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86 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



From the Scientific American. 



Eiperiments with tlie Chinese Sngar Cane. 



Messrs. Editobs — Knowing that you 

 take a deep interest in anything which 

 promises to be valuable for our country, I 

 send you the result of an experiment which 

 I made with the Chinese Sugar Millet — 

 Sorgum Saccharatum. 



Having received from the Patent Office a 

 paper of the seed, I planted it as a matter 

 of curiosity, though not having the least 

 confidence that it would prove to be worth 

 anything. The seeds and stalks so nearly 

 resembled our common broom corn as to 

 make me feel quite sure they were. 



I planted it in hills about two and a half 

 feet apart, with from six to ten seed in a 

 hill. It was greatly neglected during its 

 growth, from an impression ofits worthlesg- 

 ness. 



Some time in August there was a chance 

 frost which nearly terminated its growth, 

 and, in fact, completely destroyed some 

 sweet corn growing in the same garden. 

 The millet was just putting forth its seed 

 stalk, and the seed was, consequently, all 

 destroyed. The stalks, however, were left 

 standing until some time in October, when 

 still supposing them to be worthless^ — I had 

 them cut and thrown into piles, to get them 

 out of the way. 



After they had lain upon the ground for 

 some time, I took a handful of the stalks 

 and gave to my horse, who eat them gread- 

 ily — eating both leaves and stalks. 



About this time I saw a statement in 

 the papers that some person had made some 

 molasses from this plant. This led me to 

 make the following experiment with mine, 

 although I had reason to suppose that the 

 frost and the exposure on the ground would 

 have destroyed any good qualities it might 

 have originally possessed. 



I took some of the canes and cut them 

 into pieces about three inches long, when 

 they were readily ground through one of 

 Hickox's Portable Cider Mills, with cast 

 iron grinders; and then press with the 

 powerful pressers attached to the mill. The 

 quantity ground was about half a bushel of 

 the pieces, and the juice expressed was 

 about seven quarts. This juice when 

 evaported, made one quart of molasses that 

 ia pronounced, by those who have tasted it, 

 to be superior to the New Orleans molasses, 

 and some say, equal to the flavor of the 

 maple syrup. It is, at all events, good mo- 

 lasses. 



From an estimate made, I judge that the 

 square rod of ground planted — if the canes 



had all been used — -would have prodnced 

 four gallons of molasses, or at the rate of 

 640 gallons per acre. Such a crop #duld 

 have proved valuable the last year, since 

 sugar and molasses are so higk. 



There is little doubt in my mind that any 

 person who has a small piece of land may 

 manufacture his own molasses, and, perhaps 

 sugar. 



If cultivated on lO small a scale as not to 

 warrant the expense of erecting the rollers 

 for expressing the juice from the cane, they 

 may be cut up in a straw cutter, and ground 

 in one of Hickok's portable cider mills, 

 with such facilities that two men could ob- 

 tain five or six barrels of the juice per day 

 by hand, and proportionally more if horse 

 or other power is used., This juice could be 

 cheaply boiled in one of the evaporator! 

 with which you are acquainted, without 

 burning the syrup or wasting any fuel. 



Besides the molasses obtained from th« 

 stalks, the leaves will make good forage, 

 the seed will nearly equal that of a crop of 

 corn or oats, and the tops Will make brooms. 



With all of these advantages, may not the 

 sngar millet prove of great value to the 

 community? Every family in the country 

 can make their own sugar and molasses, 

 while, at the same time, the seed, forage, 

 and brush for making brooms will pay all 

 the expenses of raising the crop. 



Those having seed to spare, will do well 

 to make it public, that more experiment! 

 may be made during the next snmmer. 



H. G. BULKLEY. 



Kalamazoo, Mich., 1867 

 II 



From the New York Tribune. . '^ 



A Tbreatened Bfouey Criili. 



We are heavily in debt to Europe. Our city 

 merchanta and bankers owe those of Great Brit- 

 ain; the country owes the cities; the farmers 

 owe the merchants — in short, two thirds of ui 

 are in debt. To "owe no man anything" ii not 

 the rule, but the exception. The bare interest 

 on our foreign debt is a heavy item in our an- 

 nual oatgoes. The tariJBf reduction, which takes 

 effect in July, will inundate us with more goods, 

 goods even though we do not order them. We 

 may not be able to pay off much this year, but 

 let us resolve to go in debt no further. Let us 

 stem the current this year, that we maybe able 

 to roll it back thereafter. And, as our foreign 

 debt is mainly made up of the debts of com- 

 panies and individuals, let us sternly resolve 

 that we will, individually and eorporately, go 

 in debt no further. It is high time that we 

 recognized and enforced the sound old maaum of 

 payasyougo. /; , - . :, 



-<•• 



to 



'itch darkness has been to improTMi i 

 read "bituminous blackness.^' 



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