542 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
AUG 23 
plenty of it, ou the silage; secondly, when 
removed from the silo to the stable, so conve¬ 
niently near, it will add to the manure heap 
not only in its own fertility, but by its power 
of re-absorbing moisture after being air dried, 
it will save the liquid fertilizer of the stable. 
This equals the value of the solid manure, is 
more soluble and of nearly espial amount. 
[Dr. Dana says:—“The urine of cow for a 
year, will manure 1% acre of laud, and is 
more valuable than the dung, in the ratio, by 
bulk, of seven to six, and in real value as two 
to one.”—Kos.l 
Thirdly, it is apparent there will be as much 
less weight to be removed from the silo as 
there has been moisture removed by evapora¬ 
tion—a difference approximating one-third of 
the total weight, 
I propose to convey the muck from the pit 
in bushel boxes, made for convenience in har¬ 
vesting potatoes; to be carried from the wagon 
to the silo. 
A bushel of wet muck will weigh about IK) 
pounds, varying according to the amount of 
sand in it. A double course of wet muck will 
weigh, when applied, about 150 {rounds to the 
square foot. A silo 12x20 feet would require 
400 bushels. 
The Fanners' Annual Hand Book shows the 
average moisture of wet muck to be 70 per 
cent; air-dried muck, 22 per cent, (fractions 
omitted), showing a loss of 54 per cent, of 
water, or about one-half the original weight. 
Probably in a large mass of muck after 
three mouths, only one-third of the weight 
will evaporate: in the best qualities of muck 
it might Ire much more. This loss of weight 
saves one-third of the labor when the silo is 
uncovered. The increase of fertility by ab¬ 
sorbing the liquid manure with air-dried 
muck is a more important matter, in my 
judgment. 
F.videutly the air-dried muck can re-absorb 
all the moisture it has lost. If a bushel loses SO 
pounds, it can re-absorb under the cows SO 
jKiunds in the form of urine. This contains .7 
of one per cent, of ammonia; .ft per cent, of 
potash; and no phosphoric acid. That SO 
pounds would therefore represent 81-100 of a 
pound of ammonia; 15-100 of a pound of pot¬ 
ash. But the muck itself is a crude fertilizer 
mudo available for present, use by weathering 
on the silo and the action of the urine. Esti¬ 
mates differ concerning its value, chiefly be¬ 
cause of wide differences in its quality. Mine, 
as analyzed by Prof. Geo. H. Cook, of the 
New Jersey Experiment Station, with 02 per 
cent, of water, gave 2.27 per cent, of ammonia. 
The average of 17 samples of wet muck, gives 
.SO of one per cent, of ammonia. By this low 
average a bushel (90 lbs.) of wet muck will 
approximate 32-100of a pound of ammonia; 
making a total of about half a pound of am¬ 
monia and one-sixth of a pound of potash, 
having a commercial value of not less than 10 
cents; or $40 for the 400 bushels referred to 
above, an amount which will cover all the cost 
of handling from the pit to the silo, and the 
field. C. EUGENE LITTLE. 
Ocean Co., N. J. 
SORGHUM ; 
ITS GROWTH AND THE MANUFACTURE OF 
SUGAR AND SIRUP—THE WHOLE STORY.—V. 
PROF. H. W. WILEY. 
THE USB OF LIME. 
Lime should be used as a thick cream made 
by stirring pure, powdered, slaked lime with 
water until the desired consistency is ob¬ 
tained, It is immaterial at what point the 
lime is added. The most convenient, time, how¬ 
ever, is when the juice has reached the defeca¬ 
tion. It is also immaterial at what tempera¬ 
ture the addition of the lime-cream is made; for 
obvious reasons, however, it is nest to add it 
as soon as the defecator is full. It should be 
added little by little, stirring thoroughly, 
until blue litmus paper, instead of being 
turned bright red, as it is by the raw juice, is 
liarely made purple when dipped into the 
contents of the pan. The lime applied in this 
way, combines with the free vegetable acids, 
forming mostly insoluble compounds, which 
quickly sink to the bottom of the defecator, 
and are removed iu the sediment. The free 
acids removed, the aJhumiuoids, before kept in 
solution by tbe acids, are readily coagulated 
and removed with the scum. The rest of the 
process is precisely like the one already de¬ 
scribed. The sirup made iu this way is uni¬ 
formly of a darker color than when no lime 
is used; but the "sorghum taste” is entirely 
removed, the flavor is mild and agreeable, and 
the tendency to fermentation largely dimin¬ 
ished. For table use such sirup is far superior 
to that described in the first process; but it is 
not so good for baking, nor will it usually sell 
so well in the market, at least not until its 
superior flavor is discovered. 
SULPHUR. 
The various methods of preparing and add¬ 
ing sulphur to the juice I will describe here¬ 
after. The addition of sulphur alone does not 
remove any of the vegetable acid, but rather 
adds two mineral acids, viz , sulphurous and 
sulphuric, the presence of which in small 
quantities i? not objectionable. The addition 
of oxide of sulphur to tbo juice serves two 
important purposes: (a) it bleaches the color¬ 
ing matters and thus secures an exceptionally 
light colored sirup: and (b) its presence pre¬ 
vents fermentation even in the raw juices, 
and thus secures immunity from an accident 
depends upon its concentration and the char 
acter of the juice to be operated on. If the 
bisulphite marks 10° Baum«5, about one quart 
to a hundred gallons of juice will be sufficient. 
A little experience in this matter will be the 
best guide. In addition to the bisulphite, it 
is also advisable to use a little of the cream of 
lime in the juice, in order that the product be 
not too acid. The judicious use of lime bisul¬ 
phite, and cream of lime, gives a sirup which 
leaves nothing to l>e desired in flavor, color 
Carriage Roam. 26 x 304 
Rolling Door*. 
Alley. 4 feet wide. 
64 feet 
Horse Bam, 30x34. 
_fc_[I Bam Floor; 14:34-; 
Hay Mow, 2IW22. 
Harness Room. 
\ Alley, 4x16. 
— 
Granary, 12x16 
e :- 
| 
/ 
<tJ L-I—-- 
{/) - 
Bins. 
< 10X12. 
Rolling Doors. / 
PLAN OF BARN FLOOR 
Fig 275. 
that is always to be feared when sulphur is 
not used. 1 am not aware that the use of sul¬ 
phur in any way improves the flavor of the 
sirup, but it improves its color aud increases 
its value for baking, ou account, of makiug it 
more acid. Sirup made with sulphur 1 think 
will be uniformly of easier sale than that 
made without it. 
LIME AND SULPHUR TOGETHER. 
The best results are obtained w T hen lime and 
Open Shed. 28x28- 
and keeping qualities. It must not be forgot¬ 
ten. however, that, without the practical ex¬ 
perience which only work at the mill will give, 
success is not always attainable. The most 
minute and accurate description of a process 
will fail to give required results, until joined 
with careful and practical experience. One 
well conducted school of sirup-making, 
which all intending sirup-makers could at¬ 
tend for two weeks, would do more to ad¬ 
vance the sorghum sirup industry than 
YARD. 
Water. 
Botment. 
w 
J East. 
«s 
64 feet 
Rolling Doors 
Large Window 
PLAN c- 
Fig. 276. 
sulphur are used together, (a) The sulphur 
may be burned, and its fumes mixed with the 
juice in the apparatus hereafter to be de¬ 
scribed, aud the lime then added; or (b) the 
milk of lime may be saturated with tne sul¬ 
phur fumes, and this solution be used iu suit¬ 
able quantities in the juice. The latter 
method I consider the better. The quantity 
of the bisulphite of lime (that is tbe name of 
the compound formed) which is to be used, 
volumes of accurate description. Would it 
not be well for local agricultural societies to 
establish such schools iu connection with tbeir 
fairs, where actual experiment could be joined 
with scientific lecturing? With a plut of bisul¬ 
phite of lime, a pint of lime-cream, one piece 
of litmus paper, a bread pan and six gallon- 
of sorghum juice, I could explain to a com¬ 
pany of farmers what I mean, and what ex¬ 
perience has taught me, better far than I have 
been able to do on all these pages of fools¬ 
cap. 
One thing, before leaving sirup-making, I 
wish to repeat, and that is this: it is absolutely 
necessary in any rational process to have the 
defecating pans, and evaporators separate. 
Unless our small manufacturers are willing to 
do that, it is useless for me or anybody 
else, to say anything to them. The way I 
have suggested Ls the simplest and cheapest 
way of securiug this indispensable arrange¬ 
ment of the apparatus. 
t’ifUi Crops. 
SWEET CORN (Zea saccharata). 
ITS HISTORY AND VARIETAL DIFFERENCES 
ILLUSTRATED. —No. VI. 
E. LEWIS STURTEVANT, M. D. 
varieties (continued). 
14. Rquantum, Fig. 277. Introduced about 
1883. Ears six to seven inches long, about two 
inches in diameter at the butt, strongly taper¬ 
ing, 12-rowed, but ranging from 8 to 18, ear- 
stalks quite large. Kernels large, crinkled 
and crimped, with straight sideB aud more or 
less rounded or even flat summit, rounding 
over the butt, and extending to a point at the 
tip, not closely in contact. Plant of medium 
habit, very prolific, bearing its ears low. Ap¬ 
parently a hybrid, tbe Evergreen being one of 
the parents. The center of the ears is stained 
with red in our samples. Average weight of 
100 kernels, 386 grains; the extremes in three 
samples, 324 and 429 grains. (Described ears, 
from two scedsmeu in three collections, and 
Station crop.) This was probably Potter’s 
Excelsior originally, but the described collec¬ 
tions show, at present, a quite wide departure. * 
17. Amber Cream, Fig. 278, Introduced 
iu 1882. Ears seven to eight inches long, and 
about 1% to 1 % iuch in diameter, slightly 
tapering, 10 and 12 rowed, ear stalks ratber 
largish. Kernels blunt, wedge-shaped, more 
or less rounded at the summit, and with a ten¬ 
dency to a shallow, anguiur furrow between 
the rows; crinkled on all sides, clossly in con¬ 
tact, rounding over the butt, but often imper- 
feetatthe tip: germ quite indistinctly outlined. 
Flesh, red wheu ripe: cream-white while in 
edible condition. Plant vigorous, about seven 
feet high, moderately prolific, ears borne at 
a medium hight. Baid to be a cross between 
Moore’s Early Concord and Brigg’s Early, the 
latter a discarded variety, with often pink- 
tiuged kernels, and eight-rowed. Its charac¬ 
teristics are apparently not yet fixed, as Ferry 
says the color runs from light-red to white, 
aud the ears are given as 12 to 16-rowed, and 
as 10 to 14 inches long, by various seedsmen. 
Average weight of 100 kernels, 271 grains: 
extremes iu three samples. 222 aud 341 grains. 
(Described ears, from Sibley, in two collec¬ 
tions, ami Station crop.) 
18. Asylum, Fig. 279. Au eight to 10- 
rowed variety, was introduced between 1863 
and 1866 under the name of Rhode Island 
Asylum vBurri, aud a Rhode Island Sweet is 
described by Balisnury in 1848 as eight-rowed, 
and these are quite possibly the originals of 
the present variety, which has become stronger 
rowed, as Burr mentions a sub-variety with 
eight rows. The present form has ears seven 
to eight inches long, and about two inches iu 
diameter-exactly correspoudiug to Salisbury’s 
description—slightly tapering, 12-rowed, with 
a tendency to a shallow, angular furrow be¬ 
tween, aud large ear-stalk. Kernels blunt, 
wedge-shaped, with slightly rounding summit, 
crinkled and crimped, tilling well at butt, but 
uot at tip, of a wnitish amber color. Plaut 
of medium to large size, with abundant ioli- 
Oge. moderately prolific. Average weight of 
100 kernels, 353 grains; the extremes in live 
samples, 288 and 4u7 grains. (Described ears, 
from rour different seedsmen, in five collec¬ 
tions, and citation crop.) 
21. Hickox Fig. 280, (syn , liickox Improv¬ 
ed), Introduced about 1883. Ears eight to 10 
inches lomr, aud lJi to 1% inch in diameter, 
tapering, 12-rowed, with large ear-stalk. Ker¬ 
nels blunt, wedge-shaped, siigntly rounding 
at the summit, rather squarish, and with a 
tendency to form a shallow, angular iurrow 
between the rows, of a whitish-amber color. 
Plant strong and vigorous, moderately prolific, 
and hearing the ears rather high- It resembles 
Mammoth very closely, but the kernels set 
rather more compactly, and it is ratber earlier 
in maturing. The interior of the cobs is red- 
stained in some of our samples. Average 
weight of 100 kernels, 406grains; the extremes 
in six samples, 331 and 474 grains. (Described 
ears, from three seedsmen in six collections, 
aud Station crop.) 
GREAT OAT YIELDS IN MONTANA, ETC. 
On page 431 of the Rural of July 
5, Mr. O. H. Alexander dogmaticaly 
asserts that * 1 one cannot raise two 
