1882.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
trouble. Even an old house, where there are 
many cracks and crevices, may soon be made 
vermin proof. Scraps of sheet tin of the 
thinnest kind may be had of the tinsmith; 
this may be cut up with a strong pair of 
shears, and so fitted as to close up the en¬ 
trance holes. Holes may be punched in the 
tin with a common awl, or a nail filed to a 
point, through which to put tacks to hold the 
tin in place. Some holes and cracks may be 
more easily closed by means of plaster of 
Paris. A sufficient quantity of this is mixed 
with water, to be about as thick as mortar ; 
then, before it hardens, fill with it the holes 
and passages of the creatures ; in a few min¬ 
utes it will be solid. When all such entrances 
have been stopped the animals must either 
come in by the doors, or gnaw a new opening, 
an operation in which they may be detected. 
A Square Frame Harrow 
Leonard H. Murch, Franklin Co., Ind., 
sends us a sketch of a harrow that the people 
A SQUARE HARROW. 
in his county hold in high favor. The main 
feature of this harrow is the way the bars 
are separated from each other by a heavy 
chain frame. The above engraving shows 
the harrow in position for work. 
Experiments in Making Sugar from 
Early Amber Cane. 
BY PROF. W. A. HENRY, PROF. AGRICULTURE, UNIVERSITY 
OF WISCONSIN, AT MADISON. 
The culture of Amber Cane spread rapidly 
over several of our Western States, but still 
the industry has received little recognition 
from those most needed to aid its progress. 
Because the “Sorghum” of war time had 
failed many predicted a like result for Early 
Amber, which resembles it quite closely. An 
important source of scientific information to 
aid this struggling industry was the Illinois 
Industrial University, where Prof. Scovell 
conducted a series of experiments that fully 
confirmed the statements of Prof. Collier, at 
Washington, as to the possibilities of some of 
the varieties of Sorghum becoming sugar- 
producing plants. The past season, Michigan, 
New Jersey, Wisconsin, and possibly other 
States, through their Agricultural Colleges, 
took up the investigation. So far, in Wis¬ 
consin about three thousand dollars have 
been spent from a special appropriation made 
by the last Legislature to the Professor in 
charge of the Experimental Farm. 
1 53 
Last spring, Mr. Magnus Swenson a chem¬ 
ist in the State University, was chosen to 
conduct the experiments, and to him the 
favorable results obtained are due. Under 
his direction a building and suitable ma : 
chinery, such as crusher, steam evaporating 
pans, vacuum pan, centrifugal, etc., were 
constructed, and in September he began his 
experiments. It should be understood on the 
start that whatever was undertaken was in a 
practical way, and there is no reason why 
the results obtained cannot be reached in 
large works. 
After numerous trials with different rea¬ 
gents, Mr. Swenson came to the conclusion 
that the Milk of Lime defecation was the 
simplest, and gave satisfactory results. By 
the proper use of lime a syrup can be made 
which is wholly free from the “sorghum” 
or acid taste, and which possesses a good 
body, though the lime gives it a darker color. 
The quantity of lime required depends wholly 
upon the amount of acid in the juice, and 
litmus paper is used to show when enough is 
added. But the last season our efforts were 
rather towards sugar than syrup, and several 
plots were worked up into sugar. 
The process employed was not different 
from that used in other countries for produc¬ 
ing sugar. Lime was added to the juice un¬ 
til all the acid was neutralized, and the juice 
was then boiled in open pans to a thin syrup, 
and transferred to the vacuum pan, where it 
was further reduced to a thick syrup at a 
temperature of from 140° to 160’ Fahrenheit. 
The thick syrup soon began to crystallize 
upon its removal from the pan, and in a few 
days it was put into the centrifugal machine, 
where the molasses was thrown out and the 
sugar left. The molasses which was thrown 
from the sugar was quite thin and was again 
reduced in the vacuum pan, thus yielding a 
second crop of crystals. 
A few explanations to those not familiar 
with the manufacture of sugar :—The cane 
juice, as it comes from the crusher, contains 
cane sugar, glucose, and a vegetable acid, be¬ 
sides other impurities of minor importance. 
The acid in the juice acts readily upon the 
cane sugar and converts it into glucose, which 
is scarcely half as sweet as cane sugar. 
By using a sufficient amount of lime the 
acid is neutralized and rendered harmless. 
But this does not remove all the difficulties, 
for even after the acid is neutralized the cane 
sugar will still turn to glucose by fermenta¬ 
tion if the juice is allowed to stand very 
long in a warm place. It is necessary, there¬ 
fore, that the juice be defecated by lime, 
and then boiled down as soon as possible after 
being expressed from the cane. 
The third chance of losing the sugar is by 
the high heat which occurs when the syrup 
is boiled thick. To obviate this the juice is 
only reduced to a thin syrup in the open pan, 
and further boiling is carried on in the va¬ 
cuum pan. In cane not ripe, the glucose is 
present in excess of the cane sugar, but in 
cane about ripe the per cent of glucose runs 
quite low. In a syrup where there is much 
glucose, the cane sugar will not crystallize, 
hence sugar cannot be made from green cane. 
In the following table we have the results 
of two plots as worked out by Mr. Swenson. 
Plot A was planted with Early Amber seed 
from Mr. Seth Kenny, of Morristown, Minn. ; 
plot B with Early Amber seed from Mr 
Charles Eustis, of Fort Atkinson. Wis. Plot 
A was very much exposed, and a great deal 
of the cane was lodged, while plot B was 
more sheltered, and the cane was better. 
itU'S'CC 
sea 
>5 55.2 
£ A? 
Total lbs of cane. 
Total lbs of juice In cane . 
Weight of juice expressed.. 
Lbs. juice left in bagasse.. . 
Per ct. of cane sugar in juice 
Percent of glucose in juice. 
Total lbs. cane sugar in cane 
Lbs. cane sugar in ex’d juice 
Lbs. cane suuar left in bag’se 
Lbs. of eyrup obtained. 
Lbs ot cane sugar separated 
Lbs. of molasses. 
Bushels of seed. 
Weight of bushel of seed 
Assuming the sugar to be worth 8 cents per 
lb., and the molasses 30 cents per gallon, we 
have the value per acre— 
Field at the rate of plot A. 
923 lbs. of sugar @ 8 cents. 
103 gallons of molasses @ 30 cents. 
Total. 
Yield at the rate of plot B. 
991% lbs. of sugar @ 8 cents.. . . 
87 gallons of molasses @ 30 cents. . 
Total. 
. $73 84 
. 30 90 
.$104 74 
. $79 80 
. 26 10 
.$105 90 
With over 2,000 pounds of sugar in an acre 
of cane, which can be grown as cheaply as 
corn and more readily here in Wisconsin, I 
think it is safe to predict that our people will 
never let the subject rest until it has been 
thoroughly tried ; even with only one-half 
the sugar saved it will pay to grow cane. 
My only anxiety is lest those who can- bring 
more money than skill to bear upon the in¬ 
vestigation will make failures, and thus bring 
discouragement. 
The value of the cane seed has not been 
tested at this writing, but it will be at the 
Experimental Farm. The advantages of 
sorghum cane over beets for sugar are many. 
The cane seed and leaves alone will pay for 
growing the crop. Cane is cultivated in the 
same manner as corn, and our farmers can 
be induced to raise it much more readily than 
they can beets. If from any cause sugar can¬ 
not be made, a syrup may be produced which 
is equal in value to “New Orleans.” This 
cannot he claimed for the beet root. 
A Round Harrow, or Ditch Cleaner. 
Mr. H. E. Wright, Crawford Co., Pa., has 
a home-made implement for cleaning out 
open ditches, etc., which he calls a “round 
harrow.” A one-horse '*harrow ” is made as 
follows: Take a log 3’/ s feet long aud 18 
inches in diameter; taper off one end some¬ 
what, and cut a notch around the tapered 
end by which to fasten the draft chain. A 
six-foot log is about right for two horses. 
Holes are bored in regular order, and ordinary 
harrow teeth inserted in them, as shown in 
the engraving. It will clean grass, etc., 
out of an open ditch in a rapid manner. 
'S'lic Skills ExBsibiiiosi, held by the 
Woman's Silk Culture Association in Phila¬ 
delphia in February last, was very success¬ 
ful. The first prize of $200 for cocoons 
