96 



The date of Mr. Decker's report is not given. He says, however : l 



On September 22 and 23 there was a sharp frost. The cane was mostly in blossom 

 and the juice tested 5 B. Three months later it tested less than 6 B. There is, there- 

 fore, internal evidence that the report was written later than December 23. 



This failure to separate the sugar may have been due to the small 

 capacity of the centrifugal, which 2 " was small, 24 inches in diameter, 6 

 inches deep, with a capacity of 500 pounds per day." 



In respect of the weather we learn : 3 



The season has been the most unfavorable of any known in this locality since the 

 introduction of this crop. 



Mr. Decker closes with a number of observations to which the pre- 

 ceding part of his report gives great emphasis : 4 



There are a number of points requisite to the development of sugar from sorghum 

 as well as the process of manufacturing. First, is ripe cane ; second, proper appli- 

 ances; third, " the know how." The long-continued high degree of heat required in 

 open-pan boiling destroys nearly all the sugar long before the required density ia 

 reached, and under the most favorable circumstances not more than one pound of 

 sugar to the gallon can be expected from open-pan work, and that does not deserve to 

 be called sugar making yet. I believe with the use of the vacuum pan and the skill 

 to run it, sngar in the West is as certain as making flour from wheat. 



(7) REPORT OF WILLIAM FRAZIER, ESOFEA, VERNON COUNTY, WIS. 5 



The weight of cane manufactured by Mr. Frazier was nearly 259 tons, 

 grown on a little more than 41 acres. Mr. Frazier's success in sugar 

 making can not be properly appreciated save in his own words : 6 



My report on this subject can not be what I would like. I am able, however, to send 

 you what I believe to bo a pretty fair sample of crude sugar ; it was dried from sirup 

 made of Mr. Brigg's cane, dried by draining the sirup through a coarse cloth. Allow 

 me to state here that my object has been sirup, with a view of making sugar in the 

 near future. The most of my sirup was thoroughly grained one week after it was 

 made. Had it granulate in the coolers frequently. My coolers are 8 inches deep and 

 hold 40 gallons each. 



On two occasions there was about an inch in the bottom of the second cooler so 

 completely grained that it would not run out, although the melada was quite warm. 

 I now have abont 2,500 pounds of sugar in the bottom of sirup tanks, whieh I intend 

 to throw out in the spring. 



Mr. Frazier also finds fault with the weather: 7 



But the expected spring rains failed to come. It continued very dry until the 24th 

 day of June, when nearly 4 inches of rain fell in one day, many heavy rains follow- 

 ing, making it impossible to work our crops until the season was far advanced. I re- 

 pianted my cane twice, but owing to the cold, dry spring and to the ravages of the 

 grub worm, failed to get half a stand on the 19-acre piece. 



(8) REPORT OF THE JEFFERSON SUGAR COMPANY, JEFFERSON, OHIO. 



We manufactured 33,250 pounds of melada from the 190 tons of cane worked. We 

 have not separated all of it in the centrifugal as yet ; but it is running about 4 pounds 

 per gallon (or for every 12 of melada), from the first granulation. We expect on re- 



i Op. ci.,pp. 31 and 36. 3 Op. cit., p. 31. * Op. cit., pp. 36 et seq. 7 Op. cit., p. 41. 

 0p. ctt.,p. 35. <0p. cif.,p. 36. Op. cit., p. 38. 8 Op. cit,, p. 46. 



