86 



the canes during the heat of the day. Acting on these observations, it 

 is the rule at this station to cut all average samples of cane from va- 

 rieties taken for analysis in the morning, and to cut the canes intended 

 for seed selection in the afternoon, and to defer the cutting of cane for 

 average samples for some time after a rain which follows a drought, 

 otherwise the analyses are irregular. 



The general belief that sorghum is fickle in its content of sugar may 

 be traced to causes some of which may be removed. The causes of 

 variation are : Seeds of mixed varieties, or even seeds of one variety, 

 which are not bred to ripen at one time, differences in soil in one field, 

 or careless agriculture, which causes the canes to ripen not uniformly, 

 and differences in the density of the juices, caused by variations in the 

 weather at the times analyses are made. 



The varieties of sorghum which have given best results at this sta- 

 tion may be classified as follows : The pounds of sugar actually con- 

 tained in a ton of clean cane is given, in addition to the percentage of 

 sugar in the juice, for the reason that many cane growers consider a 

 difference of 1 per cent but a small matter, and because all readily un- 

 derstand what is meant by pounds of sugar per ton of cane. The values 

 for the varieties are based upon the averages of all the analyses made 

 upon the varieties, during reasonable working periods, including the 

 years 1888, 1889, 1890, and 1891. 



It is not deemed worth while to state here the facts in regard to dis- 

 carded varieties, to give rejected analyses, or results of useless work. 

 The following list of varieties contains only those which are considered 

 worthy of consideration in this place. 



The results of four years' experimental work with varieties of sorghum 

 at this station appear to indicate that sorghum is as stable in qualities 

 as other plants are; that the varieties have definite qualities of juice 

 which may be regarded as belonging to them, and which are as charac- 

 teristic of them as is the type of the cane or the color of the seed; 

 that at present it may be expected that the best varieties, in fair con- 

 ditions of cultivation and of season, will yield juice which contains an 

 average of 14 per cent of sugar; that is, 12.32 per cent of the weight of 

 the cane, or 246 pounds of pure sugar per ton of cleaned cane; and the 

 success of sorghum sugar manufacture appears to depend on the ability 

 of the manufacturer to extract the sugar from such canes. 



It is believed that the thousands of analyses which have been made 

 of sorghum at this station justify the expectation that some varieties 



