HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 257 
Mr. Witery. This will do for a neighborhood. Some of the canes 
we have ground there were sent 40 miles. 
The Cuairman. Just on the same principle that the beet sugar mills 
are doing their business’ 
Mr. Witey. Only in a smaller way. Sirup making does not. pro- 
pose such an extensive operation as the beet-sugar operations. 
Mr. Henry. A year ago you or the Secretary of Agriculture or some- 
body else sent me a package 
The CuarrMaNn. That was Mr. Brantley from Georgia. 
Mr. Henry. That may have been very fine sirup when it was put 
up, a I took it home and put it a way, and when I opened it it had 
soured. 
Mr. Wixey. That is one of the points we have been working on. 
Mr. Henry. You are remedying that. 
Mr. Wiuery. Yes; that is one of the points we had in view, and we 
have entirely overcome that trouble—that is settled; last year we 
settled that. I have two barrels of sirup which were kept through 
the hot summer here in an open shed without a sign of fermentation, 
and that sirup is as sweet to-day as the day it was put up. SoI say 
we will have no further trouble on that score if the people will follow 
our prescription. 
The Cuarrman. What preservatives do you use? 
Mr. Witzy. None; we put up the sirup sterilized and keep it tight, 
that is all. We first treat the barrels with steam until they are hot 
and we let the sirup run out of the kettle while it is hot into the 
barrels, and then we drive the bung in while it is hot, and that will 
keep forever as far as souring is concerned; a germ can not get into 
that. 
Mr. CuarrMman. In other words, this work will have to be carried 
on at central stations? 
Mr. Wizzy. Yes. 
Another point in connection with this is that this material (bagasse) 
makes a sufficient fuel to do nearly all the cooking. That was not 
done before. 
The Cuarrman. It is done in sugar making? 
Mr. Winery. Yes; it is done in sugar making, but that was never 
done in sirup making. 
The Cuarrman. Is it not true that formerly this was done by horse- 
ower ? 
Mr. Wier. Yes; altogether; and we now feed the fire with this 
stuff [bagasse], that burns like tinder; we put that in the furnace just 
as it comes from the mill. 
Mr. Lever. Does this have any value for feed? 
Mr. Winey. No; it is not valuable for feed; it is not digestible. 
What little sugar was left in here [indicating bagasse] is fermented. 
The CuarrMan. What is the need of putting up such a big mill to 
make these experiments? : 
Mr. Winey. It was necessary to have the double mill, because we 
can not get anything as dry as that by running it through one mill. 
This mill is a tandem; the stalk passes through the first three rolls 
and then through the second three rolls, and it is necessary that it 
should go through that many rolls. ; ; ; 
Mr. Scorr. You said that you had met with some failures in this 
matter. In what particular did you fail? 
CA 17 
