Investigation of the Scientific and Economic Relations of the Sorghum Sugar Industry: Being a Report Made in Response to a Request From the Hon. George B. Loring (1883)

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937? c.t NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. INVESTIGATION • OF THI SCIENTIFIC AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS OF THE SORGHUM SUGAR INDUSTRY. . BEING A EEPOET UiDB IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST FEOK THE HON. GEOEGE B. LORING, V. 8. Commisrioner of Agriculture, BY A COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. NOVEMBEK, 1883. NAS'NAE S£P 13t972 LIBRARY WASHINGTON: GOTKBNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1883.

LETTERS OF TRANS M ITTAL . DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE, Washington, D. €., January 10, 1883. SIR : In compliance with a resolution of the Senate, July 1, 1882, I transmit herewith for the use of the Senate a copy of the report of the committee of the National Academy of Sciences upon the subject of Sorghum Sugar. I deem it proper to state in this connection that I have been unable to comply with the direction of the Senate at an* earlier date on account of delay in transmitting the report of the Acad- emy to this Department, which was not received until November 15, 1882; and a communication from the Acting President of the Academy, dated December 23, 1882, which forms a part of the report. The prep- arations of the voluminous manuscript copy of the report has moreover required a considerable length of time, and the illustrations required by the Academy for the report are just now received, having been sup- plied to this Department on the 8th instant. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, GEO. B. LOEING, Commissioner of Agriculture. Hon. DAVID DAVIS, President of the Senate of the United States. YALE COLLEGE, NEW HAVEN, CONN., November 13, 1882. SIR: I have the honor to transmit to you herewith a report on the sorghum-sugar industry, made by a Committee of the National Academy of Sciences, in accordance with the request contained in your communi- cation of January 30,1882. Very respectfully, O. C. MAESH, Acting President of the National Academy of Sciences. Hon. GEORGE B. LORING, United States Commissioner of Agriculture. 3

4 LETTERS OF TRANSMITTAL. NEW HAVEN, CONN., November 1, 1882. SIB: Herewith I have the honor to hand to you the report of a com- mittee appointed by the late President Rogers, at the request of the Hon. George B. Loring, United States Commissioner of Agriculture, of date January 30,1882, for the "scientific investigation of the sorghum question." The scientific relations of this question are so intimately interwoven with the economic that the two cannot well be considered separately. The Committee were, therefore, glad to learn from a subsequent com- munication, dated March 24,1882, from the honorable Commissioner, that " he regarded the investigation of the economic value of sorghum to the sugar manufacturer the point especially interesting to his De- partment." Both sides of the sorghum question are, therefore, considered in the report. Respectfully, yours, B. SILLIMAN, Chairman, &e. Prof. O. C. MARSH, Acting President of the National Academy of Sciences.

CONTENTS. F-A-RT I. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. Page. The Committee 9 The Sorghum Sugar Industry: Introduction 13 Conflicting opinions on essential points 14 1. Of the kind of sugar present in the juice 14 2. Best varieties of sorghum for the production of sugar 15 3. Time for harvesting and working and when the maximum of sugar is present 15 4. Prompt working of sorghum after cutting 18 5. The necessity of further investigation 19 Work of Dr. Collier, chemist to the Department of Agriculture 19 The agricultural characters of sorghum 20 Value of the research in a material sense to the nation 23 Further investigations desirable 24 The analytical methods employed 25 Comparative results of analysis and polarization 26 Summary > 27 Production of sugar from sorghum; failure and success 29 Failuies: 1. Failure of the efforts of the Department of Agriculture to produce sugar in 1881 29 2. Partial failure at Faribault, Minn 30 Successes: 1. The State of New Jersey agricultural experiment station, 1S81 31 2. The Rio Grande Sugar Company, New Jersey 31 Additional statements respecting the Rio Grande plantation: Note 33 3. The Illinois Industrial University in 1881 34 Same, 1882 34 4. Experimental farm of the University of Wisconsin, Professor Swenson. 34 5. Capt. R. Blakeley: Faribault Refinery, Minnesota: Fuller statement.. 35 6. Crystal Lake Refinery: J. B. Thoms 36 7. Mr. A. J. Russell, Janesville, Wis 36 8. G. W. Chapman, secretary, Kansas 37 9. Mr.Bassett: France cited 37 10. Professor Johnson of the Committee 37 11. Clinton Bozarth, Iowa 38 12. Proceedings Mississippi Valley Cane Growers' Association 38 13. Sugar canes, &c.: Isaac A. Hedges 38 14. Joseph S. Lovering (1857) 38 15. Henry Talcott, Ohio 38 16. B. V. Ramson, Salem, Nebr 39 17. C. Conrad Johnson,Baltimore ....... 39 5

6 CONTENTS. » P .A.RT II. CONCLUSION. Page. SUMMARY OF RESULTS OBTAINED..., 43 A.—OF THE POINTS ALREADY SETTLED 43 1. The presence of sugar in the juices of sorghum and maize stalks 43 Average results of analyses of juices, thirty-five varieties of sor- ghum 44 ,i. Practically little difference in the varieties, etc 45 3. When the maximum content of sugar is present in sorghum 45 4. Conflicting testimony before the investigation 45 5. Importance of an even crop 47 6. Importance of promptly working the crop after it has been cut up.. 47 7. Sugar has been made from sorghum 47 8. The hydrometer and ripe seed sufficient test, etc 48 9. Length of period for working sorghum 49 10. Effect of rain on composition of sorghum juices 50 11. Effect of frost upon sorghum 50 12. Manufacture of sugar from sorghum 50 13. Effect of fertilizers upon the production of sugar in sorghum 51 14. The so-called gum a product of manufacture 51 B.—FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS 51 Work remaining to be done 52 Names of the Committee 53 PA.KT III . APPENDED PAPERS. 1. Of the so-called Chinese sugar-cane : Notes from Dr. S. Wells Williams 57 Dr. E. Bretschneider 58 2. M. Louis Vilmoriu : Essay on sorghum. ("Le Bon Jardinier, 1855") 59 3. Letter from Leonard Wray : Perak, 1882 63 4. Facts regarding sorghum and some conclusions as to its value as a source of sugar: By Peter Collier, Ph. Dr. (Paper presented at the Philadel- phia meeting of the National Academy of Sciences, November, 1881) 64 5. Report upon statistics of sorghum. Addressed to Hon. George B. Loring, .by J. R. Dodge, statistician 69 6. "New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station XVIII: Sorghum sugar cane" 71 7. Rio Grande Sugar Company, New Jersey 74 A.—Letter from G. C. Potts, president, to the Tariff Commission 74 B.—Captain Blakeley, describing his visit to the Rio Grande Sugar Works 7e C.—Mr. Harry McCall, of Louisiana, describing his visit to the Rio Grande Sugar Works 77 D.—Blank form for returns to secure the bounty from the State of New Jersey 77 8. Champaign Sugar and Glucose Company : Report (in part) for 1882 78 9. Experiments in Amber cane, &c., at the experimental farm, Madison, Wis.: Prof. W. A. Henry and Magnus S wenson for 1881 79 10. Illinois Industrial University: Report on the manufacture of sugar, sirup, and glucose from sorghum, &c., by Henry A. Weber, Ph. D., and Mel- villA. Scovell, M. S., for 1881 105 11. H. A. Weber, Ph. D.: Letter of date March 18, 1882, to B. Silliman 118 12. A. J. Russell, Janesville, Wis.: Two letters of date December 28, 1881, to the Commissioner, and March 22, 1882, to the chairman 118

CONTENTS. 7 Page. 13. John B. Thorns, Crystal Lake Refinery, Chicago, 11l.: Two letters to B. Silliman, of date April 10, 1882 119 '14. Geo. W. Chapman, secretary Price County, Kansas, Farmers' Club, Sterling, Price County: Letter of date February 6, 1882, to the Commissioner of Agriculture 122 15. Joel M. Clark, Italy Hollow, N. Y.: Letter of date March 8, 1882, to the Commissioner - . 122 16. Joseph Wharton, Camden, N. J.: Letter to B. Silliman, of date April 8,1882. Records negative results of his beet-root culture, but expresses confidence in the future of sorghum in South New Jersey 122 17. J. F. Porter, Red Wing, Minn.: Letter to Dr. Collier, of date March5,1882. 123 18. Blymyer Manufacturing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio: Letter of date March 15, 1682, toB. Silliman . 123 19. W. H. Wiley, Lafayette, Ind.: Letter of date April 3,1882, to B. Silliman .. 124 20. Letter of Joseph Albrecht, chemist, on the results obtained at the United States Department of Agriculture 124 21. Letter from B. V. Ransom, Nebraska, of date October 22, 1882: Balance- sheet 125 22. The same for 1881 126 23. Letter from Ephraim Link, author of Link's Hybrid 127 24. Letter of Isaac A. Hedges, Saint Louis, with sorghum samples 127 25. List of samples exhibited April, 1882, at the Academy meeting, by the Chair- man and deposited in the National Museum 128 26. Letter to B. Silliman, Chairman, &c., from Isaac A. Hedges, of April, 1882. 128 27. Letter from C. Conrad Johnson, of Baltimore, Md., of date March 30,1882, toB. Silliman 131 28. Letter from Henry B. Richards, of Texas, on orange cane 140 29. Letter from General Ashbel Smith, of Houston, Tex., to B. Silliman 141 30. Duplicate analyses of sorghum juices, by Dr. Collier 142 31. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station: Analysis of sorghum seed, by Prof. S. W. Johnson 144 32. United States Department of Agriculture: Hon. Commissioner Loring's cir- cular of date June6,1882, to manufacturers of sugar from sorghum, &c 144 33. Report of Professor Swenson, October, 1882 146 34. Bibliography of sorghum 148 v