844 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
THE NEW SUGAR PLANT. 
ABOUT THE DISTRIBUTION OF SEED, &C. 
Since our last, we have gathered many 
facts concerning this new plant. A number 
of letters have been received on the subject, 
for which we can not make room. Some 
who have tried it on a small scale, are dis¬ 
posed to speak discouragingly. But on the 
whole, there are strong indications that it is 
to become one of the great staple crops of 
the country. We are not confident enough 
in this opinion, however, to advise any one 
to “ invest ” largely. Let it be thoroughly 
tried another season. There are indications 
that speculation in the seed will run high be¬ 
fore the spring planting season. 
We have been fortunate in securing a con¬ 
siderable supply of seed, for which we have 
already been offered a large sum, but we 
intend to distribute the whole free of charge 
to such of the Agriculturist subscribers as 
desire to give it a trial. As the expense of 
the seed, and distribution will be quite large, 
we can not afford to pay postage. Those de¬ 
siring the seed will please send a post-paid 
envelop directed to themselves. We are 
testing our several samples by sprouting 
small portions of each. On this account, 
and to give time for all who may wish to 
send for it, the distribution will not be made 
until the latter part of January, when what 
we have now on hand will be equally divided 
among all applicants. It will depend upon 
the total number of these, whether we can 
send to each, one, two, or three hundred 
seeds. We have 300,000 to 500,000 appa¬ 
rently perfect seeds, estimating from the 
number in a single ounce. 
By sending this out free, none will get 
“ bitten ” should it not turn out well, while 
a great supply of seed will thus be secured 
for another season should there be a call for 
it. We think we are doing a positive bene¬ 
fit to the country, by this course, and have 
no fears as to our own reward. 
Those who have already forwarded en¬ 
velops will please wait patiently for a few 
weeks, as the seeds will come in”due time, 
without fail—loss by mail alone excepted. 
We suggest that now is a good time to 
send on new subscribers and in the same 
letter enclose envelops for seed. But, take 
notice; that this is not a condition. Any 
subscriber desiring to give it a trial is invited 
to send for the seed at any time previous to 
January 15. 
In regard to its adaptability to sugar-mak¬ 
ing, the most extensive and the best experi¬ 
ments yet made, are those of Mr. Richard 
Peters, of Atlanta, near Calhoun, Gordon 
County, Ga., who has kindly furnished us 
with some of the details of his experience. 
He says: “ This year I planted one patch 
April 15, another May 18, on land that would 
produce,during a ‘seasonable’ year, forty 
bushels of corn per acre, and this year not 
over twenty bushels. 
Seed sown carelessly in drills, three feet 
apart, covered with a one-horse plow ; in¬ 
tending to “chop out” to a stand of one 
stalk'six'inches apart in the row ; but failed 
togell'agood stand, as the seed came up 
badly from the deep and irregular covering. 
Worked out, same as for Corn, plowing 
twice and hoeing once. 
By suggestion of Gov. Hammond, of 
South Carolina, I determined to give the 
syrup-making a fair trial; consequently or¬ 
dered from the Messrs. Winship, of Atlanta, 
a very complete Horse-power Mill, with ver¬ 
tical iron rollers, that has worked admirably, 
crushing out juice for eight gallons of syrup 
per hour, worked by two mules, with one 
hand to put in the cane, and a boy to drive. 
On the 13th of September, finding the 
seed fully ripe, I had the fodder pulled, and 
the seed heads cut. 
Yield of fodder per acre, 1,100 to 1,300 
pounds. 
Yield of seed per acre, 25 bushels of 36 
pounds to the bushel. 
First trial of mill, 70 average canes gave 
20 quarts of juice. 
Six hundred and six average canes, passed 
once through the rollers, gave 38 gallons 1 
quart'of juice ; passed a second time through, 
gave 2 gallons of juice ; the 40 gallons 1 
quart juice gave 8 gallons thick syrup. 
I carefully measured an eighth of an acre, 
having the best canes and the best stand, and 
another eighth having the poorest canes and 
the poorest stand. The result I give below, 
the canes having passed once through the 
roller. 
BEST EIGHTH OF AN ACRE. 
Yield of juice from 3,315 Canes.253 gallons 
Yield of syrup from 253 gallons juice. 58J- gallons 
Rates per acre of syrup.468 gallons 
POOREST EIGHTH OF AN ACRE. 
Yield of juice from 2.550 canes.179 gallons 
Yield of syrup from 179 gallons juice. 43} gallons 
Rate per acre of syrup.346 gallons 
Weight of 30 selected canes. 49} lbs. 
Weight of juice pressed out. 25} lbs. 
Weight of crushed cane. 23 lbs. 
Loss in crushing. } lbs. 
Weight of crushed cane dried in sun. 9} lbs. 
The following tests were made at the mill 
by Dr. Robert Battey, of Rome, Ga., a grad¬ 
uate of the Philadelphia College of Pharma¬ 
cy: 
Specific gravity of juice.1.085 
Specific gravity of syrup.1.335 
Specific gravity of New-Orleans syrup.1.321 
Thermometer applied to syrup.77° 
Thermometer applied to juice. .70° 
Saccharometer applied to juice.25} a 
The juice should be placed in the boilers 
immediately on being pressed out, then boiled 
slowly, until the green scum ceases to rise ; 
then stir a teaspoonful of air-slacked lime to 
five gallons of juice ; continue skimming and 
boiling until the syrup thickens and hangs 
down in flakes on the rim of the dipper. 
I have made the clearest syrup by simply 
boiling and skimming, without lime or other 
clarifiers. 
The lime is requisite to neutralize a por¬ 
tion of the acid in the juice ; the true pro¬ 
portion must be determined by well-conduct¬ 
ed experiments. 
The cost of making the syrup in upper 
Georgia, in my opinion, will not exceed ten 
to fifteen cents per gallon. This I shall be 
able to test another season, by planting and 
working up fifty acres of the cane. 
I am satisfied that this plant will enable 
every farmer and planter in the Southern 
States to make at home all the syrup re- 
qired for family use ; and I believe that our 
chemists will soon teach us how to convert 
the syrup into sugar, for export, as one of 
the staples of our favored clime. 
Obtaining such unlooked-for success with 
the Chines Sugar Cane, I concluded to try 
our common corn. From a ‘ new ground,’ 
planted 3 by 3, one stalk to a hill, a week 
beyond the roasting-ear stage, l selected 
thirty stalks. 
Weight of 30 stalks. 354 . i bs 
Weight of juice. 151 . lbs 
Weight of crushed stalks.igj. i bs . 
Loss in crushing. 4 . ] b . 
Yield of Syrup. 1} pts. 
The syrup of a peculiar disagreeable taste, 
entirely unfit for table use.” 
THE WYAND0TT CORN. 
To the numerous enquiries in regard to the 
value of this variety, we are unable to re¬ 
spond very definitely. In one case at least it 
has given high satisfaction on Long-Island. In 
others the contrary has been the case. We 
hear it highly spoken of on Staten Island, in 
a few places in New-Jersey, and at several 
points farther south. On the whole it appears 
to be valuable forthose States southof Penn¬ 
sylvania, except the mountainous and colder 
localities. For Pennsylvania, and those 
States in the same latitude it is not yet suf¬ 
ficiently acclimated to be depended upcrL' 
For places [north of the latitudes of New- 
York, we deem it uncertain. The following 
letter from an intelligent correspondent at 
Buffalo is a fair sample of many others. [Ed. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
From the Patent Office, I received some 
of the Wyandott Corn. Having seen it men¬ 
tioned in the reports of that office, as being 
very prolific, I regarded the thirty six ker¬ 
nels which had been sent to me as a great 
prize. So much so in fact, that I had consci¬ 
entious scruples as to the propriety of appro¬ 
priating it all to myself, and therefore di¬ 
vided it with my neighbors. 
I planted the twelve kernels which I re¬ 
tained, and had it treated with great care 
through the season. It grew to an enormous 
size,producing two to four, and in some cases 
I think five stalks to each kernel. There it 
stood some ten feet high, the grandest look¬ 
ing corn stalks lever saw in this climate, but 
not a vestage of an ear did it produce in any 
shape or form. This I believe has been the 
experience of those with whom I divided the 
seed, so much for the famous Wyandott 
Corn. In a more southern latitude I doubt 
not, it is all that is claimed for it, but here it 
seems to be a failure. Does it mature on 
Long-Island 1 ' O. A. 
Buffalo; Nov. 10, 1856. 
Distribution of Seed. —Mr, J. I. Gold¬ 
smith, Waverly, Morgan Co., Ill., writes us 
that he has some of the Sugar Millet, the 
New-Zealand Spinach, and Yellow Dourah 
Corn, and that he will be happy to send 
samples of the seeds to any of the subscri¬ 
bers of the Agriculturist who will send him 
a stamped envelop directed to themselves. 
This is a good way to send for seeds. If 
any one directs an envelop to himself it will 
be more likely to come right. We hope all 
who write to us for information, seeds &c., 
will follow this plan.— Ed. 
