148 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



land, about the 25th of May. Both came up well, and the 1st of 

 August both were cut and fed green to cows, pigs and horses. The 

 corn did not start again, but the sugar cane got up from two to three 

 and a half feet, and some of it showed panicles. I have tried the 

 juice for cider and vinegar — it ferments like cider. What it will give 

 in the end I cannot say. 



I have many other matters in connection with this subject if they 

 are wanted. 



Mr. Lake, in presenting his experiments with the Chinese 

 sugar cane, made the following 



STATEMENT: 



I planted the seed the jRrst of June, in drills ; slightly manured in 

 the row ; it was hoed once ; wood ashes were put round the stocks 

 once ; the soil was sandy loam, rather shady ; it should be grown on 

 warm sunny land ; some stalks attained the height of thirteen feet. 



No. 1. — September 11th. As soon as the seed tassal appeared 

 upon the top of the stock I expressed some of the juice, which w^as 

 very thin and mean, and boiled it down eleven-twelfths, (or 12 gallons 

 to one,) which made a light kind of molasses. 



Four more experiments, in four days, with about the same'success. 



No. 2. — Four more experiments were made from the 17th to the 

 20th of September, and found the yield to be twelve gallons reduced 

 to two. 



No. 3.— September 26th. This experiment was much better than 

 it had been ; ten gallons were reduced to three, and a fine sirup. 



I had some cane cut up and laid away in the barn for ten days before 

 the frost came ; and I have every reason to approve of the wilting of 

 the cane prior to expressing the juice ; I cut and lay them aside during 

 that period, when a great portion of the water the stock contains 

 evaporates. Five gallons of juice that Avas expressed from the wilted 

 cane will furnish as much sirup, and of as good quality, as seven gal- 

 lons taken from the green stalks. As the necessary evaporation in the 

 boiling of the sap from the wilted cane is much less than from the 

 green, the saving of fuel is proportional. 



No. 4. — October 2d. This experiment was successful ; four gallons 

 produced one of superior sirup. 



No. 5. — October 10th. An experiment was made, the result of 

 which was that the juice was much thicker as it came from the stalks, 

 consequently less water to evaporate and less fuel to be used ; ten 

 gallons were reduced to three. 



