94 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
OUR NEW LOCATION, 
I>'o. J51 Itroutiwi!}’, 
The new location and business address of 
the American Agriculturist is now at No.7.'» l 
B«roadway, instead of at 245 Broadway, 
where it has been during fourteen years past. 
OP See on page 121 a Map of the loca¬ 
tion and surroundings, the convenient routes 
of cars, etc., with some notes on the now 
great Publication Center of New York City. 
(As we receive all our mail matter at the 
Post-office, the chance direction of any letter 
to 245, instead of 751, will not interfere with 
its proper reception.) 
Wonderful Business Revival. 
One year ago, in summing up the figures 
for 1879, it was considered a noteworthy, in¬ 
deed a remarkable result that the products 
of this country sent abroad during that year 
reached the sum of $765,159,825. But we 
have now the official figures complete for 
1880, and they show our Exports to have 
further increased, going up to the enormous 
amount of $889,649,84© ! exceeding 1879 
by $124,490,015. The Imports have increased 
largely, yet there still remains an excess of 
exports over imports of $192,846,407 — or 
nearly two hundred million dollars for 1880 ! 
This is however only one evidence of the 
greatly improved condition of our countiy. 
The Bank exchanges, the activity of mer¬ 
chants, the busy stir in nearly all manufactur¬ 
ing establishments, th# great increase in re¬ 
ceipts on the lines of transportation, all show 
that the mass of the people are in a condition 
to buy, pay for, and use vastly more of the 
comforts and conveniences of life. 
We have, right at hand, another marked 
evidence of the great revival in business, in 
the crowded condition of the advertising 
pages, of this first number of the opening 
Spring. Nothing like it has occurred since 
the “panic of 1873.” When the business 
orders came crowding in near the time of 
going to press, two extra pages were ordered, 
so as not to infringe upon our reading col¬ 
umns. Before these were in type more de¬ 
mands for space came ; then more, and still 
more, until this number has swelled to 52 
pages ! Though this increase of advertising 
is largely counterbalanced by the cost of 
extra paper and printing,on our large edition, 
we welcome the increase for two reasons : 
First, it shows that enterprising business 
men in all parts of the country feel them¬ 
selves warranted in preparing for increasingly 
active operations. Second, the larger the 
number of these advertisements, the greater 
is the amount of reliable information ac¬ 
cessible to our readers. It is certainly an ad¬ 
vantage to have thrown together so many 
business announcements from good parties— 
those whom we have reason to believe have 
both the ability and intention to do what 
they promise, or they would not be allowed 
admission into this paper. It will pay to 
read all these business columns thoroughly, 
and see what is offered, by whom, where, 
etc. Reading what others say about their 
business very often suggests new ideas to the 
reader that are likely to prove useful. 
Our old advertisers are calling for more 
room ; th»y know by experience that through 
this Journal, more than anywhere else, per¬ 
haps, they reach a vast number of wide¬ 
awake people who know how to appreciate 
good things. They, also, as well as many 
new comers, have perhaps heard of the great 
increase in our circulation. 
tty We again suggest that all having oc¬ 
casion to address any of our advertisers, for 
cirtjulars, for information, or to order, that 
they inform them that their cards were seen 
in this paper. They will then know what 
you expect, and what we expect of them, in 
the way of prompt and fair treatment. 
$25,000 for Sorghum Sugar. 
In 1857 the American Agriculturist im¬ 
ported and made a distribution of 1,600 
pounds of Sorghum Seed, sending a free par¬ 
cel of about 400 seeds to each of 31,000 of its 
readers who applied for it to plant as an ex¬ 
periment. The Proprietor also had sixteen 
tons of seed raised in Georgia, which was dis¬ 
tributed in like manner to some 70,000 read¬ 
ers the following year, in pound, half-pound, 
and quarter-pound parcels. The above dis¬ 
tribution extended to all parts of the countiy, 
and from the seed thus scattered, and its 
multiplication, was produced nearly all the 
Sorghum grown in this country. (A small 
quantity was sent out from the Patent Office, 
and a little was imported by dealers.) Many 
million gallons of poor, fair, and good syrup 
were made which served an excellent pur¬ 
pose during the war, when the usual supply 
of sugar was greatly curtailed. Some 30,000,- 
000 gallons were made in one year in Iowa 
alone, if we remember rightly. 
There were numerous attempts to obtain 
crystallized cane sugar, but the results were 
unsatisfactory. New varieties of plants, as 
the African Imphee, etc., were introduced, 
but with like results. This Journal never 
counselled expensive experiments, and we 
came to the conclusion that the production 
of sugar profitably in the Northern States, 
from any of the varieties of Sorghum, was 
problematical, to say the least. The indica¬ 
tions were that only uncrystallizable syrup 
could be obtained. Experiments have been 
kept up for some 20 years, and recently it 
has‘been confidently believed that by im¬ 
proved processes we shall be able to get an 
abundance of crystallized cane sugar from 
Sorghum, from the Early Amber Cane, so- 
called, as well as from corn-stalks, and other 
sweet-juiced plants. Companies have been 
formed for its manufacture, and numerous 
fields planted. But despite all the glowing 
accounts and promises, the conditions neces¬ 
sary to the regular and profitable production 
of Sorghum Sugar are not definitely under¬ 
stood and settled. That a good percentage 
of cane sugar can be obtained is now pretty 
well established. The Agricultural Bureau 
at Washington, .after some experiments in 
1879, became very enthusiastic, and state¬ 
ments were issued to the effect that hun¬ 
dreds of millions of dollars’ worth of home- 
produced sugar were very soon to take the 
place of the imported article. Indeed, every 
man having a plot of good com ground was, 
with simple apparatus, to be independent of 
all the world, so far as his sugar is concerned. 
Last year Congress appropriated some $6,000 
for experiments, and so sure of success was 
the Commissioner of Agriculture, that a large 
amount of costly apparatus was obtained, to 
be paid for with the sugar produced. The 
results for 1880 were partially a failure, so 
far as the Agricultural Bureau was concerned. 
Various reasons, such as the lateness of the 
Government appropriation, etc., were as¬ 
signed for the want of success. There were 
other failures, in the apparatus used, that 
should not have occurred. 
The Agricultural Bureau asks now for 
Sorghum Sugar Experiments a special appro¬ 
priation of $25,000. The Chairman of th® 
Agricultural Committee of the House of 
Representatives informed us that there was 
much hesitation, and indeed some strong op- 
position to granting the application, and he 
invited us to examine the matter and advise. 
We visited Washington, and after a full con¬ 
sideration of the subject with members of 
the Agricultural Committee, it was decided 
to recommend the $25,000 appropriation for 
several reasons, among which were : the prob¬ 
ability that the further experiments would 
be made under more competent direction ; 
that even another year’s failure would teach 
something ; and especially on account of the 
importance of the subject to the whole coun¬ 
try. If left to the enterprise of individuals 
or associations, there would hardly be the 
thoroughness needed, and if specific discov¬ 
eries or improvements were made, they would 
be likely to be secured and held for the bene¬ 
fit of special interests, whereas the whole 
country is concerned in the results. 
The appropriation would seem unnecessa¬ 
rily large if there are not liabilities to be met 
on account of last year’s failure. But $25,000, 
or ten times that amount, will be a most 
valuable investment, if it thoroughly settles 
the question. The promises held out by the 
Agricultural Bureau are too sanguine in one 
respect at least. We have yet to learn 
whether or not sorghum sugar “ can be ob¬ 
tained by individual farmers,” “ at little ^ex¬ 
pense for apparatus.” Grant that sorghum, 
or Early Amber Cane, will grow well, even 
up to our northern boundary, and that 
it contains about as much sucrose as the 
southern sugar cane, it has yet to be proved 
that the sorghum sugar can be profitably ob¬ 
tained by individual farmers on a small scale. 
The present outlook is, that to produce it 
profitably there will need to be large, ex¬ 
pensive apparatus involving heavy outlay, as 
has always been, and still is, the case on the 
southern sugar plantations. 
We are not belittling the prospects that 
we shall grow all our own sugar, but only 
aiming to caution farmers against having too 
large anticipations. Whatever may be the 
case next year, or the year following, it is 
not worth while now for farmers generally 
to go into large uncertain outlays in this di¬ 
rection, despite the year-before-last enthusi¬ 
asm and hopes of the Bureau of Agriculture. 
I>eslroyii«s' the OsaseOrange. —We 
are often asked how to grow the Osage Orange, but 
do not think we have before been asked how to 
kill a hedge. “ T. B. S.” has trees that have been 
neglected so long that they are worthless as a hedge,, 
and interfere with his garden. We should cut 
down the trees, and grub up the roots. If of suf¬ 
ficient size, they may require the use of some of 
the home-made stump-pullers we have from time 
to time figured. If sprouts start from the pieces 
of root that may be left in the soil, they must be 
mowed as often as they appear. The wood is s« 
valuable for stakes, posts, or any other use where 
durability is required, that all available pieees 
should be saved. If any reader knows of a better- 
method than this, let us hear from him. 
