91 



Quantitative determinations were not made in the other experiments. 

 As a result of their work the experimenters were led to make the fol- 

 lowing statement: 1 



From the results above given it appears that crystallized sugar cau be obtained 

 from sorghum of as good a quality as that of the ordinary brown sugars found in the 

 market. A portion of this brown sugar was re-dissolved and the solution passed 

 through boneblack. On evaporation it yielded a white sugar, which had no trace of 

 sorghum taste or smell. 



From the proximate analysis of the cane, it appears that 1 acre of sorghum pro- 

 duces over 2,500 pounds of cane sugar. Of this amount we obtained 710 pounds in 

 the form of good brown sugar, and 265 pounds in the molasses drained from the sugar. 

 Hence 62 per cent, of the total amount of sugar was lost during the process of manu- 

 facture. This shows that the method of manufacture in general use is very im- 

 perfect. 



The 710 pounds of sugar at 8 cents per pound would bring $56.80. The molasses is 

 worth 25 cents a gallon, or the products of an acre of sorghum would bring $75.55. 

 There is no doubt that, with proper care and apparatus, the above yield can be 

 doubled. 



From our experiments, it seems that about one-half of the sugar remains in the ba- 

 gasse. This could, no doubt, in part be recovered by the process of percolation, as 

 is sometimes done in the manufacture of beet-root sugar. Experiments will be 

 made this coming season to determine the feasibility of recovering this great loss of 

 sugar. 



Iri 1880 Mr. H. A. Hughes manufactured some sirup from early amber 

 cane near Cape May, N. J. This sirup was sent to a Philadelphia re- 

 finery and manufactured into sugar. 2 



EXPERIMENTS AT THE AGRICULTURAL STATION IN WISCONSIN IN 1881. 



These experiments were conducted by Profs. W. A. Henry and M. 

 Swenson. 3 Two plots each of two-thirteenths acre area furnished the 

 canes for experiments. On plot A there was made 142 pounds of sugar. 

 On plot B there was made 109J pounds sugar. 



Calculated for an acre, plot A would make 923 pounds, and plot B 

 would make 997 pounds. 



In regard to the character of the season, Professor Henry 4 says: 



I would state upon the whole that the season has not been a very favorable one 

 * * * Had sugar been the object with our manufacturers this season, it would have 

 been a very unfavorable one. 



Weber and Scovell 5 continued their work and made some very in- 

 structive experiments in the manufacture of sugar. 



Experiment 1 (August 22) : 



Weight of cane crushed pounds.. 1,560.00 



Weight of juice obtained do 687. 50 



Per cent, of juice 43. 40 



1 Op. ctf., pp. 431-2. 



'Fifth Ann. Report N. J. Agricultural Experiment Station, p. 86. 



3 Report National Academy Sciences on Sorghum, p. 85. 



4 Op. cit., p. 92. 



6 Transactions Dept. of Agriculture, 111., 1881, pp. 500 et seq. 

 0p. cit., pp. 500, 501. 



