8 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



22 pounds were made. The first trial 

 took place between the 5th and 10th of 

 June, and the second between the 5th 

 and 10th of August. 



Such a cow is worth keeping. Why 

 cannot our farmers get up a milch breed 

 of cattle, as well as beef breeds? And 

 with all our rich pastures, wild and cul- 

 tivated, nearly all the cheese consumed 

 in our cities, and a considerable portion 

 of the butter, is brought from Ohio and 

 New York. This ought not to be. 



Dec. 12. 



^ht ^^XM* 



Northern Sogar Cane. 



DuXTAK PxAiKiBjTuewell Co., Not. 23, 1857. 



Editor Illinois Fanner. 



We are situated aboat forty milca north 

 of Springfield, oa a new prairie. May 

 14th, I planted 663 kills of "Northern 

 sngar cane," on ground broken the previous 

 soason, and where water had killed oat the 

 wheat. May SOtb, planted 204 hills; 21st, 

 901 hills; 29tb, 120 hills; June 2d, 960 

 hilli. Mr. Briggt, (with whom I make a 

 home,j drilled ic about half an acre. The 

 season was backward and wet, and a good 

 deal was killed oit. My three first plant- 

 ings, howerer, stood very well, so that in 

 all we probably had an acre, or a little more. 

 It was late in ripening, say the first of Octo- 

 ber; bat when ripe, I was proud of my 

 crop of cane. It stood from eleren to 

 thirteen feet in height; the most genteel, 

 graceful, majestic crop, I ertr beheld. — 

 Going into that part that stood well, re- 

 minded one of entering a dark swamp. My 

 hills were thinned to three and four stalks, 

 but suckered to from serea to ten. On ac- 

 count of the season, there was rery little 

 difference in the ripening of the different 

 plantings. 



We commenced crushing with wooden 

 rollers in the fore part of October, and were 

 delighted with our f rst effort at making 

 syrup. All that tasted our first sample 

 said, it surpassed the golden syrup of the 

 south. 



October I4th, I sold a barrel of syrup to 

 Mr. J. S. Beid, of Deleraa, at 75 cents per 

 gallon — the first offered for sale in that 

 market. Numbers came in and tasted it, 

 and the general remark was, that it was 

 Tery handsome, and "that it was was not 

 bad to take."' 



Our children were much interested in the 

 matter, and when the table was plentifully 

 supplied, the way they satisfied their erar- 

 ings was delightful, and when one met their 

 eye, a pleasant smile was seen playing upon 

 their countanences, that seemed to say, 



"this is going it I we hare lived to see the 

 millenium at last — at least, so far as mo- 

 lasses is concerned." 



The greatest glory to myself seemed to 

 be carrying into my house, bucket full after 

 bucket full, of nice molasses, without once 

 being requested to disgorge the contents of 

 my pocket book. Such employment seemed 

 almost miraculous out here, in this great 

 prairie, where a tree is not to be seen! 



About the 20th October we had the first 

 hard frost. The frost changed the juice 

 at once. It was much more acid, so much 

 so that it could not well be nutralized, 

 though it would still make good syrup. I 

 should recommend securing it in a dry 

 place before the hard freezes strike it. 



I might write much more that would, 

 perhaps, interest some, bat fear trespass- 

 ing. I will only add, we made abeut 110 

 gallons fine syrup, 100 gallons vinegar, and 

 50 gallons of what, I think, will be nice 

 wine. By ezperimeat, I ascertained that 

 oae-third as much juice as we obtained, re< 

 mained in the bagasse (ground stalks.) My 

 opinion is, everything coasidered, sugar, 

 syrup, forage, ic, that our Northern sugar 

 cane is one of our best crops. My neigh- 

 bor Hobertson, has manufactured between 

 25 and 80 barrels. We have plenty of pure 

 seed- Most of the seed in this region is 

 already mixed with broom corn. [Farmers 

 should be careful and get <^pur« seed.] 

 Your Farmer, I believe, is quite popnlar in 

 this region. Tour's respectfully, 



R. KIMBALL. 



Northern Sngar Cane. 



AsBNivnxx, Cat! Co., lU., Not. 7, 1857. 



Editor Illinois Farmer: 



I take the liberty of sending you the re- 

 sults of my experience in growing and mak- 

 ing syrup from the Chinese sugar cane. I 

 planted an ounce and a half of seed on 

 twenty-seven square rods of land. From 

 the cane which grew on this land I made 

 thirty-four gallons of good thick syrup, equal 

 in color to golden syrup and almost as 

 sweet as hoaey. I found it very easy to 

 clarify the juice of the cane. I treated the 

 juice as the southern planters do the juice 

 of their sugar cane. I have lived eight 

 years in Louisiana in the Parishes of Ascen- 

 sion and St. James, working in the summer 

 months in putting up sugar mills and 

 houses, and in the rolling season helping to 

 take off sugar. I find sugar can be made 

 very easily from the juice of the> China 

 sugar cane. I, however, made but little. 



I bad many stalks from which I pressed 

 one quart of juice from each. I planted 

 my cane in hills four feet apart every way, 

 But I design the coming year to plant it in 



IfiUs four feet apart one way and two the 

 other, which will double the stalks to the 

 acre. We shall have to hoe it two or three 

 times; but too much earth must not be 

 brought up to the cane until it has done 

 throwing up suckers, and then earth can 

 be brought up to the stalks. This is the 

 mode of cultivating caae in the south. My 

 cane grew fifteen feet high. " 



Many persons made up their cane too 

 soon, and could not remove the green color 

 and green taste from the syrup. I worked 

 up some cane for my neighbors last week, 

 and it is as good syrup as was done two 

 weeks before. I find, so far as my exper- 

 ience has gone, that bottom and mulatto 

 lands are best for the cane. That grown 

 on black soil does not produce as sweet juice 

 as that grown on the lands before named. 



I would be glad to bring some of the 

 syrup to the meeting of the officers of year 

 society at; Springfield, but I am not a mem- 

 ber of the society. I made three gallons of 

 molasses when the seed was in the dough, 

 and found no difficulty in clarifying it. 



Should any person desire information 

 from me in regard to clarifying the syrup 

 or in granulating the sugar, I will cheerfully 

 state to him or them, all I know. My ad- 

 dress is Arenzville, Cass county, 111. 



Yours, &c., W. C. MILLER. 



Chinese Sugar Cane— Its early history in 

 Illinois. 



M'Cleabt'b BLurF, Wabash Co., lU., Not. 30, 1867. 



Editor Illinois Farmer: 



In answer to your inquiry, I will state, 

 that in the spring of 1855, I received some 

 of the Chinese cane seed (direct from the 

 patent office, ) which I planted, and in the 

 fall of '55, tested the cane, by rolling a 

 small quantity of juice from it, by hand, 

 and making of this a tumbler full of good 

 syrup. 



In 1856, I planted about half an acre, and 

 from this made nearly forty-five gallons of 

 superior molasses. 



The present season, I have made eighteen 

 barrels of molasses. My cane seed was 

 planted too late (25th of May,) to ripen 

 fully — the spring beiag so late that I could 

 not safely plant it earlier. So tie uf ray 

 cane was ripe. The ripe cane wAi make 

 sugar. Not having the necessary appara- 

 tus to drain the sugar, I did not grain it — 

 further than to make a small quantity, and 

 to satisfy myself whether it would grain. 



I have Made a beautiful article of syrup; 

 bat being far from the railroad, I may not 

 be able to send any for the convention of 

 cano growers. 



I think I will send you my views in regard 

 to raising the cane, manufacturing the 



