284 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
advice to be followed by securing a photograph for comparison with that of 1883, 
and with others to be taken hereafter, from time to time, as aids to future 
investigations. 
“The conclusions of the committee, that the application of any chemicals with 
the view of restoring the original color of the ink would be unwise, and that the 
application of any solution, such as collodion, paraffin, etc., is neither necessary 
nor advisable for the purpose of strengthening the parchment or making it 
moisture proof, are welcome as avoiding experimental treatment of a document so 
precious and historic. 
“ Again thanking the committee for their attention and care, 
“T am, sir, your obedient servant, 
“Joon Hay.” 278 
It appears from the foregoing correspondence that the second 
committee agreed with the first as to the principal causes of the 
deterioration observable in the document and as to the best means 
of preventing further damage. ‘The press copying mentioned 
is no doubt that which took place when the copperplate fac- 
simile was made by direction of John Quincy Adams in 1824. 
It will be observed that a photograph of the document was made 
in 1883 and again in 1903, but since that latter date no more 
appear to have been taken. The safe containing it has been 
opened but once during the last decade, namely, in May, rgrt. 
COMMITTEE ON SORGHUM SUGAR. 1881 
The varieties of sorghum which are available as sources of 
sugar have been cultivated for a long period in China and 
Africa. Seed was first imported into the United States from the 
former country by way of France, and from Natal about the 
year 1855. ‘The sorghum plant is far more hardy than sugar- 
cane, and was successfully cultivated over a wide area, especially 
in the western and northwestern parts of the United States. 
The outbreak of the Civil War caused a scarcity of sugar-cane 
throughout the country, and the saccharine products of sorghum 
were greatly in demand to supply the deficiency. These 
products, however, did not take the form of sugar, but of syrup. 
In 1860, nearly 7,000,000 gallons of sorghum syrup were manu- 
*8 Rep. Nat. Acad. Sci. for 1903, pp. 14, 15. 
