In compliance with the request of the Commissioner of Agriculture, I forward to the Department some specimens of sorghum molasses, made in the county of Monroe, Indiana, with such remarks on the character of the soil on which the canes were grown, the yield, quality of the molasses, kind of cane, and on such other matters as may aid, in connexion with the analyses that are to be made of them, to accomplish what we all so much desire: the making of sugar profitably from the sorghum.

The Louisville, New Albany, and Chicago railroad passes through the entire length, north and south, of Indiana, a distance of 288 miles. The south half passes over an undulating surface, resting on white, crystallized lime rock.  The soil is a drift. On the rock is a square flint gravel; on this, a deposit of red clay, and, in large portions, another deposit of yellow clay on the red clay.  Sand, to a limited extent, is mixed with this yellow clay, but on the higher portions of it there is considerable loose and small sand rock, from the disintegration of which a good deal of sand has been mixed with the soil; in a few places, where it has been washed down, there is more sand than clay. Monroe county lies in the highest portions of this limestone region, and on this account is attracting much attention as a superior fruit-growing district, for supplying the wants of the level country which lies beyond it to the north, and reaching to the furthest settlements in Minnesota. Some of the canes of these specimens were grown where there was sand rock; others where there was none.

No. 1 was raised on good soil, clay loam, with loose sand rock in it, inclining gently to the north. The seed was mixed Imphee of the fourth crop from the imported. It produced broom corn with long brush and short, a few heads of white Imphee, but nineteen-twentieths were apparently of a complete cross between the Imphee and Chinese varieties. It grew as tall as the Chinese, but had the dark green leaf of the Imphee, with the long and dark chaff of the Chinese. The seed was not planted until after the middle of May. A sharp drought was prevailing at that time, but with some appearances of rain. To hasten its coming up I sprouted it, by mixing sifted charcoal of about one-third of the bulk of the seed with it and freely watering it. In forty hours I unexpectedly found the seed sprouted from a quarter to a half inch in length of both the stem and root. I sowed it in drills, very thickly, and as the weather continued dry, it came up enough to make a stand of about six inches apart in the row. Simply soaking the seed in dry weather is much more advisable than sprouting it. The ground occupied was 12,600 square feet, a little more than a quarter of an acre, the rows being three feet apart. It was hoed once, ploughed three times. The yield was but 16 gallons.

No. 2 differed from No. 1 in this only: the ground was level, lying better to the sun, and did not contain more than two-thirds the number of canes to the row. The ground was 11,340 square feet—about a quarter of an acre—and yielded 23 gallons. The molasses of these numbers was not kept separate, and is as dark in color as the Chinese specimens, but very full of sugar. The canes were not cut until towards the end of October, and made up in the beginning of November.  The stalks and blades had turned very red. The sugar commenced forming in about four days, and gave strong indications of leaving but little molasses.

No. 3.—This molasses is from the Chinese variety. The ground contained 19,404 square feet, yielding three and one-half two-horse wagon loads of canes, which, with a load and a half from other grounds, yielded 61 gallons, estimated at about 110 gallons per acre. The seed was planted about the last day of April, in moderately good soil, with considerable sand and gravel beneath, almost in reach of the plough. It was planted in hills about three and one-half feet apart, and as the seed came up badly it would not average more than two stalks to the hill. The exposure was very fair to the sun. The cultivation not very good. The cane was cut a few days before that of Nos. 1 and 2, but was red before cut up. It was to the taste the clearest and strongest sweet of any canc brought to the manufactory, worked better, and contained a great deal of sugar.  The specimen does not show its full proportions of sugar, as it had deposited a good deal of it at the bottom of the bucket from which it was taken.

No. 4.—Ground, 23,322 square feet, a little more than half an acre; yield, 106 gallons, or about 200 gallons per acre. The seed was Chinese, and the canes the best grown of any I have seen this season. The soil was a new, rich, clay loam, with some sand but no sand rock; the cultivation good, and the canes grown in hills four feet apart each way, with nearly five to the hill. The seed was planted on the 15th of May, and the canes cut up and manufactured in the end of September. The molasses is thinner than other specimens, being made in a common sheet-iron pan; all the other specimens were made by Cook’s evaporator. It does not show any sugar, which I attribute to its being too thin, but especially to the canc being cut up too soon. The molasses is the mildest I send, partly because it is from the Chinese cane and thin, and it may be from the potash of the soil neutralizing the natural acids of the cane. The trees of the ground had been deadened and enclosed, when a dense thicket grew up, which, after some years’ growth, was cut down, grubbed, and burnt, thus making the soil abound in potash. The large yield might have been influenced by the abundance of this substance. A larger portion of the top of the cane was cut off than usual in order to get it into the wagon-bed.

No. 5—Ground, 45,198 square feet, being a little more than an acre, planted with the Chinese variety about the first of May, in hills nearly four feet apart each way, thinned out to four stalks in a hill, but when cut many contained from five to six stalks. The yield was 99½ gallons. The cultivation was good, but a dense woodland was on the east side of the ground, which injured the first eight rows, and I have no doubt impaired the quality of all the cane, by intercepting the morning sun. The soil was good, having a small portion of sand but no sand rock. The amount of cane and the cultivation of Nos. 4 and 5 were more nearly alike than any other. The variety was the same, but the chief difference was in the quality of the soil. The yield of No. 4 was double that of No. 5, and making every allowance for the molasses being somewhat thinner, and the shading of No. 5, yet to the soil must be attributed the chief part of this difference, thus showing that the sorghum follows all other plants, yielding more bountifully as the soil is more excellent. No. 5 does not show any sugar. It was cut some ten days later than No. 4, but had not turned red.

No. 6.—Ground, 21,870 square feet, nearly half an acre. The soil was excellent, having produced only four erops. It had no sand rock in it, but its exposure was well to the sun. It was planted with the white seed Imphee.  This is, perhaps, the pure Imphee. It does not grow more than two-thirds the height of the Chinese; the brush is much shorter; the amount of seed is double that of the Chinese, having a light color, varying from that to a reddish brown, according to its age, the full development of the cane, and its exposure to the sun and weather. It was planted very thick about the 1st of May, four feet apart, and the hills but twenty inches apart in the row, with about five stalks in the hill, equal to the canes being but four inches a if planted in a drill. It was well cultivated, not harvested until of a red color, but it has failed to show any sugar, and yielded only 32 gallons. I attribute: this to the very thick planting, and the variety of cane. This cane had a flat, insipid taste, was too short to yield well, and is regarded by all here as unprofitable on account of its small yield, but is generally believed to have better sugar-making qualities than the Chinese.

No. 7—This and the following two specimens come from a different part of the county, but the soil has the same general composition. It presents the finest sugar qualities and is of a lighter color than most of the specimens, for it is of the white seed Imphee variety. It fully bears out the general preference given to this variety for sugar properties, but the yield is much less.  I could get no particulars of its cultivation, as I procured it from the manufacturer.

No. 8—This is also from the white-seeded Imphee, and is equal to the preceding number but not quite as thick. It is mostly sugar, of a light color, but the yield was at the rate of only about 60 gallons to the acre. It was produced from moderately good soil, well cultivated, and planted in hills four feet apart, with four canes to the hill.

No. 9.—This is a fine article of molasses from the manufacturer, taken from one of the barrels which contained the mixed product of several lots. It is sent as a specimen of our general manufacture, but was made by Mrs. Sharpe, the best manufacturer in the county, and whose intelligence and zeal for the success of sugar production are an honor to her, no less than the specimens, Nos. 8 and 9, which were made by her. No. 9 is from the Chinese cane, very thick and pure, but shows no sugar, from the fact, probably, that the barrels are full and kept in a cool cellar. The most productive cane made up by her yielded 173 gallons to about 1% acre, planted in hills three and a half feet each way, with five canes to the hill, in good, but old ground. The matters I have stated relative to these specimens give rise to some important inquiries,. most of which I will consider under the general question—

The answer depends very much upon the final success in making sugar of it.  But upon the supposition that but little or no sugar is made, let us see what the production per acre is, and the cost of manufacture, and the raising and hauling of the cane. We have had many statements of the large yield of sorghum molasses to the acre. These place it from 250 to 300 gallons. I am told that in this county at the rate of 400 gallons have been made, but it is doubtful if more than 200 gallons can be made. The four best yields, as stated, are 100, 110, 138, and 200 gallons per acre, the average of which would be 137 gallons. No farmer can raise an acre of it and haul it to a neighboring mill under $25. This would be 18⅓ cents per gallon. It is usually made here for the one-half. Upon a medium sized Cook’s evaporator about 30 gallons can be made each day, requiring, at the very least, three persons, two horses:  all the wood previously cut, seasoned, hauled, sawed, and split. Five dollars per day, or 163 cents per gallon, are the very least that would pay for these and the interest on the fixtures. The cost per gallon, without including the barrels, would therefore be 35 cents. This is very different from the 20 and 25 cents so often stated. To the farmer this is cheaper than the ordinary Orleans molasses at the same price per barrel, for it substitutes labor for money.  In the above estimates I have not considered the value of the seed and fodder, but have placed them against the stripping and cutting. Beyond the home consumption of the farm-house, I doubt whether sorghum molasses will ever be used, for such consumption will so materially lessen that of the Louisiana cane, that the latter, in its best refined condition, will be cheaper, and preferred by the city and town consumers. Our expectations of making it an important commercial crop rest on the sugar-producing qualities of the sorghum. At present we see but darkly, and the specimens I send do not enable us to see more plainly, but they strengthen my hopes. Of the nine specimens I send; four show a good deal of sugar, and I have referred to the probable causes why the others do not—cutting the canes before fully ripe, and keeping the molasses in full barrels placed in cool cellars. If we are to have our hopes realized, it must be by the observance of two things: the proper management of the cane in growing it, and its manufacture. I will limit my remarks almost entirely to the first of these, leaving the manufacture of molasses and sugar to such close-observing, zealous, and experienced manufacturers as Mr. Hedges, of Dayton, Ohio.

Of this 12 per cent. of sugar, 10 is crystallizable and 2 not. Other analyses show a greater per cent. of sugar—several as high as 16 per cent. But this amount depends much on the condition of the plant, both as to its cultivation and its ripeness when cut. Dr. Jackson, of Boston, has made some analyses of much interest, the results of which are sustained by these specimens. Unripe canes, being cut when they were about to blossom, gave 11 per cent. of sugar, but none of it would crystallize. Other canes, cut when they were just flowering, were found to have no sugar that would crystallize. The same result was obtained from canes which had done flowering, and in which the seed had begun to form. All these canes had much gum and dextrine, as well as acids. “Sirup,” says Dr. Jackson, "is not liable to crystallize, owing to the presence of acid matter.” Writers on vegetable physiology state that sugar is formed by a subsequent transformation of gum and dextrine, so that unripe canes have these, but only a limited amount of sugar; and sugar is of two kinds—cane sugar, or that which crystallizes, and grape sugar, which does not. The latter has more water in combination with its carbon, which it seems to lose as the plant ripens, thus forming it into cane sugar. Hence Vilmorin, of Paris, a man devoted to agricultural matters, says: “The crystallization of the sugar of the sorgho, it seems, should be easily obtained in"all cases where the cane can be sufficiently ripened.”

Dr. Jackson analyzed sorghum canes in November, but when cut is not stated, except one was “nearly ripe, and another quite ripe.” These gave results, showing from 12½ to 16½ per cent. of sugar, which crystallized well, having but little molasses. The specimens I have sent corroborate these deductions of analyses and vegetable physiology. The late cut canes are forming sugar; those early cut are not; and in no instance have I learned of canes cut in September or early October forming sugar. Here, then, we have two important facts shown: first, that the sorghum cane has a large amount of crystallizable sugar when well ripened, and that if not well ripened, its sugar will not crystallize.

The answer includes every requisite essential to a perfectly developed plant.  But, practically, many overlook some of these requisites. All know when a corn plant is well and perfectly matured by the size of the ear, the hardness of the grain, and the appearance of the shuck that envelopes it. But we cannot see the amount and quality of the juice in the sorghum plant, and hence the canes are hurried to the mill as fears of frost may urge, or pressing work demands. These requisites are:

   1. A rich soil—From mere size of the canes, and the apparent sweetness of the juice as determined by taste, I had almost come to the conclusion that a rich soil was not essential to a perfect growth of the sorghum; but the greater yield of No. 4 over No. 3 convinced me that it was like most products, best when matured, and yield most when liberally sustained by a rich soil. It does not require as much vegetable matter or humus as corn does, because the use of humus to corn is two-fold, to yield carbon to the plant and protect it from drought; but the latter purpose is not so essential to the sorghum, as it sustains the severest drought, its evaporations being much less, I presume, than corn; but as sugar is composed largely of carbon, the soil must contain enough carbon to aid that of the atmosphere, which does not exist in sufficient quantity. The mineral or ash ingredient necessary to the sorghum plant may be learned from analysis, and I give- the following of it and corn, that a comparison may be made. The analyses of the sorghum have not yet been sufficiently numerous to determine its mineral ingredients under the best cultivation, but I have selected the best within my reach.

The difference is readily seen: Corn requires more phosphoric acid, but sorghum much more sulphuric acid and lime; and as gypsum is composed of these, a clover crop, well manured with gypsum, would make a most desirable fertilizer for the sorghum. It requires potash, also, in considerable quantity, and much silica, as is easily seen by the eye from the glazed appearance of the stalks and blades. The large amount of silica in the grain of the sorghum is doubtless a mistake. The analyses of the stalk and bagasse, which ought to be the same in results, were both made by Dr. Jackson in different years, and their great difference shows the necessity of more extensive examinations.

   2. Early planting.—A plant so much abounding in sugar must require from its nature a long season to fully develop its saccharine quality. The Louisiana cane has nine months, and, then, but from three to five feet are used. Early apples are all deficient in richness of juice, and cider apples must be either winter or late fall apples. To make good wine the grape must be grown with all requisites for perfect maturity, as young, vigorous branches, good cultivation, and exposure to the sun. If the sorghum has nearly one-third less sugar than the Louisiana cane, it may have a proportional shorter season, and this would be not less than six months from the beginning of May until the end of October. If Nos. 1 and 2, which were late planted, show sugar, it is because they were not cut until the end of October, and the present season has been a most remarkable one for rapid maturity of all our crops. In ordinary seasons the results would have been different.

   3. Good cultivation.—This embraces not only breaking up, harrowing, and ploughing, but exposure and thinning out. Heat is essential to the transformation of gum and dextrine to sugar, and to the general maturity of the plant; hence the ground for sorghum should have a fair exposure to the sun from its rising to its setting. It should not incline to the north, but, if possible, to the south, especially where the soil is clay. The yield of No. 5 was much decreased by the woodland on the east. Thinning out must be carefully attended to. If planted in drills, they should be four feet apart, and the canes a foot apart in the drills. From statements made in the papers the tendency is to crowd too much; but every farmer knows that corn, in the best soil, should not have in this latitude, (that of Cincinnati,) more than three stalks in a hill when these are from three and a half to four feet apart. Many Louisiana planters find it best to have their drills eight feet apart. Their experience is that to make sugar good the cane must have room. The juice of No. 3, was the best I tasted, attributable to no other perceptible cause than its thin standing.  The Imphee molasses of No. 6 does not show sugar, and from no other perceptible reason than the crowded condition of the canes. Good cultivation of this crop most positively includes an early and complete hoeing, especially where foxtail grass is one of the pests of the farm. The weakness of the plant during its first month imperatively demands the kindest care that can be bestowed upon it. As soon as the plant has thrown out its four side or surface roots, it begins to grow rapidly, and when these are doubled in number suckers begin to come out. Many advise that these need not be taken off, but in this I cannot concur. They certainly take from perfection of the main stock, and when it is ready to cut the suckers are not matured. Farmers are often advised to reserve these for molasses only; but when the suckers are permitted to grow, not one in twenty farmers will separate them. The cutting season finds them with a pressure of work on hand, and the time necessary to separate the suckers will not be given; and sugar cannot be made if immature canes are mixed with those that are fully ripe.

4. The proper time for cutting.—Cutting includes three things—stripping of the blades, topping, and cutting from the roots. It is the practice of many to strip the blade some time before cutting, but this is wrong. When the blades are taken off, the sap ceases to circulate, and much unelaborated sap remains in the plant. If warm weather follows, there is great danger of fermentation.  The operations of nature should not thus be interfered with. Stripping, topping, and cutting should be done at the same time.

Where the topping should be made I am unable to state, for we have had no analyses, that I have seen, of each joint of the cane, to determine their difference. The blades of the Louisiana cane die from the ground upwards, and I have seen the statement that they use no higher portions of the cane than to where the blades are dead, being, as already stated, from three to five feet in length.  We cut the sorghum according to the length of our wagon beds.  Sugar-making will require more attention to this matter, and we must call in the aid of the chemist.  But the specimens most clearly teach us the time for cutting. No sugar is formed, in any molasses I have seen, when the cane was cut in the end of September, and in the beginning of October, or when the blades and canes had not turned red. Analysis, it is true, tells us that the plant contained crystallizable sugar when the seed is ripe; but to get it to granulate is more difficult than to determine its presence by chemical tests. The redness of the canes and blades is like that of the leaves of our forest trees in autumn—the indication of the ceasing of circulation of the sap. This is a gradual process, and not until it is completed is the plant at its maturity. I commenced stripping early in October, but upon comparing the taste of the sap of the riper with the less ripe canes, I could easily see the great difference, and this difference continued until all the canes had become red. No stripping or cutting should be done until the cane has turned quite red, and this period is from the beginning of the third week in October in this latitude. Whether topping, as we do in tobacco cultivation, before blossoming or at a later period would be advantageous, has not been tried; but, as the seed is valuable, farmers would prefer its maturing, unless such topping would insure the formation of sugar.  The Louisiana cane does not flower, its sugar has the entire strength of the plant, and it is said when it is allowed to go to seed in Central America this natural process interferes with the development of the saccharine materials.  With the cutting and hauling the labor of the farmer ceases, and that of the manufacturer commences. As already stated, it is not my intention to speak of this branch of the subject, only so far as the duty of the farmer is connected with it. It is a matter of interest to both to have the question determined:—

Reports have been made to our State board, stating that it may be kept unimpaired from four to six weeks. Others think that the first joint from both the top and bottom cuttings is soured and should be cut off. The only analysis to determine this point that I have seen is that made by Lawrence Smith, of Louisville. He says: “Even on the surface which is cut an alteration commences at once; the sugar is changed, and this alteration gradually creeps from the cut extremity into all the joints of the stalk. I have verified this fact in relation to the sorgho.” By examining different joints, after it-had been cut two or three weeks, the results were as follows, the joints being numbered from the extremity next to the roots:

Nothing is said of the ripeness of the cane or of the condition of the weather— two things that would materially influence the character of the juice—nor of the mode in which it was kept.  The Louisiana cane is kept several weeks by throwing it into winrows after being cut.  The cane is protected from frost by the tops and blades, which are carefully piled over the stalks, and the water carried off by giving the stalks an inclination of three to four feet. But this method will not be adopted here, because the seed and blades are wanted for stock feed, and the blades are two few and narrow to afford much protection.  It is better to work it speedily, and for this purpose our mills must be increased, so that every neighborhood may have its cane worked up in about three weeks.

The foregoing communication was written last winter, and having had the pleasure of examining the analyses of the specimens I forwarded to the department, I desire to refer to them briefly here, to show the correctness of the views I have advanced as to the absolute necessity of growing a perfectly matured cane.

By the report of the chemist, it will be seen that No. 3, although it had deposited some sugar before sent, which was not put in it, yet subsequently deposited more than any of the others. The cane from which it was made was planted very thinly, and was well matured when cut. No. 4, which was cut in September, although it had the best soil and cultivation, but too thickly planted, yielded only a few undeposited grains of sugar. It contains but one more portion of cane sugar than No. 1, although the latter had deposited one-third its bulk of sugar. In all respects, but too early cutting, No. 4 was much better cane than No. 1. No. 5 possessed no better sugar qualities, chiefly for the same reason; but Nos. 6, and 9, although containing no sugar when sent to the Department, yet deposited much afterwards, evidencing that I was right in attributing their not showing sugar when sent, to the fact that the molasses had been kept in full barrels and in a cool cellar. The granulating process requires air and warmth, and perhaps light also.

To me it is obvious that the chief requisite for sugar-making from the sorghum canes is their perfect maturity, and such maturity is dependent on correct cultivation and late cutting.

   WASHINGTON, June 4, 1863.