We are indebted to Prof. E.B. Cowgill, of Kansas, for a copy of his
recent report to the Kansas State Board of Agriculture concerning the
operations of the Parkinson Sugar Works, at Fort Scott, Kansas. The
report contains an interesting historical sketch of the various efforts
heretofore made to produce sugar from sorghum, none of which proved
remunerative until 1887, when the persevering efforts of a few energetic
individuals, encouraged and assisted by a small pecuniary aid from
government, were crowned with success, and gave birth, it may justly be
said, to a new industry which seems destined shortly to assume gigantic
proportions and increase the wealth of the country.
We make the following abstracts from the report:
The sorghum plant was introduced into the United States in 1853-54, by
the Patent Office, which then embraced all there was of the United
States Department of Agriculture. Its juice was known to be sweetish,
and chemists were not long in discovering that it contained a
considerable percentage of some substance giving the reactions of cane
sugar. The opinion that the reactions were due to cane sugar received
repeated confirmations in the formation of true cane sugar crystals in
sirups made from sorghum. Yet the small amounts that were crystallized,
compared with the amounts present in the juices as shown by the
analyses, led many to believe that the reactions were largely due to
some other substance than cane sugar.
During the years 1878 to 1882, inclusive, while Dr. Peter Collier was
chief chemist of the Department of Agriculture, much attention was given
to the study of sorghum juices from canes cultivated in the gardens of
the department at Washington. Dr. Collier became an enthusiastic
believer in the future greatness of sorghum as a sugar producing plant,
and the extensive series of analyses published by him attracted much
attention.
As a result large sugar factories were erected and provided with costly
appliances. Hon. John Bennyworth erected one of these at Larned, in
Kansas. S.A. Liebold & Co. subsequently erected one at Great Bend.
Sterling and Hutchinson followed with factories which made considerable
amounts of merchantable sugar at no profit.
The factory at Sterling was erected by R.M. Sandy & Co., of New Orleans,
and while the sirup produced paid the expenses of the factory, not a
crystal of sugar was made. The factory then, in 1883, changed hands, and
passed under the superintendency of Prof. M.A. Scovell, then of
Champaign, Illinois, who, with Prof. Webber, had worked out, in the
laboratories of the Illinois Industrial University, a practical method
for obtaining sugar from sorghum in quantities which at prices then
prevalent would pay a profit on the business. But prices declined, and
after making sugar for two years in succession, the Sterling factory
succumbed.
The Hutchinson factory at first made no sugar, but subsequently passed
under the management of Prof. M. Swenson, who had successfully made
sugar in the laboratory of the University of Wisconsin. Large amounts of
sugar were made at a loss, and the Hutchinson factory closed its doors.
In 1884, Hon. W.L. Parkinson fitted up a complete sugar factory at
Ottawa, and for two years made sugar at a loss. Mr. Parkinson was
assisted during the first year by Dr. Wilcox, and during the second year
by Prof. Swenson.
Much valuable information was developed by the experience in those
several factories, but the most important of all was the fact that, with
the best crushers, the average extraction did not exceed half of the
sugar contained in the cane. It was known to scientists and well
informed sugar makers in this country that the process of diffusion was
theoretically efficient for the extraction of sugar from plant cells,
and that it had been successfully applied by the beet sugar makers of
Europe for this purpose.
In 1883, Prof. H.W. Wiley, chief chemist of the Department of
Agriculture, made an exhaustive series of practical experiments in the
laboratories of the department on the extraction of the sugars from
sorghum by the diffusion process, by which the extraction of at least 85
per cent. of the total sugars present was secured.
The Kansas delegation in Congress became interested. Senator Plumb made
a thorough study of the entire subject, and, with the foresight of
statesmanship, gave his energies to the work of securing an
appropriation of $50,000 for the development of the sugar industry,
which was granted in 1884, and fifty thousand dollars more was added in
1885 to the agricultural appropriation bill. This was expended at
Ottawa, Kansas, and in Louisiana.
In that year Judge Parkinson, at Fort Scott, organized the Parkinson
Sugar Company. Taking up the work when all others had failed, this
company has taken a full share of the responsibilities and losses, until
it has at last seen the Northern sugar industry made a financial
success.
The report of 1895 showed such favorable results that in 1886 the House
made an appropriation of $90,000, to be used in Louisiana, New Jersey,
and Kansas. A new battery and complete carbonatation apparatus were
erected at Fort Scott. About $60,000 of the appropriation was expended
here in experiments in diffusion and carbonatation.
Last year (1887) the Fort Scott management made careful selection of
essential parts of the processes already used, omitted non-essential and
cumbrous processes, availed themselves of all the experience of the past
in this country, and secured a fresh infusion of experience from the
beet sugar factories of Germany, and attained the success which finally
places sorghum sugar making among the profitable industries of the
country.
The success has been due, first, to the almost complete extraction of
the sugars from the cane by the diffusion process; second, the prompt
and proper treatment of the juice in defecating and evaporating; third,
the efficient manner in which the sugar was boiled to grain in the
strike pan.
Total number tons of cane bought 3,840
" " " seed tops bought 437
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Total number tons of field cane 4,277
There was something over 500 acres planted. Some of it failed to come at
all, some "fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth,
and when the sun was risen they were scorched;" so that, as nearly as we
can estimate, about 450 acres of cane were actually harvested and
delivered at the works. This would make the average yield of cane 9½
tons per acre, or $19 per acre in dollars and cents.