formance of this duty I must claim the indulgence of the committee, for the writing of reports is new business to me.

Raising the Corn.-One acre of ground was selected of a sandy loam, cultivated last year to ruta-baga; this was manured with thirty loads of the best stable manure, well mixed in with the soil by twice plowing and harrowing. Corn planted the 13th day of May, with eight-rowed northern corn; the rows three feet apart one way, and hills eighteen inches the other, with from six to eight kernels in a hill. Corn came up fine, and was plastered the 31st of May; hoed the first time the 9th and 10th of June, the second time 24th of June. Cultivator run through it three times. The corn began to tassel the 18th of July, and was in full tassel the first of August.

Up to this time the crop had looked uncommonly well, but from the 1st of August a severe drought commenced, and continued until the crop was very materially injured. Some spots where the corn had grown most luxuriantly, withered and dried up; other parts of the field suffered less, so that on the whole there was some more than half of a good crop, or what there would have been if the season had continued favorable.

Cutting, Grinding, and Boiling.-Cut the first stalks, and made the first experiment at grinding and boiling, the 25th of August. The stalks at this time were quite green, but the produce was quite satisfactory, and appeared quite favorable for crystallizing. The juice was very abundant, of a greenish color, very rich, thick and heavy, yet retaining all the flavor of the corn-stalk, until after cleansing and boiling.

August 30th, made the second batch. This was boiled in a shallow sheet-iron pan, clarified and strained according to the directions given in Mr. Ellsworth's report. From this batch was taken the specimen of sugar exhibited to the committee at the State Fair in Rochester.

Other experiments were made the 4th and 7th of September.

The object of these successive experiments was mainly to determine at what time the saccharine matter was sufficiently matured to make crystallized sugar.

On the 11th of September the stalks appeared in the right stage, and the cutting, grinding and boiling were commenced, and continued with little intermission until the whole was completed. The method pursued in this operation, was to keep a sufficient number of hands in the field to strip the leaves or blades, and cut off the tops as fast as the stalks were wanted for use; this labor was generally performed by [Assembly, No. 100.]

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boys. The corn-field being at a little distance from the mill, the horse used for grinding was put before a light waggon, driven to the field, the stalks were then cut and placed upon the wagon, (taking care to keep them straight and in order,) driven to the mill and ground without delay. A load of this kind in a light wagon, with lumber box, will make a batch of from fifteen to twenty gallons; this would be ground in about thirty minutes. Lime water was mixed with the juice while it was running from the mill. The juice is then strained through a flannel cloth into the pan, and heated, rather moderately, to the boiling point, when the scum is removed with a skimmer; then boiled rapidly for a few minutes. The syrup is then removed from the fire, and again passed through the flannel strainer, when the boiling is finished as rapidly as possible.

This process from the cutting of the stalk to taking the sugar from the fire, could not possibly be performed in less than two hours; and if the batch was larger, would often exceed three. Five batches were made in one day, from which one hundred pounds of sugar was produced.

The Boiler.-The boiler or pan, I made of a sheet of Russian iron, turned up at the sides and ends, lapped and riveted at the corners; would hold about twenty-five gallons, five and a-half inches deep, but from fifteen to twenty gallons is as much as would boil to advantage. This pan is placed upon an arch of brick, so that the fire comes in contact with only the bottom.

Mill. To construct this was a matter of much more difficulty. Some drawings and descriptions are given by Mr. Ellsworth, but little more could be known from them than that there must be three rollers, so placed and put in motion that the stalks in passing between them should receive two crushings.

To plan and construct a mill, with the proper dimensions and with the strength required, so that the work of crushing the stalks should be performed with certainty and despatch, was no easy task. I flatter myself that I have in this been tolerably successful. The rollers and ironwork, patterns, &c. for my mill, were made by A. J. Langworthy, of Rochester, at a cost of sixty-five dollars. The whole weight of iron is about nine hundred pounds.

About one-half of the expense of the mill is in the horse-power. The iron rollers being placed horizontal, it was necessary to have a horse-power wheel and gearing in order to give them motion. If the more simple, and it would seem at first view, less expensive forms,

given in Mr. Ellsworth's report, had been adopted, placing the rollers perpendicular, the horse passing around them, the rollers must have been of large diameter in order to take through the length of a corn stalk at one revolution of the horse. These large rollers, when made of iron, would have been very expensive, and probably not work as fast as the small ones I use, giving them a quicker motion by gearing. In my mill the circumference of the rollers has such a proportion to their motion that their velocity is equal to about one-sixth the velocity of the horse; or, in other words, a cornstalk six feet long, will pass through between the rollers in the same time that the horse will walk thirty-six feet. The grinding is a beautiful operation, the amount of juice contained in the stalk is surprising to every one. The stalks in passing through the mill are crushed very fine, and the juice entirely separated from them by the pressure of the rollers.

Clarifying. This has been to me a difficult, and to some extent an unsuccessful operation. All the various methods recommended by different persons who have made some experiments on cornstalk sugar, and all that my own experience in clarifying maple sugar could suggest, failed of producing fully the desired effect. In all the failures which have been experienced to produce crystallized sugar, the cause should be sought here. Unless the juice of cornstalks can be clarified, it is vain to expect a pure article of crystalized sugar. All the obstacles to the complete success of this enterprise are met at this point; but that they will be completely overcome, there cannot be the least doubt. Lime water applied to the juice as soon as it comes from the mill, one gill to fifteen gallons, was thought to produce the best effect. But experiments were made with various other things, such as milk, eggs, charcoal, &c.; these were used separately and combined, but nothing appeared to raise the scum as well and render the juice as clear and well-flavored as the lime water. One experiment was made by filtering the juice through sand and charcoal. This rendered it very transparent and improved the taste, but there are very many objections to this processthe length of time required for the operation is a sufficient one.

Straining. This operation is performed both before and after clarifying. The strainer used was a square yard of good new flannel, of fine texture; so great is the amount of mucilage, or very minute particles of the cornstalk contained in the juice, that the strainer has to be rinsed in water once or twice in straining a batch. The second time straining is rendered more difficult by the juice being hot, as the hands have to be used in forcing it through the cloth. As knowledge and ex

perience is gained on the subject of clarifying, the straining will be dispensed with, except to pass the juice through a coarse strainer to remove some of the larger impurities. Some method will be discovered by which all this foreign matter will be removed in the operation of skimming.

Boiling. This operation requires care and close attention, particularly when about ready to skim, and when the juice is concentrated to about the point desired. The more rapidly this operation is performed, the more perfect will be the crystallization. But, however necessary it may be, it is scarcely possible, with any apparatus that I have any knowledge of, to perform the whole labor of cutting, grinding, straining, skimming, and boiling, in the short space of one hour, as recommended by Professor Mapes of New-York. If this is ever done, it must be in very small quantities, or some very improved method must be adopted.

In boiling, as soon as the scum begins to rise, the fire must be regulated with care, that time may be had for removing the scum before it shall be boiled in. If the operation of boiling and skimming be well performed, about one gallon of thick heavy scum will be obtained from a batch of fifteen gallons. The syrup, when it becomes thick and nearly done, has a very beautiful appearance, in every respect equalling the best of maple syrup. To boil to the crystallizing point, (which is a very uncertain one,) requires considerable care and discrimination. The same tests that are used for maple syrup are equally applicable to cornstalk; as for instance, when it will flake off, breaking short, from a dipper or stick-or string out between the thumb and finger, from half an inch to an inch in length, is perhaps the safest test. Very great care is necessary here, that it be brought to the right point and no more; and also in managing the fire, as a little blaze, or too strong a heat, is most sure to scorch, and this is fatal to crystalization.

Crystallization.-Difficulty has been found here by all that have made experiments with cornstalk sugar; but perhaps every one has obtained a sufficient quantity that was well grained to satisfy them, that the difficulty was somewhere in the process of manufacture.

From recent observation I am inclined to think that I have kept my sugar in too cool a place. Two small parcels, left partly by accident where they received the warmth of a fire, were found well grained. But there is another difficulty after it is well crystallized, to make the molasses separate, or drain, as it is called: although the crystal appears to be as fine as was ever formed, still the molasses will not separate by

any common methods used for maple sugar. As yet, I have not been able to procure any better specimen than that exhibited at the State. Fair.

Amount from the Acre.

Although the quantity of stalks was so much diminished by the drought, yet six hundred pounds were obtained; this, it should be understood, is weighed when taken from the fire and before graining has commenced. If it were all well grained and the molasses separated, the weight of sugar would probably not be more than five hundred, and molasses one hundred,

In order more fully to determine the amount that might be produced from an acre of good corn, I measured two square rods of the best corn I had; the stalks were then cut, and their weight was 195 pounds; after grinding, the juice weighed sixty-nine pounds and measured nine gallons, from this I obtained twelve and a half pounds of sugar. By this it would appear, that had the whole acre been as good as the two rods submitted to the test, one thousand pounds would have been the produce. And it would seem that this must be a safe calculation, as the stalks on the two rods were not as large as would be grown in a good season.

An equal amount by weight of large stalks of rank growth, and small ones that were grown thick, were ground separately; but as no material difference was found in the produce, my opinion is that the corn should be cultivated so thick that no ears will be produced.

The whole expense of raising one acre of cornstalk,.. $19 52

There is no part of the business that is so tedious as plucking the ears, stripping the leaves and cutting off the tassel. A part of this labor was performed for the fodder that might be obtained from it, but it was not sufficient to pay; as the labor of plucking the ears was performed for this consideration, I am unable to say what it would cost;