THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



51 



" Without further remark, then, it should be 

 remembered that as much corn-stalk as possible 

 should be grown. To do this, the corn should 

 be planted as broom-corn is commonly planted — 

 very close in the row, probably a stalk every 

 three or four inches. The tillage will be the 

 same as for broom-corn. When the young ears 

 begin to appear it is necessary to pluck them 

 off carefully, and to repeat the gathering as of- 

 ten as is necessary so as to prevent the formation 

 of any grain. Because if grain be allowed to 

 form, it takes all the sugar from the stalk. — 

 About the time that corn begins to harden, the 

 making of sugar should be begun. It is not 

 necessary to say any thing about a proper mill 

 to crush the stalk and separate the juice, be- 

 cause mills of the cheapest kinds only should 

 be employed now, until the business would fully 

 warrant an expensive outlay. It would proba- 

 bly be found that the common cider mill, with 

 plain cylindrical nuts, would be quite sufficient 

 for a farmer who would raise a fourth or half 

 an acre of corn for sugar for his family, and this 

 quantity would be quite sufficient for satisfacto- 

 ry expsriment. 



"When the juice is separated from the stalk, 

 about a table spoonful of white wash made of 

 the best quick lime and about the consistence of 

 thick cream, should be added to each gallon of 

 the juice, and then the boiling should commence. 

 The scum that rises should be carefully removed ; 

 and the juice, if this process has been properly 

 and carefully conducted, will be quite clear and 

 nearly colorless. Then commences the process 

 of evaporation; and when the juice has boiled 

 down in about the proportion of eight gallons 

 to one, the boiling will be completed, and it may 

 be poured out into a shallow tight wooden box 

 to grain. 



" It has been ascertained, although as yet the 

 reason is unknown, that if the juice be boiled 

 in a deep vessel, like the common cooking ves- 

 sels, sugar will seldom be obtained; while if it 

 be done in a shallow vessel, so that the juice at 

 the commencement of the boiling shall not be 

 more than three to five inches deep, sugar would 

 be obtained without difficulty. It has been as- 

 certained also that the sugar from corn will not 

 grain so readily as that from the sugar-cane. — 

 And in some instances it has remained more 

 than a week after the boiling before the sugar 

 was formed, and yet excellent sugar made. 



11 It should be particularly remembered that the 

 juice should be boiled as soon as separated from 

 the stalk. It becomes acid very soon, and no 

 sugar can be made if the juice be allowed to 

 stand two or three hours before it is boiled. The 

 juice will even spoil in the stalk before it is 

 ground, if the stalk be cut off a few hours be- 

 fore grinding. It is necessary then that every 

 part of the process should be done with the 

 greatest despatch. The stalks should be brought 



to the mill as soon as cut, and ground imme- 

 diately. The vessel for boiling ought to be pro- 

 perly filled in an hour, or at most two hour's 

 grinding. And the process of boiling down 

 should immediately commence and be continued 

 until completed. 



" Excellent syrup, superior to the best mo- 

 lasses, will be obtained by observing the above 

 directions, and boiling five gallons of juice to 

 one gallon. 



" The juice of the corn-stalk is very rich in 

 sugar when cultivated in the manner suggested. 

 Tested by Beaume's sachrometer, the instru- 

 ment used to measure the strength of syrups, 

 the juice of the corn-stalk weighs 10 to 10^ 

 degrees, which is about the weight of the juice 

 of the best cane in the West Indies, and is 

 richer than the juice of the cane in Louisiana, 

 which is seldom heavier than 8|- degrees. 



"One gallon of juice will produce nearly \\ 

 pounds of sugar; and an acre of good corn will 

 yield, if carefully expressed, from 700 to 1,0C0 

 gallons of juice." 



From the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 HENS' EGGS. 



I notice in the Farmers' Cabinet for 4th mo. 

 last, page 275, an inquiry as to the truth of the 

 assertion, that hens' eggs which are round pro- 

 duce female chickens, and those which are long 

 or pointed, produce males. 



"When a boy, I was in a situation to be able 

 to indulge my fondness for fowls, and often raised 

 chickens ; — without ever having heard of the 

 above fads, I discovered that the eggs which 

 approached the nearest to the roundness always 

 produced females, and those which were pointed 

 at one end always produced males — I acted ac- 

 cordingly, and always succeeded in obtaining 

 females or males according as I wished. 



After a lapse of a number of years, being in 

 Philadelphia market, I happened to mention the 

 fact to one who raised chickens for sale, and 

 who preferred the males, because they grew 

 larger — the information was received with some 

 surprise ; but I advised the person to try it, and 

 afterwards was informed of the entire success 

 of the experiment, all males being produced by 

 selecting the long or pointed eggs. 



I since find the fact was mentioned by a 

 writer over two thousand years ago. 



L. H. 



GOOCHLAND FAIR. 

 We alluded in our last to the proceedings of 

 the fall meeting of the Goochland Agricultural 

 Society, a report of which was transmitted to 

 us by the Secretary just after the emission of 

 our December number, with a request that we 



