108 



It is particularly unfortunate that such a fallacious conclusion should 

 have been published on such high authority, not so much because of the 

 harm it has done and will do, but chiefly because it is constantly used 

 by unscrupulous persons to bias the minds of those who have not time 

 to investigate this matter for themselves, thus hindering ftfie knowledge 

 of the truth. 



A strenuous effort has been made in certain quarters to convey the 

 impression that nothing has been learned about sorghum since the re- 

 port of the Academy was published and that any person who calls in 

 question its infallibility is unworthy of public confidence. 



But what shall we think of the care exercised by the committee in 

 forming its conclusions on this matter when we find it at the same time 

 indorsing the corn stalk sugar theory in the following terms? l 



By reference to the tables it will also be seen that of the eight varieties of maize 

 examined in 1881, seven of which were of common field and one of sweet corn : 



Per cent, of cane sugar. 



3 analyses of 3 varieties gave over 13 



9 analyses of 7 varieties gave over 12 



22 analyses of 7 varieties gave over 11 



29 analyses of 7 varieties gave over 10 



35 analyses of 7 varieties gave over , 9 



Often varieties of maize grown in 1880, the following results were obtained : 



Per cent, of cane sugar. 



124 analyses of 10 varieties gave over 9 



90 analyses of 10 varieties gave over 10 



59 analyses of 9 varieties gave over 11 



24 analyses of 9 varieties gave over 12 



8 analyses of 4 varieties gave over 13 



2 analyses of 1 variety gave over 14 



1 analysis of 1 variety gave over 15 



In 1880 over 62,000,000 acres of our land were in maize, or 38 per cent, of all the 

 cultivated land of the United States. The amount of sugar thus apparently lost, cal- 

 culated on the results obtained at the Department of Agriculture in the last three 

 years, is equal to the present product of the entire world. It is premature to say 

 that the profitable extraction of sugar from corn-stalks is demonstrated, but such 

 a result may yet be possible. 



The only trial on a large scale for extracting sugar from corn-stalks of which we 

 have record will be found in the statement of J. B. Thorns, of date April 10, appended 

 to this report (p. 119), and was not a success. It is possible that if the maize had been 

 allowed to mature, in place of being cut when the ear was in an immature state fit for can- 

 ning, the result might have been different. 



I have taken the liberty of italicizing the last sentence, since it is one 

 of the most remarkable scientific generalizations that has ever met my 

 view. 



I will add that the committee were extremely modest in limiting the 

 corn-stalk sugar to the whole sugar production of the world. Sixty- 

 four million acres of maize would give not less than 640,000,000 tons of 

 corn-stalks. The mean per cent, of sucrose as given by the committee 

 is 11.6. The total quantity of sugar which is, therefore, annually wasted 



1 Op. cit., pp. 44 et seq. 



