NORTH f-RN SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



75 



By 1860 Kansas, with a population of a little over 100,000, produced 

 nearly 88,000 gallons of molasses, or four-fifths of a gallon to each inhab- 

 itant. Though the year 1860 was one of unparalleled drought in Kansas, 

 but four States exceeded our Territory that year in the production of 

 this article in ratio of population. These States were Indiana, Iowa, 

 Ohio, and Tennessee. In 1870, with a population of about 350,000, 

 Kansas produced, in round numbers, 450,000 gallons of sorghum sirup, 

 or 1^ gallons to the inhabitant. But three other States — Indiana, Ken- 

 tucky, and Tennessee — equaled this ratio of production. In 1880 Kan- 

 sas, with a population of not quite 1,000,000, produced 3,250,000 gal- 

 lons ; and in 1883 the production was over 4J gallons of sorghum sirup 

 to the individual inhabitant; and the same year there was produced 

 within the State, as estimated, nearly 500,000 pounds of sorghum sugar. 



The high price of sugar and molasses during the war greatly stimu- 

 lated the cultivation of sorghum. But a drought in 1863 in the West- 

 ern States, followed by an unusually severe frost before the plants were 

 ripe, nearly destroyed the sorghum crop, and greatly discouraged and 

 lessened the planting in most of the Western States for some years 

 thereafter. Kansas was, however, comparatively exempt from the 

 calamity of 1863. 



At the annual meeting of the Kansas State Agricultural Society at 

 Topeka, in January, 1864, among others who brought in samples ot 

 sorghum products for exhibition, of the crop of 1863, Hon. Charles B. 

 Lines, of Wabaunsee County, exhibited some samples of sorghum sugar 

 of superior quality manufactured by him. Mr. Lines gave an account 

 of hi& experience in sorghiim cultivation and manufacture in Kansas, 

 running through a period of six years. This account was published in 

 the Kansas Farmer of April, 1864. His first seed, planted in 1858, was 

 procured direct from the Patent Office at Washington. For that and 

 several subsequent years his was the usual early experience ; that from 

 the use of wooden mills and of evaporating pans of the most primitive 

 construction. By 1862 he had an iron mill and Cook's patent evap- 

 orator, and results were good. He manufactured for most of the 

 farmers of his neighborhood, for by that time, twenty-two years ago, 

 and only eight years after the introduction of sorghum into this country, 

 almost every farmer in Kansas had his sorghum patch ; and it was quite 

 generally raised for malting sirup, one mill and evaporator doing serv- 

 ice for a neighborhood. 



In 1863 Mr. Lines planted both sorghum and imphee, and that year 

 he obtained sugar from the canes of both. As to the imphee sirup, 

 evaporated in the usual way, it was placed in barrels in a cellar ; and, 

 after a few days, an examination revealed the fact that the barrels were 

 more than half filled with sugar. The sirup was then withdrawn and 

 the sugar placed in common salt barrels, with the heads perforated with 

 gimlet-holes, and set over a tub to drain. The result in a few days was 

 a beautiful article of clean", dry sugar. This was in a cool cellar, and 



