182 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



ness of the soil, the chess -will start forth and usurp the place of wheat. 

 With this simple statement about the botanical character of this plant, let 

 •us close the discussion as to whether wheat ever turned to chess." 

 Adjourned, John W. (vHambeks, Secretary. 



December 13, 1864. 

 Mr. Nathan C. Ely in the chair. 



Sorghum — How far North it can be Grown. 



Mrs. Flora A. Sanborn, Owatonna, Steele county, Minn., says that place 

 is lat. forty-four degrees, yet sorghum is raised by a large number of farnierg 

 in this vicinity as regularly and far more profitably than corn. In 1861 

 our yellow imphee produced a fine syrup at the rate of two hundred and 

 seven gallons to the acre. It retailed at eightj' cents per gallon that j'ear. 

 This year the yield of sorghum is abundant, and of fine quality. It retails at 

 $1.50 per gallon. My husband uses an iron mill and Cook's evaporator. 

 Sorghum is grown as far north as St. Anthony, lat. forty-five degrees. 



Mr.D. C. Dutcher, Bufl'alo, Scott county, Iowa, says the variety of sorghum, 

 called Hoang-ho, he believes will mature as far north as lat. forty-eight 

 degrees. " I planted seventy rods of ground on the fourteenth day of May 

 last, and it was fully matured on the twenty-third day of July. The yield 

 was one hundred and twenty gallons, or at the rate of two hundred and 

 seventy-four and two-sevenths gallons per acre." 



Mr. 11. G. Pardee. — It is pleasant to see what new interest has been 

 wakened about sorghum culture almost all over the United States. The let- 

 ter just read is very interesting, as it shows us how far north the culture 

 of this plant is successful. I was surprised last summer, in traveling 

 through Pennsylvania, to find that almost every farmer had his little patch 

 of sorghum. Witli a little more experience it is probable that they will all be 

 able to make their (jwn sugar. 



Prof.Mapes. — There is no doubt about the fact that sugar can be made 

 from sorghum. Joseph S. Levering, of Philadelphia, several years ago fully 

 demonstrated that fact. The trouble generally with farmers is that they 

 do not conduct the process with sufficient rapidit3\ The exposure of the 

 syrup to the atmosphere to a great extent destroys the power of crystalli- 

 zation. All the manipulations of the syrup lessen that power. The more 

 it is stirred the less sugar it will produce. Natural sugar crj'stals are 

 converted into molasses. The most perfectly crysta'lized loaf sugar can 

 be converted by melting manipulation into cream candy. That candy can 

 never be restored again to crystallized sugar. So rapid is the process of 

 the sugar refiners in this city, that they can take raw molasses and con- 

 vert It into the sevral grades of refined sugar and syrup, and put the pro- 

 duct upon the market again in four days. It is necessary for the farmer 

 to understand that he must use equal rapidity in converting his cane juico 

 into sugar. In boiling, he must use albumen in some torm — the most 

 simple is blood, eggs or milk — which collects all the albumen, dirt and 

 fecula of the juice, and floats it upon the surface so that it can be skimmed 

 oft. To make white sugar, the syrup must be filtered through bone char- 



