47 



" Again, grinted that lime is used with the co^^ juice, and heat subscqueatly 

 applied to aid defecation, should the evaporation be proceeded v\ith at once, 

 or could the warm juice be allowed to stvnd any length of time; and if so, 

 would it aid the clarification, or siiould, or could some additional method 

 of clarification be used before commencing the evaporation? 



"Again, in years gone by, when the making of sugar from corn stalks 

 was lalked about, the removal of the young ears of corn was said to be 

 essential to develop the greatest amount of sugar in the stalk. Question. 

 Would science consider that the remival of the young seed tift from the 

 cane would add to the strength of the cane juice? Your circular called for 

 facts. I have given mostly suggestions, or at least I hop3 you will consider, 

 and treat them as such. Truly yours, 



"JOSEPH H. ORTON." 



'{To those in doubt as to whether it pays to grow cane, I would refer the 

 following letter sent me by one of our careful farmers. It is the most com- 

 plete statement I have yet seen and deserves careful attention :J 



Kexosha, Wis., February 26, 1881. 

 Professor W. A. Henky, Madison, Wisconsin: 



Dear Sir — I herewith give you the result of growing one acre of Amber 

 sugarcane in 1880. The plot of ground is compose 1 of black muck, verg- 

 ing into a sand loam, two-thirds of the plot being the former and f.ne-third 

 the latter. There were about four rods of very low ground on which the 

 cane grew very rank and lodged. There was no waste ground. In 1879 it 

 WHS heavily m nured and a very heavi/ g owth of crilled fodder corn raised, 

 and plowed that fall. The ground was dragged and marked in rows one 

 way, three feet and a half apart, extendin;,' north and south, on Mny 20th, 

 and on May 2 1st it was plantel by hand, dropping the seed in the marks 

 made by the marker and covering with the foot. Two pounds of seed were 

 used. One half of it was planted fr.^m twelve to eighteen inchrs apart and 

 tbe other from twelve to twenty five inches. I think it would average sevea 

 or eight* seed to a hill. It was then rolled, and cultivated twice with a two. 

 horse cultivator. One man spent one day on the piece with the hoe cutting 

 out grass between the hills. This would not have been necessary had the 

 seed ci me up evenly. One-thirJ of the piece was dry and the seed not being 

 covered any deeper, did not come up for two weeks, hence could not culti- 

 vale it evenlj'. It was stripped by hand at intervals from September 14th to 

 September 27th, cut and bound September 28th, drawn to mill on the 29lh 

 and 30th, carefully weighed and piled. Total weight, 13|fi5f tons. 



The first halt, or that planted the thickest, weighed about eight tons, and 

 the other half HUo tons. The cane was made up October 7lh, and yielded 

 one hundred and seventy gallois of syrup, weighing eleven and a half 

 pounds to tlie gallon. The juice tested 7Q4 by the saccharometer and was 

 boiled down to forty. There was one load of leaves saved for fodder, and 



