SUGAR FROM SORGHUM 
217 
These hulls may be readily separated from some varieties 
of sorghum seeds and with more difficulty from others. 1 
Comparative analyses of the sorghum seeds with other cereals 
show the place which the sorghum holds among the more 
prominent cereals. The seeds contain starch, albuminoids, 
oil, sugar, and fibre in such proportions as to render them 
suitable for animal food. 2 These seeds are ground to flour, 
and are used extensively for food by the people over large 
tracts of India. 
In the experiments of Dr. Goessmann 3 upon the bagasse 
with various chemicals, he obtained a colorless pulp suitable 
for making a superior quality of paper without injuring the 
fibre. From his analyses he obtained 8.2 per cent, of very pure 
cellulose or fibre. The manufacturer would probably obtain 
more, as he could not afford to purify it as completely as was 
done in the analysis. The increased consumption of paper 
has for years obliged the manufacturer to seek new sources 
of vegetable fibre supply. Sorghum promises to furnish this 
supply. 
The pulp from the mill bagasse of the Rio Grande Sugar 
Company, by experiment, was shown to rank next to that from 
linen rags. 4 
Several organic acids probably occur in the sorghum juice. 
The presence of these acids may interfere seriously with the 
successful manufacture of sugar and of clear free syrup. 
Among them aconitic acid has been found, and also malic 
acid. The free acids vary in amount from .1 to .2 per cent. 
There is also acid present combined with potash and other 
bases found in the ash. 5 The acidity of the sorghum juice 
is often a serious cause of failure, by inverting the sucrose. 
After the close of the season at Fort Scott, a comparative 
study was made of the amount of the inversion which takes 
place in the diffusion-cells. It was clearly shown “that the 
1 Special Report, No. 33, Dept, of Agr., by Peter Collier, p. 99. 
2 Bui. No. 3, Chem. Div. Dept, of Agr., p. 114. 
3 “Sugar Cane,” by Dr. C. A. Goessmann. From Transactions N. Y. 
State Agr. Soc., 1881, p. 25. 
4 Bui. XLI, N. J. Agr. Experimental Station, 1887, p. 23. 
6 Bui. No. 3, Dept, of'Agr., by H. W. Wiley, p. 16. 
