market is the fact that our grocery stores are stocked with artificial sirups; that is, those made of mixtures of various kinds in which glucose is one of the essential ingredients. There should be no restriction of the legitimate trade in mixed articles of wholesome food, but when they are sold under names which are misleading, an injury of a serious character is done to products which are truly representative in name and character. There can be no valid objection to the sale of mixed table sirups of any kind, provided they contain no injurious ingredient, but their sale as maple, sugar-cane, or sorghum sirup manifestly works an injury to a legitimate trade in the genuine articles.

Chiefly through the representations of Capt. D. G. Purse, president of the Savannah Board of Trade, the U. S. Department of Agriculture has become interested in the development of the table-sirup industry in the South. In November, 1901, the writer made a visit to some of the principal centers of this industry to study the conditions existing and to confer with manufacturers in regard to the improvements and the investigations which the Department of Agriculture might undertake to the advantage not only of the producers but of the consumers of this important product as well. Starting from Savannah on Novem

ber 18, visits were made to various points on the Central Railroad of Georgia. The morning was cold and frosty, and the cane which had been exposed was found frozen. Icicles were noticed in many localities. The excursion was conducted by the land and industrial agent of the Georgia Central Railroad.

The first visit was made to the steam factory of Mr. J. G. Wells, of Guyton, which was found well equipped and conveniently arranged for economy in handling the raw material and the finished product. The character of the cane grown by Mr. Wells is shown in Pl. I, fig. 1, representing one of the fields near the factory. The arrangement of the evaporating apparatus, which was a self-skimmer, is shown in Pl. I, fig. 2.

The ingenious arrangement of this skimming appliance secured a very pure and bright finished article, and at the same time the scums were removed without any notable loss of sirup. A general view of the factory, from which can be seen the neatness and strength of the structure, is shown in Pl. II, fig. 1.

The next locality visited was the factory of Mr. E. E. Foy, at Egypt. A general view of Mr. Foy's factory is given in Pl. II, fig. 2. Mr. Foy makes a specialty of feeding the skimmings and other waste products to pigs. The arrangement of his pigpens is shown in Pl. III, fig. 1. The well-known fattening properties of skimmings was illustrated in a striking manner by the sleek and rotund condition of the pigs being fed.

The next factory visited was that of Capt. Thomas J. James, of Adrian. Captain James had one of the most extensive cane fields

seen in Southern Georgia. A striking illustration of the luxuriant growth of the cane is given in Pl. III, fig. 2. Captain James has a large factory operated by steam.

In addition to the cane fields the plantation of Mr. J. W. Olliff, at Statesboro, was also inspected. At the time of the inspection of this region the sirup campaign was not completed in many localities, and large quantities of cane were still in the fields. An interesting question was raised at once in regard to the effect of the severe cold then prevailing on the cane itself. In most places the cane is either windrowed or cut and piled in bulk and protected by the leaves and tops. In these instances the cane was not frozen, and there was no question in regard to its preservation until the end of the manufacturing season. The cutting of the cane in this way is not injurious to the product, as would be the case if sugar making were practiced, since one difficulty which attends the sirup industry in Georgia is the tendency of the finished product to crystallize and thus decrease its value on the market. Keeping the cane windrowed or in heaps for some time after cutting will afford the opportunity for the inversion of a part of the cane sugar, thus diminishing the tendency to crystallization in the finished product without diminishing the amount of the product or impairing its quality.

On the 19th of November an inspection of the cane fields and factories in the southern part of Georgia, near the Florida line, was accomplished. In addition to Captain Purse, the party included Mr. James Menzies, general freight agent of the Plant System, Mr. C. B. Roberts, and Mr. D. F. Kirkland, superintendent of the third division of the Plant System. At Waycross the train was met by Mr. W. W. Sharpe, Mr. G. R. Youmans, and Mr. J. W. Greer, who urged that a visit be made to the cane fields near that city, but the itinerary already arranged would not allow a stop-over at that time.

At Valdosta the inspecting party was welcomed by Mr. J. G. Crawford; Mr. J. M. Wilkinson, president of the Valdosta Southern Railroad; Mr. Brantley, editor of the Valdosta Times; Mr. Will McRee, Mr. William Roberts, Col. Ben Jones, and other citizens.

At Kinderlou an inspection was made of the farm and factory of Mr. McRee. Here some of the best illustrations of the intensive culture of sugar cane were found. An excellent idea of the luxuriant character of the cane grown at Kinderlou is shown in Pl. IV, figs. 1 and 2. A most interesting incident of the visit to Kinderlou was an inspection of one of the cassava fields on the plantation. The growth of the cassava was of the most luxuriant kind, and although the leaves had been frosted, it still presented a most attractive appearance, as is shown in Pl. V, fig. 1.

The purple variety of cane was the one chiefly grown on Mr. McRee's plantation. Some of the cut stalks already in the mill measured over 8 feet in length and weighed from 4 to 6 pounds.

Although no weighings were made of measured portions, it was evident to all familiar with cane fields and the yields which they give that the field of cane shown in Pl. IV, fig. 1, would yield from 25 to 30 tons per acre. Mr. McRee estimated that his crop would yield an average of 850 gallons of sirup per acre. He had 56 acres in cane, all of which was devoted to sirup making. The fertilizer which he used was a complete one, composed of potash, cotton-seed meal, and acid phosphate, and of this mixture the amount usually applied is from 800 to 1,000 pounds to the acre. On new land, however, the quantity of this material is correspondingly diminished.

This part of Georgia appears to be practically the center of the cane-sirup industry, and, judging by what has been accomplished by Mr. McRee, there is no limit to the extent of the industry save the capacity of the market to be supplied.

The Georgia Land and Improvement Company is said to have options on over 400,000 acres of land in Clinch County, which will be utilized for the establishment of a cattle industry and for raising cane. At Quitman the party was taken in charge by Judge Joseph Tillman and Mr. W. A. Davis. The board of trade was visited and a large number of the citizens of Quitman were presented to the party. W. A. Davis & Co., of Quitman, sell about 3,500 barrels of sirup a year. Until a few years ago the market was restricted to Georgia, but it now extends from Massachusetts to Texas.

From Quitman the party proceeded to Cairo, where the mill of Mrs. M. L. Wight was visited. This is the largest sirup mill in this section and is a type of the best modern construction. In most of the factories visited no attempt was made to chemically clarify the juices, but dependence was placed altogether on the action of heat and skimming. At the Wight mill, however, the juices were sulphured cold, as is practiced with the cane juices used for sugar making in Louisiana, and subsequently lime was added nearly to neutrality, thus producing a good clarification without darkening the color of the finished product.

Cairo is the center of shipment for sirup in southern Georgia. About 2,500 acres are planted in cane within a radius of 15 miles from the town, and the shipment from Cairo last year amounted to 10,000 barrels of sirup. A general view of the Wight mill is shown in Pl. V, fig. 2.

Particular attention is called to the contrivance at the Wight mill, as shown in the figure, for handling the cane by machinery. In loading a wagon ropes are first laid across the wagon body, on which the canes are laid. These ropes are afterwards tied, and by means of a crane the whole load is removed at once. The factory is built on the side of a hill, so that all the handling of the materials in the factory, after the unloading of the cane by means of the crane, is by gravity, thus securing the greatest economy in manual labor.