May, 1918 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
137 
would most likely cause trouble 
with the digestive organs, because 
the excess of salts which the sugar 
or syrup would contain would have 
more or less of the effect of epsom 
salts. 
In the manufacture of sugar in 
the regular factories, the syrups 
are thoroughly treated or filtered 
5 or 6 different times, treated with 
2 liming processes to get rid of the 
impurities, then treated with sul- 
phurous gas to bleach the syrup, 
then boiled to grain, and then 
passed through centrifugals that 
travel at the rate of 1,200 r. p. m. 
which throw off the molasses and 
leave the granulated sugar on the 
inside of the screen, and while the 
centrifugals are thus revolving, 
water is sprayed on the wall so 
that the molasses may be thor- 
oughly washed off the sugar grains. 
All of these processes are abso- 
lutely essential to the production of 
a pure granulated sugar from 
beets, and such treatment is impos- 
sible in any home-made processes. 
The impurities that come in the 
manufacture of cane sugar is in 
the form of glucose, that is an im- 
purity which prevents a certain 
amount of the sugar forming into 
grain, and is thrown off in the form 
of molasses, but the glucose is pala- 
table and cane molasses are edible 
and really taste good. 
I cannot conceive of our govern- 
ment advocating the home made 
production of sugar from sugar 
beets, I think it is the result of 
some theorist endeavoring to gain 
publicity in a line which he is en- 
tirely unfamiliar with. 
A ith kindest personal regards, 
I remain, 
Yours very truly, 
Gr. W. McCormick, 
Manager. 
This is simply another case of 
theory without any practical foun- 
dation. The writer is not one who 
condemns the whole system of Fed- 
eral agricultural investigations but 
there are so many cases like this 
that it makes one wonder if a gen- 
eral overhauling of the whole De- 
partment of Agriculture would 
not be a good thing. As a clearing 
house for investigation the depart- 
ment is excellent but as a source 
of information it is often a sad 
failure. Those swivel-chair farm- 
ers and horticulturists down at 
Washington are too far from the 
soil, altogether too far. They are, 
as a class narrow, impractical and 
too often visionary. The work- 
ers in the state experiment sta- 
tions are nearer the soil, nearer the 
people and rarely make such stupid 
blunders as this beet sirup deal. 
Don't plant sugar beets in the 
home garden with the idea of mak- 
ing sirup from them. It is im- 
practical. Plant cabbage or ruta- 
baga or parsnip and buy a can of 
Karo. 
Arbor Day Proclamation. 
Nature, always peaceful, al- 
ways beautiful, again reminds 
us of the approach of spring- 
time. The trees are budding, 
the flowers are coming forth 
and the birds are straining 
their sweet voices in their ef- 
fort to please us with their 
song. 
Let us give expression of 
our gratitude for the beauti- 
ful creations by planting a 
tree in some place where a 
mighty oak has fallen or a 
shrub for one that has with- 
ered for want of care, to the 
end that beautiful trees and 
shrubs shall not grow less and 
the bird homes shall not be 
destroyed. 
May I be permitted to rec- 
ommend to you, good people 
of Wisconsin, that this year 
when our country is engaged 
in a great war and we must 
give to our sons to it, that you 
plant an abundance of flow- 
ers. They will aid in dis- 
pelling the gloom or feelings 
of lonesomeness because of 
the absent ones, and for each 
son who goes to war let all 
who can plant a beautiful 
young tree to commemorate 
his going. 
In accordance, therefore, 
with established law and cus- 
tom, I, Emanuel L. Philipp, 
Governor of the State of Wis- 
consin, do hereby proclaim 
Friday, the third day of 
May, 1918, Arbor and Bird 
Day. 
And I recommend that the 
day be observed by the plant- 
ing of trees, the adornment 
of school and public grounds 
and by the holding of appro- 
priate exercises in all the 
schools of the state, to the end 
that the greatest possible ad- 
vancement may be attained in 
harmony with the spii'it of 
this proclamation. 
Sweet peas may be planted as 
soon as the ground can be worked 
easily. It is often worth while to 
start a few in paper pots or boxes* 
in the house and transplant later 
when weather conditions are set- 
tled. 
Omit icing from cakes and fancy 
breads. 
