NORTHERN SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



The tiDalysis of the ash, taken with that of the soil, is a good guide 

 for the ai)plication of mineral fertilizers. Sorghum, it is seciu, ivs a much 

 less rapacious potash and phosphoric acid consumer than the sugar 

 beet. 



PERCENTAGE OF BLADES. 



This is a question which often is presented to the manufacturer. Some- 

 times he buvs clean canes, and again those which still retain the blades. 

 Many experiments have been made to determine this ratio, but the re- 

 sults vary so widely and depend on so many different con dtions that a 

 generalization is almost impossible. 



When the leaves are all green and covered with dew the percentage 

 is naturally greater than when they have been killed by frost and are 

 dry. With i)erfectly green leaves their weight will j)robably be 10 per 

 cent, that of the topped canes. When they are dry and frost-bitten it 

 may not be more than 4 i)er cent. An allowance of 10 per cent, the 

 season through, dry and wet, green and dead, will not be far out of the 

 way. 



In the l!^ew Jersey Bulletin No. XXX (already quoted) sixteen trials 

 gave the highest percentage of blades 9.1 and the lowest 4.6. In four 

 trials with the Early Amber cane, grown by the Department, I found 

 the percentages of blades 10.5, 11.7, 10.6, and 10.4, respectively. 



IMMEDIATE WORKING. 



In a general discussion of the characteristics of the sorghum cane, 

 its tendency to rapid change must not be neglected. It is a false 

 economy, a misguided enthusiasm, and a pseudo science that would try 

 to conceal from the people the weak points of a great national indus- 

 try. This proneness to change is a radical fault of the sorghum as com- 

 pared with the sugar beet, and even with the trojucal cane ; and one, 

 I fear, which no amount of improvement by culture will ever be able 

 to wholly eradicate. I made some experiments during the early part 

 of the fall to transport canes from different parts of the country to 

 Washington for analysis. The canes were carefully cut. The blades 

 and tops were not removed. The cut surfaces were thoroughly covered 

 with melted wax. The canes were then wrapped in stiff paper with a 

 stick longer than the longest cane, to prevent breaking, and sent by 

 express. All those packages which reached me within lour days were 

 found to be apparently unchanged. One sample w^hich did not receive 

 attention until the fifth day was found to be considerably changed. 

 The weather was warm when these shipments took i)lace, which made 

 the tendency to change greater. 



Canes prepared as above and keiDt in a cool place could doubtless be 

 kept many days without injurious effects, but there is always more or 

 less danger of the sugar becoming inverted. The conditions most 

 favorable to this inversion are rapid changes of temperature with high 



