SORGHUM GROWING.—IMPORTANT EXPERIMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6813, 18 September 1883, Page 5

SORGHUM GROWING.—IMPORTANT EXPERIMENTS.

« Mr. Justice Gillies read the following paper last night before the Auckland Institute comprising analysis of sorghum juico made by Dr. Hector, with further accounts j of results obtained from sorghum crop 3 : — SUPPLEMENTARY PAPER ON SOKG- | HUM. Since reading my paper on sorghum at last meeting I have received from Dr. Hector the | results of the Colonial Laboratory analysis of a one-gallon j*r of syrup sent him some four months after it was made. These reEults and ! the data they afford as to the commercial value of growing soighum for sugar production are of the utmost value. The following is the report: "Syrup for proportion of cane and grape sugar: Weight of Byrup separated from crystal- | lised sugar, 121bs. 3ozs. ; weight of crystallised sugar therein, : total, 121bs. 15iozs. At a temperature of 60degs., specific gravity 1'406, wa.ter at x'ooo, the syrup contained 71'C0 per <*nt. of cane sugar ; the syrup and sugar gave 7*15 per cent, of grape sugir; 71'6 per cent, of iiugar upon tho syrup (121bs. 3oz.)ia sugar, 81bs. il|ozs.; sugar separated, 12Aozs.; total cane sugar, 91bs. Bozs." These results astound me, and prove sorghum as a sugar-producing crop to be valuable beyond my wildest imaginations. I proceed to the proof. Three years' experiments have proved beyond a doubt, that on average soils, in an average season, with ordinarily decent cultivation as for maize, the early amber sorghum will, in the northern part of New Zealand, that is from the Bay of Plenty (perhaps even from Napier) northwards, produce a crop of from 12 to 1C tons of cane per aero. Two years' experiments prove that from each ton of cane from 80 to 90 gallons of juice can be expressed by very infeiiormachinery. Two yearti' experiments prove that if that jaico is evaporated in an open evaporator down to 13 to 15 gallons (that is to say one-sixth) a rich syrup results, which will remain unaltered by fermentation for many months. The analysis of the Colonial Laboratory proves that each gallon of this syrup weighing-about 131bs. contains OJlbs. of cane sugar besides 7*15 per cent. of grape sugar or glucose. That means that each ton of cane produces 9Jlbs. xl 3 gallons (taking the lowest quantity)=l23ilbs. cane sugar ; and that means that every acre produces (taking the lowest average of 12 tons cane) 14821b5. cane sugar besides grape sugar and other what may be called waste products such as the leaves and seed valuable for cattle and fowl feed. The value of this product of sugar at £30 per ton is nearly £20 per acre. This, it will be observed, is taking all the products at the lowest quantities actually produced. Probably the amount of sugar to syrup, 71'G shown by analysis to be present, might not practically be secured, but even allowing a large margin the result is extraordinary. WhA I compare this with the latest American results taken from the St. Louis P,epublican of 30th November, 18S2, kindly furnished me by Mr. Consul Griffin, it will be eeen that the early amber sorghum produces here a greater weight of cano, anddevelopes nearly double the quantity of sugar that it does in Illinois, where the sugar comp my at Champaign pays 10 percent. [Mr. Justice Gillies then read the extract referred to.] After this I shall cease pitying a Northern farmer who complains that he cannot make firming pay by raising wheat or potatoes or retiring beef and mutton, in all which the Southern farmer can beat him, instead of taking to sorghum and other 1 crops more suitable to his soil and climate, with which the South cannot compete.

His Honor will certainly have deserved well of the farming industry if hia advice be followed with results likethOße which have *ttended bja own experimeata.