beet juice not 

 over 3°. 



" From 9| quarts (dry measure) of 

 the former I have obtained 4 pounds 

 6 ounces of sirup, concentrated to 

 the point suitable for crystallization. 

 The proportion of crystallizable sugar 

 appears to be larger than is obtained 

 from cane juice in Louisiana. This 

 is accounted for by the fact that our 

 climate ripens corn perfectly, while it 

 but rarely, if ever, happens that cane 

 is fully matured. In some cases the 

 sirup has crystallized so completely, 

 that less than one sixth part of mo- 

 lasses remained. This, however, only 

 happened after it had stood from one 

 to two months. There is reason to 

 believe that, if the plant were fully 

 ripe, and the process of manufacture 

 perfectly performed, the sirup might 

 be entirely crystallized without form- 

 ing any molasses. 



" This perfection in the manufac- 

 ture cannot, however, be attained with 

 the ordinary apparatus. Without any 

 other means for pressing out the 

 juice than a small hand mill, it is im- 

 possible to say how great a quantity 

 of sugar may be produced on an acre. 



" The experiments have been direct- 

 ed more to ascertain the saccharine 

 quality of corn-stalk than the amount 

 a given quantity of ground will pro- 

 duce ; but the calculations made, from 

 trials on a small scale, leave no room 

 to doubt that the quantity of sugar 

 will be from 800 to 1000 pounds. This 

 amount will not appear unreasonable 

 when it is considered that the juice 

 of corn is as rich as that of cane, and 

 the weight of green produce at least 

 equal. 



" Mr. Ellsworth, in one of his pub- 

 lications, states, as the result of ac- 

 tual weighing and measuring, that 

 corn, sown broad-cast, yielded five 

 pounds of green stalks per square 

 foot ; this is at the rate of 108J tons 

 to the acre. 



" My attention was first directed to 

 maize as a material for sugar by ob- 



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