84 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
£fca.<icu9ur 
CORN STALK SUGAR. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —I have 
received various letters asking informa¬ 
tion relative to the construction of Mr. 
Vaughan’s mill for making sugar from 
corn stalks, the manner of cultivating 
the corn, the process of manufacture, 
&c. To save the trouble of future in¬ 
quiries, I send you a description of the 
mill, with a rough draft, which you will 
oblige me by inserting in the Cultivator. 
The mill (fig. 42,) is composed of 
two upright rollers, one 58 inches, the 
Other 46 inches in length, which are se¬ 
cured by a strong frame, 8 feet long, 3 
feet wide, and 30 inches high. Seven¬ 
teen cogs on one roller, work in an equal 
number of cogs on the other, and are 
moved by a sweep. The short roller 
has a body 24 inches long, with a di¬ 
ameter of 20 inches; a neck piece at 
top, to be inserted in the frame, 8 inch¬ 
es long, 10 inches diameter; a cog space 
immediately under the top neck, 6 inch¬ 
es long, and 17^ inches diameter, and a 
neck piece at bottom, 8 inches long and 
10 inches diameter, making its entire 
length 46 inches. The long roller is 
of the same dimensions, with similar body, neck pieces 
and cog space, with the exception that 12 inches are 
added to the top neck of the long roller, for the insertion 
of the sweep. 
In grinding, the stalks are passed by hand between the 
rollers, and the juice is squeezed out on their passage. 
If not sufficiently pressed out on their first passage, they 
are returned a second time between the rollers. The 
juice is caught by the bottom piece of the frame, which 
is 3 feet wide, like a platform, and made sloping on one 
side, so as to make it all run out into a vessel placed 
there for that purpose. 
After the juice is obtained, it ought not to stand more 
than an hour, for fear of fermentation. It is then placed 
over the fire, and as it begins to boil, carefully skimmed. 
When boiling, the scum shoulil be rapidly removed as it 
rises. If some of the syrup can be taken between the 
thumb and finger, and when moderately cool, a thread a 
half inch or inch can be drawn, it is thought to be boiled 
sufficiently. If you wish to make only syrup, it is not 
boiled quite so much. To make it grain into sugar, a 
few spoonfulls of lime water has been recommended. 
The only fixtures used by Mr. Vaughan in boiling, 
were a common ten gallon pot, and three others of about 
the same size. The process is neither intricate or te¬ 
dious. Corn standing in the field, may be cut, ground 
up, and converted into an elegant syrup in three or four 
hours. 
From the foregoing description, it will be seen that 
the principle upon which the mill is constructed, is the 
same as that of Mr. Webb’s of Delaware, as described in 
the June No. of the Cultivator for 1842, with the excep¬ 
tion of the dumb returner or third roller, which is not 
found in Mr. Vaughan’s mill. The process of boiling 
and manufacture is the same. Neither the plan of the 
mill or process is new. Mills of a similar description 
have been used by planters in the lower part of Georgia, 
for making sugar and molasses from the sugar cane, for 
family use, for the past twenty years. To Mr. Webb of 
Delaware, is however, due the great credit of subtituting 
corn stalks for canes. 
Is it profitable, is a frequent question. Mr. Vaughan 
thinks he can make sixty gallons of molasses per acre, 
which, at present prices retailing in this country, would 
yield a profit of 25 or 30 dollars to each acre. When the 
manufacture becomes common in the west, such is our 
unbounded capacity for making corn, of course the pro¬ 
fits would be nominal. But if only made for family use, 
it will be a great saving, and become, when we get in 
the way of making plenty of molasses, an actual blessing 
to children and negroes. Three days are sufficient to 
grind and manufacture 60 gallons of molasses, and the 
work will come on when the time can be easily spared 
for it. The refuse juice is valuable for making a most 
grateful beer and good vinegar. 
As to making sugar, Mr. Vaughan failed in his attempt 
the past season; but he will plant 15 acres this spring, 
and ‘‘ try again.” His failure, he thinks, was altogether 
owing to late planting, which did not give his corn time 
to mature, and to heavy frosts which injured the juice 
before he could grind it. Cost of mill, $6,00. 
CaledonicL) Henry co. Tenn., March 29, 1843. 
VAUGHAN’S CORN STALK SUGAR MILL—(Fig. 42.) 
Explanation. —A. B. C. D. The frame—G. G. The bodies of the rollers—L. Depres¬ 
sion in the platform for the juice to run out. 
CHEMICAL MANURES. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —^Inanswer to Mr. Man¬ 
ly, in his criticism on my article relative to Liebig’s as¬ 
sertion that ammonia will decompose sulphate of lime on 
the land, I must inform Mr. M. that if he had read the 
first article I wrote on the subject, he would have found 
it predicated entirely on a partial change being produced 
when ammonia is presented to sulphate of lime. 
I am aware that a neutral salt will be partially decom¬ 
posed, by presenting to it an alkali having a weaker af¬ 
finity for the acid of the salt than the alkali or alkaline 
earth previously in combination, as the last portion held 
by an acid, near the point of saturation, is retained by a 
wehk affinity. Berthollet asserts “ that the force of af- 
finity'acts most powerfully when two substances first come 
into contact, and continues to decrease in power as either 
approaches the point of saturation.” Again, “ that in 
elective attractions the power exerted is not in the ratio 
of the affinity simply, but in a ratio compounded of the 
force of affinity and the quantity of the agent; so that 
quantity may compensate for weaker affinity. Thus, an 
acid which has a weaker affinity than another for a given 
base, is capable of taking part of that base from the acid 
which has the stronger affinity for it; so that the base 
will be divided between them in the compound ratio of 
their affinity and quantity.” 
Such laws of chemical action do not, however, war¬ 
rant the unqualified assertion of Liebig, that ammonia 
will decompose plaster of Paris at atmospheric tempera¬ 
tures, leaving as residuums sulphate of ammonia and car¬ 
bonate of lime. 
I observed in my article, criticised by Mr. M., that 
near the boiling point ammonia would decompose sul¬ 
phate of lime chemically, and that in cooling, the origi¬ 
nal affinities would again resume their influence. The 
power of decomposition will, therefore, vary as the tem¬ 
perature of the materials; it will be greater as the tem¬ 
perature increases, and diminishes as it decreases. 
I would inform Mr. Manly, that I use Ure’s tables of 
affinities, published in London, in the year 1835, and 
would be obliged if Mr. M. can recommend any of later 
date equally correct. Wm. Partridge. 
New-York, March 27, 1843. 
LAST SALE OF BERKSHIRES. 
Messrs. Editors —Allow me to thank you for your 
kind correction, in the last number of the Cultivator, of 
the premiums awarded to the Berkshire < st the Plan¬ 
ter’s Club in Georgia, and als > 'or the friendly notice and 
recommendation of our Berksh res to the breeders of 
this state. But from circumstances which have transpir¬ 
ed since our last communication, we cannot avail our¬ 
selves of the kindness meant us, having just sold our 
remaining reserved lot of Berkshires to Colonel John 
Bonner of White Plains, Green county, Georgia, toge¬ 
ther with our good will as breeders of the same. They 
consisted of six sows and two boars, all choice and very 
superior animals, including Ontario and Lady Huttleson, 
the two only remaining animals of our last importation, 
sent us out by Mr. Hawes, and which we flatter ourselves 
would not suffer in comparison with any of their kind, 
either imported or bred by any other person in the union. 
The produce from Ontario have uniformly been superior 
to any hog we ever bred from, and are warranted in say¬ 
ing that his produce has met with the decided approba¬ 
tion of our customers, which renders the possession of such 
an animal a high privilege to his enterprising owner, 
and a great acquisition to the community of the state in 
which he is placed. 
From the number and superiority of the animals sold 
Colonel Bonner, together with his purchases made from 
the principal breeders at the north, fully warrants us in 
saying that we believe Colonel Bonner possesses some 
of the best blood, and most probably the finest selection 
of Berkshires to be found in the union; and take great 
pleasure in recommending his stock to all breeders of 
Berkshires, particularly to those persons who anticipated 
honoring us with their future orders, as we are fully 
assured that all orders entrusted to Colonel Bonner will 
be fully and promptly met, and with the most unscrupu¬ 
lous honor. 
We believe that the first Berkshires of the improved 
race imported into the union, were owned in our family; 
consequently, since the year 1824, we have been before 
the public as breeders of the same, and from which time 
to the present we have sold a great number of hogs into 
almost all the states in the union, and also the Canadas, 
whether for good or evil to the country we will leave 
the community to judge. 
We again most respectfully solicit the attention of the 
public to Colonel Bonner’s stock of Berkshire hogs, and 
with our continued good wishes for the increasing suc¬ 
cess of your valuable journal, and our grateful thanks to 
our numerous patrons, we make our bow to the pub¬ 
lic, and retire from the business altoge¬ 
ther. A. & G. Brentnall. 
Canterbury, N. Y. April nth, 1843. 
SILK CULTURE. 
Messrs. Editors —One of the ad- 
attending the reeling of co¬ 
coons in large filatures, in Italy, &c. is 
that a larger selection and assortment 
of cocoons can be made, so as to reel se. 
quantity of the same character of raw 
silk together, and make the bales of silk 
uniform. 
There is, however, more industry in 
our country, and the following is sug¬ 
gested as being more suited to the inter¬ 
ests of our agriculturists. 
Suppose a few few families in a neigh¬ 
borhood each raise 50 or a 100 bushels 
of cocoons, which they could do with¬ 
out hiring labor, generally, and all using 
the same eggs, collect the product toge¬ 
ther, and take in turn to assort all of a 
kind separate, and appoint one or more 
to reel them, as can best be arranged, 
and send to market the raw silk on their 
own account. This plan would realize 
the greatest gain to the growers, and make the silk of 
most value to the manufacturers. 
New-York, April 6, 1842. G. M. Haywood & C®. 
“YANKEE OXEN AND DRIVERS.” 
In a late number of the New-England Farmer, I no¬ 
tice an article with this caption. The writer, among 
other things, says:—“The breed of New-England 
working oxen have had a good deal of practice. The 
Puritan followed them two hundred years ago.” * * 
“ They are undoubtedly the finest race of working cattle 
in the world. But the committee on working cattle at 
Albany, last fall, I see by the Cultivator, seem to think 
it necessary to cross them with foreign stock. Ot course, 
by all means! Nothing purely Americoa would do; at 
least it would seem so in the meridian of Albany.”* 
Now I would ask in the first place, with what propri¬ 
ety it can be said that “ the breed of New-England 
working oxen was followed by the Puritan two hundred 
years ago?” Could the cattle kept by the Puritans “ two 
hundred years ago,” be called a “ New-England breed,” 
or had those cattle sufficient distinctness of character to 
be claimed as 0 /( 1 / breed? And will it be said that the 
“ New-England breed ” of cattle at this day is the same 
as that which the “Puritan followed?” “Nothing 
purely American would do,” says this writer. Have we 
a breed of domestic cattle which can be called ‘^purely 
American?” How could such a breed have originated, 
unless they have been bred from the American buffalo 
or bison? But this “New-England,” however it may 
have originated, is “undoubtedly the finest breed of 
working cattle in the world I” Yes, “undoubtedly!” Is 
the experience and observation of the writer sufficiently 
extensive to justify this broad assumption? And suppose 
it is conceded that these cattle are the “ finest,” is it the 
breed, or the training and management that has made 
them so? But the prominent idea of this writer is, that 
the best cattle for work, are directly descended from 
those which the “ Puritan followed two hundred years 
ago.” I cannot believe this to be correct. I know it is 
an idea quite common among the New-Englanders; but 
how it originated, I never knew, unless it sprang from 
the general habit of reverencing everything which has 
descended from the “ Puritan” fathers. It appears to 
me that such a conclusion coul/l never have been the 
result of fair experiment, comparison or observation. 
Several years’ practical acquaintance with different vari¬ 
eties of cattle in New-England, united with close obser¬ 
vation, have satisfied me that the best working cattle in 
that section have been produced from importations, (and 
crosses from them,) which have been made within the 
last fifty years; and if any one will take the pains to in¬ 
vestigate the matter—to trace back the genealogy—I 
will venture the opinion, he will fin<l that nearly all the 
most celebrated working oxen in New-England—such 
as have carried prizes at the cattle shows for the last 
twenty years, and have been sold at the highest prices— 
have had more or less of either the Bakewell Long 
Horn, the improved Short Horn, the Hereford, or the 
North Devon blood in them. I have attended many of 
the New-England cattle shows, have seen the best New- 
England cattle, and have not formed these opinions has¬ 
tily. Where could we look fora fairer test of the powers 
and abilities of the working ox, than among the lumber¬ 
men of Maine? In that fros'y region, where the ave¬ 
rage annual depth of snow is from four to five feet, the 
hardy and industrious inhabifants carry on an active bu¬ 
siness in winter, by cutting down the extensive forests 
of pine, and preparing the logs for market. To plow 
through those deep snows with the enormous logs which 
are hauled, the hardiest and most powerful oxen are re¬ 
quired; they must be both strong and active. Ask those 
* This witticism loses much of its force—if force it has— 
when it is recollected that three of the five gentlemen who 
acted on the viewing committee on working oxen at Albany, 
were from New-England, and were probably quite as well ac¬ 
quainted with the working oxen of Massachusetts, Connecticut, 
and Vermont, as the writer of the above flippant quotation. 
The leport and recommendation referred to, emanated from 
Robert Colt, Esq. of Pillsfleld.—Eos. 
