68 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEK. 



Maech 



liaving both capital and skill, will be 

 enabled to obtain a better price than 

 the farmer, as his products will be of a 

 more uniform quality, and holding it in 

 large lots can the better supply the 

 dealer, or ship to distant points. 



Of course the large outlay for cheap 

 fixtures will go for old iron, and the 

 cost of the experiment fall upon the 



li'arraer. 



The making of maple sugar is quite 

 another thing, for neither the trees nor 

 the sap can be transported to distant 

 points for the reduction of sugar. The 

 process is cheap and simple, while that 

 of sorgho needs a powerful pressure to 

 extract the juice, large settling vats and 

 clarifiers, with expensive steam appa- 

 ratus for boiling and other fixtures, the 

 sum total of which, amount to several 

 thousand dollars, say six to eight thou- 

 sand for a crop of four to six hundred 

 acres ; an outlay of fixtures, the interest 

 of which would swamp the whole pro- 

 duct of a sugar orchard. 



One of the most complete if not the 

 best establishments for the making of 

 sorgho sirup, is that located at St. 

 Johns on the Ill'nois Central K. R., 286 

 miles south of Chicago, and owned by 

 the Illinois Central Coal Mining Co., 

 and under the Charge of A. W. ]S"ason, 

 one of the principal owners. 



These works are substantial and con- 

 structed with a view to use rather than 

 show. As Mr. I^ason has no other in- 

 terest in the mill than its use, no pat- 

 ent men to pufl:' and no seed to sell at 

 speculating prices, we can rely upon 

 his estimates. 



We spent a day with him in looking 

 through the establishment, and taking 

 notes for the benefit of our readers. 



Parties intending to go into the busi- 

 ness, would do well to take a look at 



this mill before deciding on their plans. 

 The main building is 35 by 60 feet, 

 with eighteen feet posts and lighted in 

 the roof. Attached to the south side 

 and flush with the east end is a shed 

 for cane, also 35 by 60 feet. An end- 

 less apron runs through this shed to 

 carry the cane to the rollers, each twen- 

 ty inches in diameter, and three feet 

 long. The cane is placed on the apron 

 to the depth of four inches, and is run 

 through in that manner. 



This mill is capable of crushing the 

 cane from eight acres of heavy cane a 

 day, or not less than one hundred and 

 sixty loads a day. It requires three 

 men to feed the mill. Here the labor 

 ends, steam taking the place of manual 

 labor. 



The hegasse is carried by another 

 endless apron to the opposite side of 

 the mill, and elevated into carts, whence 

 it is hauled for mulching, or left in 

 heaps to rot. No leaves had been strip- 

 ped from the cane last fall. Some twen- 

 ty head of cattle and the same number 

 of mules were being wintered on the 

 legasse with the addition of a small 

 amount of the seed. Had the cane been 

 stripped and fully matured we doubt if 

 the hegasse would have been of any val- 

 ue for feed in this way. When other 

 fodder is abundant we would prefer the 

 legasse on our meadow or in the orchard, 

 where it would be of more value, espe- 

 cially for the latter uses. 



The engine is forty horse power, per- 

 haps more than is required for crush- 

 ing, elevating the juice to the iron tank 

 above and running the fan to force cold 

 air into the steam pan and cooler, but 

 an extra boiler is required to supply 

 steam for the boiling which must be 

 run at a pressure of seventy pounds. 



Of course a mill can be made of a 



