274 



TH:EMLLIISrOIS FA.Il]MEil. 



he base, and hence more capable of with- 

 standing the effects of winds and beating 

 storms prevalent in Prairie States. 



The Chinese 

 or Sorghum is 

 too well known 

 to require here 

 a detailed des- 

 cription. It ap- 

 pears to be one 

 of the most har- 

 dy plants known 

 to our agricul- 

 ; turists, and I am 

 of the opinion 

 that facts justify 

 at least, the hope 

 of its success- 

 ful reproduction 

 from the plant- 

 ing of the joint 

 when due care 

 has beencxercis- 

 edinitsprescrva- 

 soROHO. tion through the 



winter. Very good crops, have, in 

 many instances, been raised from seed, 

 which, had been accidentally dropped 

 upon the ground in the fall, and lay 

 exposed through the winter following, 



germinating and 

 growing vigorously 

 in the Spring. I 

 have reason to be- 

 lieve that the seed 

 may be sown with 

 oats in the Spring, 

 and after the cut- 

 ting of that crop 

 yield a most excel- 

 lent green-soil or 

 fall feed. 



In the cultivation 

 of both these canes, 

 dry warm land with 

 southern exposure 

 seems best adapted 

 to rapid and thor- 

 ough development. 

 It is unquestiona- 

 ~~" ble that a calcareous 



soil is the best which can be selected, 

 the alkaline properties of the ground 

 having chemically a direct action favor- 

 able to the production of sugar and tend- 

 ing to prevent or destroy the acidity 

 which is so antagonistic to chrystaliza- 

 tion. Drilling in the seed is very high- 

 ly recommended by a large portion of 

 my correspondents, and many favor rid- 

 ging the rows, which I heartily com- 

 mend, as it serves to prevent wet feet 

 which the cane suffers from and has to 

 pay for in juice of feebler saccharine de- 

 velopment. It may be well to bear in 

 mind that the production of huge canes 

 is not by any means a desideratum, as 

 their green stalks are frequently much 

 less sweet than smaller ones. Ileavv 



IMfJclKH. 



wet soils favor the growth of woods fibre 

 and a large amount of aqueous juice, 

 lacking in saccharine, while good warm 

 dry soils aff"ord less of the former as 

 well as a decreasing quantity of the latter 

 far richer, however, in quality. 



Those who will take the trouble, may 

 plant early in hot beds, and transplant 

 about the middle of June into rich mel- 

 low ground, thereby securing a corres- 

 ponding acceleration of maturity in th 

 fall, and an avoidance of weeding th 

 tender plant when it first makes its ap- 

 pearance in ordinary field planting. 



Missiug hills may be supplied from 

 adjace ones by transplanting better than 

 by reseeding The testing of the ger- 

 minating properties of a small portion of 

 your seed in damp cotton some time 

 prior to the general sowing season, may 

 help many to discover in time whether 

 they have tliat which is good or not. 

 Like all other crops, the sugar cane 

 repays judicious and liberal cultivation, 

 but I do not advise the stirring of the 

 ground late in the season, as such action 

 appears to stimulate the growing ener- 

 gies of the plant, when there seems rath- 

 er a natural necessitv for discontinuance 

 of action in that direction, in order that 

 the forces of the plant may be directed 

 to the maturity of the seed ard t];e de- 

 velopment of saccharine in its juico. — 

 The bulk of testimony favors in my 

 opinion, the non-removal of the tiller or 

 suckers from the growing plants. My 

 observation leads me to advise the remo- 

 val or stripping of the leaves a week or 

 more prior to the time of cutting or 

 working, the cane, say, as soon as the 

 seed is fairly in the milk. If the leaves 

 are to be saved for forage, the hand is 

 about as convenient as any thing to ef- 

 fect this, otherwise, a stick like a small 

 walking stick, car'^ however, is requisite 

 not to break or bruise the stalk as sour- 

 ing will result therefrom. The upper 

 end being bare, being loss early of matur- 

 ity than that below it will not be found ad- 

 visable to use beyond three fourths of the 

 lower portion of the cane, where the de- 

 sign is to produce syrup, and even less 

 for sugar. The Louisiana or India cane 

 requires great discretion on this head to 

 avoid injury to the granulation of the 

 crops. An oblique downward stroke in 

 cutting favors the feeding of the stalk 

 to the small horse power mills most gen- 

 erally in use. Several intelligent par- 

 ties with whom I have communicated 

 state that slight frosts are no injury to 

 the cane, but others whose opinions ac- 

 cord with my own believe otherwise and 

 advise that, when practicable, the cane 

 be cut before frosts, and either shocked 

 or sheltered, where it may stand some 

 weeks uninjured, or never be exposed to 

 considerable cold without material inju- 

 ry, and if I am correctly infornicd grow- 

 ing constantly sweeter. 



Few, probably, will need reminding 

 that the ends should be kept Out of the 

 dirt in handling after cutting. 



It is a conceded point, we believe that 

 rapid boiling is absolutely essential to 

 success either in making sugar or good 

 syrup. Boilers best suited to evapora- 

 tion arc those which have a considerable 

 extent of fire surface and which do not 

 admit the fire too high around the sides 

 or edges. These should, if shallow, 

 have cither curbs or flaring rims, where 

 the expansion into foam and bubble, 

 which accompanies rapid ebullition, may 

 exhaust itself. A few inches of syrup 

 are sufficient to have in the kettles at 

 any time. This allows the steam gener- 

 ated in the bott jm of the mass of liquid 

 to freely escape without being smother- 

 ed or recondensed in passing through 

 the latter, to float away as vapor in the 

 atmosphere. When this rapid conver- 

 sion of the aqueous portions of the juice 

 into vapor takes place without interrup- 

 tion, called by sugar makers throwing 

 up, I believe, it is said that the grassy 

 taste and unpleasant odor often com- 

 plained of are either removed or greatly 

 lessened. 



The use of evaporators made of sheet 

 metal bottoms and ends with wooden 

 sides, has been much discussed and com- 

 mended by many; experiment, however, 

 J oves that except in cheapness they 

 cannot in any wise compete with cast 

 iron. I have before me an interesting 

 report, of a comparison of these pans 

 with those made of cast iron, from 

 Mr. Jacob Clark of Locust Corner, 

 Clermont Co. , in this State ( Ohio ) which 

 states that evaporation proceeds more 

 uniformly and continuously in the cast 

 boiler and yields a fairer result in quali- 

 ty. The reasons adduced by Mr. C. are 

 that sheet metal from being thinner and 

 consequent inability to retain heat, al- 

 lows the boiling to cease every time the 

 fire subsides in the furnace, or whenever 

 the fire doors are opened, added to which 

 is incurred liability to scorch in striking 

 the batch of syrup or sugar. 



A series of experiments made by me- 

 with covered kettles did not convince 

 me of its advantage over open ones in 

 any respect, and the disadvantages in 

 way of skimming are considerable. 



A new boiler constructed with flues, 

 by which the amount of fire surface is 

 very greatly increased has been lately 

 made and tested by me, and the result 

 was so interesting that I cannot forbear 

 giving here a report of it. I placed 45 

 gallons of juice, marking 10 degrees B, 

 in my boiler which in 30 minutes was 

 brought to a boil, after which in one 

 hour I inspissated it to 11| gallons, ma- 

 king 34 ° B, hot; and consuming 310 lbs 

 of wood. My furnace was new and we 

 which doubtless extended the time ne* 

 cessary to first boil the juice as was pr ~ 



