82 



THE ILLIKOIS FARMER. 



March 



with a harrow until overy portion is finely com- 

 minuted; and also recommended that the seed 

 should be planted one half to three-fourths of an 

 inch deep. 



Mr. Sly would also prefer fall plowing, and 

 select laud entirely free from weeds; he thought 

 the crop "would bear manuring, ajd said thai 

 thorough cuiiivation would hasten the crop two 

 weeks — a most important consideration in his 

 opinion; he recommended planting upon ground 

 three years from the sod. 



Mr. Shoemaker agreed generally with prece- 

 ding speakers, but advised planting in rows four 

 feet apart. 



Mr. Meachman advised growers not to manure 

 their lind. His experience had taught him that, 

 though the product is larger, the syrup, in all 

 those essentials which go to make up a superior 

 article, was vastly iaferior. 



Mr. Reed differed from the last gentleman, and 

 advocated the use of stable manure^ particularly 

 on stiflF clay Boils, and thought the grain for 

 adopting this course of procedure was equal to 

 30 per cent. The best syrup he had ever made 

 was from a heavily manured clay soil, and he 

 was decidedly in favor of it. 



Mr. Brandon planted his seed on the 25th of 

 May, upon a wide clover sod, just broken, and 

 the syrup was unequaled. He attributed this 

 result to vegetable manure caused by thedecom 

 position of the sod. 



TREATMENT AFTER PLANTING. 



Mr. Bower gave the cane the same treatment 

 as corn. 



Mr Baggs did the same, 



Mr. Sly advocated thorough cultivation, and 

 insisted that the cause of the numerous failures 

 in the cultivation was the lack of thoroughness. 



Mr. Knapp presented two specimens of syrup 

 — one made from cane grown on rich manured 

 soil, and the other on light soil, showing a deci- 

 ded superiority in favor of the latter in all desir- 

 ble qualities. 



Mr Reed had found that, in clayey ground, 

 the sprouted blade of the seed was sometimes 

 unable to penetrate the crust; for instance, after 

 a shower and a warm sun. In such cases he 

 raked the surface of the hill, broke the crust, 

 and the plant vegatated rapidly. 



STRIPPING AND HAEVESTINO. 



Mr. Reed uses a common lath, with which he 

 strikes downwards, stripping the leaves from top 

 to bottom with a single blow, 



Mr. Foster uses two wooden swords, one in 

 each band. 



Mr. Hill did not wish his cane stripped long 

 bpfore he manufactured. The cane might lay 

 for months after it be cut, if it be not frosted, 

 and the joints are not bruised. He binds the 

 stalks in bundles, and piles it in such a manner 

 that the air circulates freely throughout the en- 

 tire ma«8. 



Mr. Gates had a specimen of syrup in his poss- 

 ession, made from cane which had frozen and 

 thawed, and he considered it tjie best sample he 

 had seen. 



Mr. Meacham advised all growers to keep 

 their c\ne where it shall not be exposed to alter- 

 nate thawing and freezing. It would sour and 

 become worthless. 



Mr. Hill said there was ni virtue in cane tops, 

 and advised growers to discard them and throw 

 them awiy. 



Mr. ReeJ thought differently. He had exper- 

 imented with tops and butts, and he found that 

 the notion that the saccharine matter was loca- 

 ted in 'he butt of the stock was all fudge. 



Mr. Brandon had succeeded in getting a good 

 produc from suckers. 



Mr. Reed had found that the longer the cane 

 can remain in bulk after harvesting, the better. 

 It must be cut before frosting in the field ; after- 

 wards, no matter how much they frost, if it does 

 not freeze and thaw, the better will be its condi- 

 tion. 



MANUFACTURIKG. 



Mr. Reed uses one of Gate's crushing mills, 

 and finds that it does excellent service. He uses 

 Cook's evapc-ator with general success. He 

 boiled his juice with the fire, and with the care 

 taken by him, considered his syrnp as good as 

 Belcher's. There is nothing peculiar in his pro- 

 Cl'ES. He boils and skims until the syrup indi- 

 cates 35 degrees by the saccharometer. In mak- 

 ing sugar he used the lower stalks, expressed the 

 juice, then added clear lime water, and after 

 boiling a short time, infused a solution of nut- 

 gall, tested and boiled; the nu gall in solution 

 seizes upon all impurities, bringing them to the 

 surface leaving the residue very clear ; then 

 filter through sand and charcoal, and boil down 

 to 38 degrees, when granulation will commence. 

 The molasses will separate from the crystals, and 

 in a few days the operation is complete. 



Mr. Luce manufactures the syrup by steam, 

 and uses Gate's mill; raises the first scum with 

 the escape steam of the boiler ; after the scum 

 is taken ofi", the syrup is drawn into an 

 evaporator, and steam applied until it reaches 

 the boiling point, when the scum is again removed; 

 boils rapidly and skims till the density, as indi- 

 cated by the saccharometer, is 38 degrees. After 

 drawing off, he adds lime in the p'oportion of 

 three ounces to twenty gallons of the syrup. The 

 object of the lime is to prevent the accumalation 

 of froth. 



Mr. Meacham presented a sample of sugar of 

 superior flavor, but inferior in color. The diffi- 

 culty in the manufacture of sugar was, in his 

 opinion, owing to the presence of gum, which, 

 from experiments he had made, lay wholly in 

 joints of the cane. The vegetable "twang" had 

 its origin here also. In the specimens presented 

 the joints were taken out. In good seasons and 

 upon land not manured, the yield is large, Light 

 sandy soils produce sugar more largely. He 

 usually boils syrup to 36 degrees while hot, 

 equally 40 decrees cold. 



The discussion was here closed, leaving several 

 points named by the committee untouched, and 

 after examining the numerous specimens of sugar 

 and syrup presented by the members, the con- 

 vention adjourned sine die. 



