AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
89 
A Brief Talk on the new Sugar Cane. 
With many hundreds of letters before us mark¬ 
ed by ihe opening Clerks “ on sugar earie,” still un¬ 
examined, we confess to Ire yet unprepared to say 
what we intended to offer this mouth. Owing to 
our special efforts in introducing seed last year, 
our office has been a kind of central point to 
which the mass of reports and notes have chiefly 
tended. We published the material parts of the 
first sixty letters received, but these proved to be 
only the sentinels of a coming army. Suffice it 
now to say that, for weeks past, every day has 
brought new confirmation of the belief that the 
Chinese Sugar cane is adapted to cultivation in 
.he Northern States for the production of sweeten¬ 
ing, both syrup and sugar. We have seen 
abundant samples to convince us that sugar has 
been made, and that it can be made—and we 
begin to hope, profitably too, when we shall fully 
understand the conditions and proper modes of 
manufacture. This is taking stronger ground 
than we have hitherto dared to do. 
Without estimating numerous other coincid¬ 
ing proofs, the experiments of Mr. J. S. Covering, 
at Philadelphia, would seem to be conclusive on 
this point. We have before us a variety of 
samples of sugar made by him, of various grades, 
from the coarsest “ brown” up to the finest ‘‘loaf 
sugar and we are not inclined to dispute the 
final conclusion arrived at by Mr. Covering, 
that: 
“ With these conditions secured, it is about as 
easy to make good sugar from the Chinese cane 
as to make a pot of good mush, and much easier 
than to make a kettle of good apple-butter.” 
But, having said thus much, we feel bound to 
state that, we consider the present knowledge of 
the best process of manufacturing, still too im¬ 
perfect to warrant farmers in entering largely in¬ 
to the culture of the sugar cane for sugar making 
the present year. The past season has demon¬ 
strated ; first, that the plant will flourish in our 
Northern latitudes ; second, that it is valuable as 
a forage crop ; third, that, even with our present 
imperfect knowledge, it can be used profitably for 
making syrup in localities remote from market, 
(see note 12, in Dec. No., VoL XVI, page 296;) 
and fourth, that it is adapted to the production of 
crystalized sugar, under proper modes of manu¬ 
facture. 
The experiments of at least one year more, 
seem to be required to ascertain exactly what 
are the proper modes of manufacture. We there¬ 
fore think it wise to wait the developments of 
this year, before attempting sugar, or even syrup 
making on a large scale as a source of profit. 
Our advice to farmers generally, is, that, they 
should cultivate a small plot the present year, in 
order to study still further, the character of the 
plant, its best mode of culture, its feeding proper¬ 
ties &c. By next year, there will, we hope, be 
abundant information to act upon with reference 
to its further enlarged cultivation. 
OUR OWN EXPERIMENTS 
the past season have been widely called for. 
We might sum up the whole by saying, they 
were, for special reasons, unsatisfactory, in some 
respects, though instructive. But a brief detail. 
We planted something over an acre. The 
cane grew well, but, owing to the season, ripened 
little seed. It was treated with a variety of ma¬ 
nures, but we found very little difference in the 
results on the plots planted at the same time. 
Our conclusion was, that it should be treated in 
all respects, like Indian corn, except in the dis¬ 
tances of the seeds. 
We commenced preparations for grinding and 
-oiling, and here our mishaps began First, the 
“ money panic” coming on, we felt bound to 
give up our entire time and attention to our Pub¬ 
lishing Business in the city, so that we had scarce¬ 
ly one hour of daylight to spend in the country. 
The “ plantation” was two miles from our re¬ 
sidence, and we were under the necessity of put¬ 
ting the entire work of cutting, grinding, and boil¬ 
ing, into other hands, with only the occasional su¬ 
pervision of an hour in the evening. Our mill 
came to hand late and broke down the first hour, 
which delayed the work a week. Next, the boil¬ 
ing arrangements were found to be too slow, and 
not of the best kind. The fires were placed in a 
single close building, and with a damp atmos¬ 
phere and much rain at the time, the evaporation 
was found too feeble. The arch around the main 
boiler was too high, and all the first samples were 
inevitably scorched. New boilers were prepared 
with the base only upon the fire, and several lots 
of beautiful syrup were produced when they had 
fine dry weather, of which, there was very little. 
Much time was consumed in sundry experiments, 
instructive in themselves, and furnishing many 
valuable hints which will aid us materially in ad¬ 
vising others hereafter. 
All these matters delayed our operations until it 
was too late to continue further with hope of 
profit, and having accomplished our aim, which was 
soley to experiment, the work was suspended. We 
found ourselves somewhat “ out of pocket,” but 
with much instructive knowledge acquired. 
With all the drawbacks, with next to no person¬ 
al supervision, we obtained from less than half an 
acre, nearly one hundred gallons of syrup, much 
of it poor, but some of it very good. Some of it 
has since been crystalized, so that on the whole 
we have abundant reason to be satisfied with our 
experiments, believing, as we do, that in any new 
enterprise, partial failures, at first, often teach 
more than a chance success. 
—-—»—--- 
Management of the Sty. 
The fame of the pig as a manure maker is great, 
but we doubt, if he is half appreciated, even in his 
forte. He is commonly fed with richer food than 
other domestic animals, and the manure is found 
to be stronger than that of any other quadruped. 
The old method of treating the pig was to let him 
run upon the common, or in the pasture during 
the Summer and put him in the pen only two or 
three months before he was slaughtered. The sty 
was merely an ample pen. with a poor hovel for Ins 
shelter by night. For lack of material to work 
over, he thrust his snout into the hard soil of his 
pen, turning it over, and every stone and bone in 
it, within a foot of the surface. The result per¬ 
haps was a cord of well washed manure, to each 
pig. This method is still popular in many parts 
of the country. 
But our best farmers have a better system of 
management. The pig is considered in the light 
of a worker, as well as a gentleman of leisure, 
and his snout is turned into a farm implement of 
very great value. As a disintegrator of sods, it 
excels both the plow and the harrow. The sty 
is mainly covered, with the exception of a small 
yard where tire animals may have the sun, and 
take exercise. The covered and the uncovered 
parts are kept abundantly supplied with muck, or 
coarse sods, which are reduced to a fine powder 
in a short time. Sometimes the sty occupies a 
part of the barn cellar, beneath the stables, and 
the pigs are made to do the work of composting 
the stable manure with muck, and loam. It is 
done in this way much more thoroughly, than it 
can be done with fork and shovel. 
With this class of farmers “pigs in clover” has 
become a figment of poetry, for the p,g nevei 
smells their clover fields, though he has plenty 
of clover and other green succulent fodder in its 
season. They cannot afford to waste the manure, 
and to lose their services upon the composi heap. 
No flesh is wasted in chasing after nuts in the 
forest, or grass and weeds upon the common. 
Pigs kept in styes, and furnished with muck, can 
easily be made to average four hundred pounds of 
pork, and eight cords of manure, at a year old. 
If a farmer falls below this standard, he is not liv¬ 
ing up to his privileges. 
Making Deep Wells. 
We have very numerous inquiries in regard to 
the best modes, the machinery, &c., fordigging and 
boring deep wells. The desired information we 
cannot give, and we shall therefore be under obli¬ 
gations to such persons as may communicate any¬ 
thing on this topic of interest to our readers. We 
hear, incidentally, that Messrs Dupont, of Louis¬ 
ville, Ky ., have sunk an Arlesian well in that city 
nearly 2,000 feel. The Louisville Courier says, 
that city “ has now the deepest well in the world ; 
the next deepest well—1,300 feet—being at Gre- 
ville, near Paris, France.” 
Wire Fences—Information still Wanted. 
In October last (vol xvi, page 228), we published 
a call for information, respecting the feasibility of 
wire fences, best modes of construction, &c. 
We have received a few responses, but nothing 
like the number we looked for, considering the 
importance of the subject ; and we are still wait 
ing for further responses before taking up the sub¬ 
ject thoroughly. Probably many of ihose who 
were best able to give practical information, 
chanced to be those least accustomed to the use 
of the pen ; while others refrained from discuss¬ 
ing the subject, on the supposition that everybody 
else would write on a topic of so much interest. 
We again call for further details of experience, on 
both sides of the question. Any present sub¬ 
scriber disposed to assist in throwing light on the 
subject, and not having at hand the October num¬ 
ber above referred to, will he furnished with a 
copy very cheerfully, on sending his address 
to us. We know there is great demand for fur¬ 
ther information, and we shall use every exertion 
to supply it. 
Summer-hay—not Sunday—Error Corrected. 
—The type-sellers made a “ wicked blunder” in 
our last number, page 26. The whole tenor of 
that and all other articles in this journal, would, 
we trust, shield us from the suspicion of sanction¬ 
ing sabbath breaking, even in the slightest degree. 
But, to avoid even “ the appearance of evil” we 
make the above correction. The faulty word was 
written, Summer-day. 
What a Dog ! —Mr. Editor.—I see in the De¬ 
cember Agriculturist, this item :—One little “gar¬ 
den patch” of ours has been very profitable this 
season. The snails ate up the cucumbers—the 
chickens ate up the snails—the neighbor’s cats 
ate up the chickens, and we are now in search of 
something that will eal up the eatsl Can any of 
our agricultural friends aid us I—Alabama Planter 
... .You can inform the Planter that 1 have a dog 
that will eat up his cats (and him too) if he will 
take the trouble to bring them to the dog’s yard. 
Richard Young. 
Rjn Grande. Tioga On.. Ohio 
