é 
t 
10 BULLETIN 1370, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
$0.12 to $0.25 per ton. The total delivery charge for a distance of 
35 to 50 miles, therefore, is $0.92 to $1.05 per ton of cane: Hstimat- 
ing this cost at $1 per ton, the chargé against a gallon of sirup is 
$0.05. ; 
TABLE 3.—Average hauls of sugar canein Louisiana, 1916-1920 
Wear Railroad Railroad | Railroad 
| No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 
Miles | _ Miles Miles 
1O1G Sos. ~ ee en See ee a a ee eee ee ee ee ee .6 
AOD Fos a a Pe a pe ee Ieee See ae Peet ee Ae eee 28.3 34. 4 39.8 
4 OL a a itd Se Lem ES SRR Op tyewy Set een = gs TR eee ee 19. 6 | - 29.5 43.7 
QTG Baise eS iy a 2 RR a See 24.4 30. 7 37. 4 
1920 Se oo Bs Be 2 SSPE SE ee eae ee ee eee 22.0 33. 7 48.5 
How does the cost of transporting cane to the mill compare with 
the freight cost for shipping finished sirup in barrels to a central 
canning plant? Freight rates on sirup vary somewhat in different 
States. According to the 1923 operation report of a cooperative 
sirup canning plant in Texas, the freight rate per hundred pounds 
for sirup in barrels was roughly $0.50 for 100 miles and $0.25 for 50 
miles, or $0.06 per gallon for 100 miles and $0.03 per gallon for 50 
miles. At these rates, sirup may be shipped nearly twice as far to a 
central canning plant as an equivalent quantity of sugar cane can 
be shipped to a mill. A refining-in-transit freight rate is assumed 
in both cases. 
. ACREAGE AVAILABLE 
The acreage required for the economical operation of sirup plants 
of various capacities may be readily calculated. Highteen to twenty- 
two acres of cane within economical hauling distance by wagon or 
truck will supply a small farm outfit, using gasoline engine, furnace, 
and 15-foot Sra bOreey for the length of time that operation is 
ordinarily possible each season. Such an evaporator (p. 13) pro- 
duces daily about 200 gallons of sirup, requiring approximately 10 
tons of cane. Estimatmg the yield of cane at 20 tons per acre, 1 
acre would supply such an outfit for about two days. The length 
of the grinding season, therefore, would be 35 to 45 days, about as 
long as is practicable in most places before killing frosts come. 
For a small steam plant, grinding 50 tons of cane per 24 hours 
and producing about 1,000 gallons of sirup daily, approximately 
100 acres of cane should be within economical hauling distance. 
For larger steam plants, producing 2,000 gallons and 4,000 gallons of 
sirup per 24 hours, approximately 200 acres and 400 acres of cane are 
required. 
QUALITY OF SIRUP TO BE PRODUCED 
Cultural conditions play an important part in determining the 
quality of sirup (p. 3). Farmers who have land suitable for grow- 
ing cane of good quality and who prefer to cultivate a variety known 
to yield sirup of the finest quality can obtain a very good product 
with a reasonable degree of skill and average equipment. Small 
farm evaporators produce excellent sirup. Farmers who wish to 
market their sirup either by selling to their own customers in cans | 
under special labels or by selling in barrels to a canning plant will ~ 
_ find that small evaporators are best for a limited acreage. ; 
