160 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
CORN-STALK MOLASSES AND SUGAR. 
Mr. Lewis Paterson, of Tarentum, Pa., informs us of 
two unsuccessful attempts to manufacture sugar from corn 
stalks. In one instance he broke off the ears from the 
stalk as fast as they made their appearance, and in doing 
so, frequently broke the stalk, as it was at that time re¬ 
markably tender. On another lot, part of which was 
sweet corn, he let the ears get large enough to boil for 
eating, before breaking them off. The stalks were duly 
stripped of their leaves and crushed with iron rollers, and 
the juice, after having been strained through a fine sieve, 
was boiled off'in iron kettles. After the sap was consid¬ 
erably reduced by boiling, it was taken out of the kettles, 
left to cool for an hour, some lime water added, and 
again put into the kettles, (leaving behind the sediment,) 
and boiled till it became quite thick. It was then remo¬ 
ved and cooled; but it has had “no appearance of grain¬ 
ing to this day.” The flavor of the molasses, he says, 
<c is wild and rank.” The molasses from the lot on which 
the ears got big enough to boil, was best; but that “ was 
by no means free from an unpleasant taste.” It was tried 
in some kinds of cookery, but did not answer. Mr. Pat¬ 
erson does not say at what particular stage of the stalk it 
was cut, and this we presume to be a very important mat¬ 
ter; as soon after a critical period the sap changes, so 
that the syrup is very different in its quality, and cannot 
be made to crystalize. We have seen excellent molasses 
made from corn-stalks, and very fair sugar—the molas¬ 
ses, equal at least, to any cane molasses. Will Mr. Ayles- 
worth, of Granville, Ohio, inform us how he made some 
sugar and very fine molasses which we saw at his house, 
last year? We would also thank him to describe the 
whole process—to state particularly how the stalk should 
be raised and prepared, and the precise stage at which it 
should be cut—the expense of producing the molasses and 
sugar, yield per acre, &c. 
Since the above was written, we have received a com¬ 
munication from Mr. John Beal, of New Harmony, Ind., 
furnishing some valuable information on the manufacture 
of corn-stalk sugar. It appears that Mr. Beal was quite 
successful in his attempts at making sugar the two last 
seasons. Mr. B. prepares his ground in the usual way for 
planting corn, and plants in rows three feet apart, with 
the kernels about three or four inches apart in the row; 
then keeps the ground clean by the use of the plow and 
cultivator. We subjoin an extract from his letter, and in 
our next will give his mode of preparing the stalk and 
manufacturing the sugar: 
“ While I am addressing you, I take the opportunity 
of noticing a paragraph from the communication of S. 
Tillotson, in the last (Feb.) number of the Cultivator. I 
had always much desired that some experiments should 
be made in Louisiana, where they have all the fixtures, 
and experience necessary for the purpose; but I must 
confess that I am not only disappointed in the result, but 
surprised at the statements. 
Mr. T. says the juice weighed 8 degrees, by which I 
suppose he means the specific gravity, or the amount of 
saccharine matter contained in it. Juice from my corn¬ 
stalks, was tested by Dr. Owen of this place, two sepa¬ 
rate years, and at different times, and was always found to 
be nine and a half; but that which excites the greatest 
surprise, is, that he obtained no sugar. The first experi¬ 
ment I made, in 1842, with about a gallon and a half of 
juice, boiled in a common culinary vessel over a cooking 
stove, yielded sugar, and every succeeding experiment, 
when the boiling was sufficiently rapid, has done the 
same. How so successful a manufacturer of cane sugar 
should so completely fail, is a matter of great surprise, 
as those who have been accustomed to see and be present 
at the making of cane sugar during a succession of years, 
assure me that there is great similarity in the taste and 
appearance of the juices of the two. 
Again, in regard to Mr. T.’s sugar crop, am I under a 
wrong impression as to the quantity of sugar raised per 
acre in Louisiana, or was Mr. T.'s a most extraordinary 
crop. My impression has always been that one thousand 
pounds per acre was an average yield, and that a hogs¬ 
head was about the same; and I am informed by a person 
who has spent many years of his life in the South, that 
eight hundred pounds is nearer an average there than a 
thousand. If I am wrong, I should be glad to be set 
right, and if this should meet the eye of Mr. T. he will 
perhaps explain.” 
New fact in Natural History.—Col. Thayer, in 
a communication on poultry in the Massacusetts Plowman, 
says:—“There are several kinds of wild geese; those 
called ‘ the winter geese,’ that stay in our bays till very 
late, and as some say during the winter, are much the lar¬ 
gest and of a higher color than those called f the summer 
geese,’ and which always go to the south in the fall. I 
have heard of some that are entirely ivhite, of a smaller 
size, of the same form, and make the same noise. I have 
never seen any of this kind, but was told by several of 
my neighbors, that they saw a small flock that lighted in 
a pond near my farm, were very near to them, and were 
perfectly satisfied.” 
i)etcrinarp £E5 eparuneut. 
“ THUMPS” IN SWINE. 
Mr. J. W. Salter, of Ind., informs us that he has lost 
several hogs by a disease called “thumps.” We have 
no personal acquaintance with a disease known by that 
name. In vol. 8, p. 32 of the Cultivator, it is stated that 
Dr. Shelby, of Tennessee, had used calomel for the cure 
iof this disease, with some success; but the quantity of 
calomel, or the mode of administering it, is not given. 
If Mr. Salter is correct in supposing it to be inflammation 
of the lungs, bleeding, as he suggests, would undoubtedly 
do good, if done in the early stages of the disease. The 
hog is a bad subject to bleed, (except with a butcher-knife) 
though cutting off the tail and ears may answer the pur¬ 
pose; but in addition to that we would give plenty of 
physic, such as castor oil, Glauber's salts, (mixed with 
molasses,) or sulphur. We have had sick hogs which 
exhibited many of the symptoms described by Mr. Sal¬ 
ter—heaving of the sides, hurried respiration, &c.—and 
have lost some; but have cured several by giving them 
a good dose of castor oil as soon as they were discovered 
to be ill. The obstinacy of the hog renders him a trou¬ 
blesome patient about taking medicine. We fasten a small 
rope to his snout, pull up his head by throwing the rope 
over the top rail of the fence, take a piece of hard-wood 
board, say three inches wide, bore an inch hole through 
it, force it edgewise between the jaws, and having dilu¬ 
ted the oil with soap-suds, or other liquid, force it down 
his throat with a syringe. 
BARREN COWS. 
Messrs. Editors —I noticed an article from Mr. Hez- 
lep on barren cows. When his cow is again in heat, 
bleed her to near fainting, then give her half an ounce 
of laudanum and let the bull to her immediately. I have 
known this experiment to succeed in many instances. If 
it does not succeed, he had better feed his cow at once. 
Wm. H. Sotham. 
HEAVES IN HORSES. 
Moistening the hay or grain for horses which have the 
heaves, has a good effect; We see a communication on 
this subject in the Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) Advocate. The 
writer says he had a favorite horse which was much af¬ 
fected by this disorder. He happened to have a com¬ 
mon horse-pail about half full of white-wash. He filled 
the bucket with water, and left it to settle. He moisten- 
with this water two quarts of corn-meal, morning and 
evening, which he gave the horse—filling up the bucket 
with water occasionally. In less than a week, a change 
for the better was manifest in the horse, and about two 
years after, he sold him as perfectly sound. 
Blind Teeth. —P. H. B. says he had a mare a few 
years ago that became blind, or nearly so. On examina¬ 
tion he found blind teeth, and took them out. One eye 
got well, but the other remained blind. 
Remedy for Hoven Cattle.— -To a quart-bottle oi 
cold water, add a tea-spoonful of spirits of hartshorn: 
drench the animal with the same; if not relieved in two 
hours, repeat the dose. This remedy has been frequent 
ly tried and seldom known to fail — Eng. Paper. 
