93 



EXPERIMENTS FOR WHICH AN AWARD OF $1,200 WAS MADE 

 BY THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



(1) CHAMPAIGN, ILL. 



The Champaign Sugar and Glucose Manufacturing Compauy in 1882 

 submitted a report of its operations to the Commissioner of Agricult- 

 ure, of which the following is a summary : l 



Number tons cane worked for sugar 1, 723. 99 



Number acres cane 185. 8 



Pounds sugar manufactured 86,603.00 



Pounds sugar per ton 50. 3 



Pounds sugar per acre 465. 5 



A part of the crop was so poor in sucrose that it was worked for mo- 

 lasses only. The climatic conditions attending the experiments are de- 

 scribed as follows : 2 



The weather during this year, so far as planting, cultivating, maturing the crop, 

 and the development of cane sugar in sorghum in this section of the country has 

 been the most unfavorable of any year within our knowledge, and we are informed 

 by those who have grown sorghum and broom- corn that this year has been the most 

 unfavorable season for upwards of twenty years in this section for those crops. 



Further difficulties in manufacture are also described. 3 



The company were unfortunate in not having a crystallizing-room, capable of being 

 heated to the proper temperature for the best results in crystallization, and the subse- 

 quent purging of the sugar. The room was so cold that the melada was too stiff to 

 arrange itself evenly in the centrifugal without the addition of warm water in the 

 mixer, and even then it was often found impossible to purge without washing with 

 warm water. We took the trouble to make experiments to see how much or what pro- 

 portiou of sugar was being washed down with and into the molasses by reason of the 

 cold. It was done by taking a certain weight of melada, 120 pounds, which was care- 

 fully warmed and then swung out. The yield was 56 pounds of dry sugar. The 

 same amount of melada from the same car was swung in the usual way, aud the yield 

 was 38 pounds of dry sugar, or a loss of 18 pounds of sugar in a purge, by reason of 

 the cold. Wo had but a few days of favorable weather, aud the results from it com- 

 pared favorably with the above experiment. 



Upon that basis we find that there was uselessly washed away 27,799 pounds of 

 sugar. Add sugar obtained, 86,603, and, with a suitable cry stalliz ing-room kept at a 

 temperature of from 98 to 100, the sugar product would have amounted to 114,402 

 pounds. This would have made the yield per ton of 66.3 pounds ; yield per acre, 615.7 

 pounds. 



This sugar was actually made, and was lost in separation by reason only of the fact 

 that it could not be kept at the proper temperature. This difficulty can be overcome 

 by having a crystal! iziug-room and having it kept properly heated. 



In the next place sorghum requires hot summer weather for its proper development. 

 As shown in our report, the average temperature during the part of the past season 

 fell far below the usual summer temperature in this section, and was an average of 6 

 below the average of the same mouths of last year. 



Encouragement to sorghum, etc., 1883, p. l:;. 



3 Op. cit., p. 11. 



3 Op. cit., pp. 17, 18. 



