23 



(3) The production of a juice of great purity, which lends itself easily to processes 

 of depuration. 



I consider the experiments, however, to have their chief value in the fact that they 

 will call the attention of cam>-<;n>\ver8 to the advantages which a rational system of 

 diffusion will have over pressure in the extraction of the saccharine matter. 



I hope to be able at the end of another season to report further progress iu this in- 

 teresting problem. 



In the present condition of the sorghum-sugar industry, in which it has alike to be 

 protected from the over- zeal of its friends and the opposition of its enemies, the proc- 

 ess of diffusion offers the most promising outlook for success. It therefore seems the 

 duty of this division to make a more practical test of this process and on a larger 

 scale. 



To make the necessary further experiments with diffusion, required 

 the expenditure of large sums of money. As already shown, the pri- 

 vate companies had lost heavily. They were utterably unable to com- 

 plete the experiments so hopefully begun by the Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



THE AID OF CONGRESS SOLICITED. 



At this crisis Hon. W. L. Parkinson and Mr. Alfred Taylor, of Ot- 

 tawa, Kans., after consulting with others interested in the then lan- 

 guishing sorghuin-sugar industry, went to Washington to call the atten- 

 tion of Congress to the important results promised for the diffusion 

 process, aud to show that, without the aid of an appropriation, all that 

 had hitherto been accomplished would be practically lost. The Kansas 

 delegation in Congress became interested. Senator Plumb made a 

 thorough study of the entire subject, and, with the foresight of states- 

 manship, gave his energies to the work of securing an appropriation of 

 $50,000 for the development of the sugar industry. This appropriation 

 was made during the last days of the session of 1884. The season was 

 too far advanced to erect and use the diffusion apparatus with sorghum 

 cane, and it was, by the Commissioner of Agriculture, sent to Louisi- 

 ana^ and sorghum got no benefit from this first appropriation. 



ANOTHER APPROPRIATION. 



In 1885, Senator Plumb, at the request of Judge Parkinson, Professor 

 Swenson, and others, again labored for an appropriation for experiments 

 with diffusion. It was shown by Judge Park iuson, and all others in- 

 terested in the sorghum-sugar industry, that this was the only hope for 

 success. Fifty thousand dollars for this purpose was again added to 

 the agricultural appropriation bill, on the amendment of Senator Plumb. 

 This was expended at Ottawa, Kans., and iu Louisiana. The report 

 of the work at Ottawa closes as follows: 



(1) By the process of diffusion 98 per cent, of the sugar in the cane was extracted, 

 aud the yield was fully double that obtained iu the ordinary way. 



(-2) The difficulties to be overcome in the application of diffusion are wholly me- 

 chanical. AVit.li the apparatus on hand tin- following changes ard necessary in order 

 to be able to work 120 tons per day : (a) The diffusion cells should be made twice as 



