250 Sugar from the African Sorghum. [June, 



bitter pellicle whicli surrounds the seed proper, lying under the outer 

 black hull, but he had a process for obviating this difficulty. The 

 seed would have an immense value for the manufacture of starch. 

 The amount practically obtainable is forty five-per cent., and is more 

 easy of extraction than that from the farinaceous Mexican corn ; and 

 from the ease of its manufacture and the high price of corn, it is 

 evident that the " Imphee" will be cultivated to a considerable ex- 

 tent for this purpose. 



The remarkable vitality of the plant is shown by a statement 

 made by Mr. Wray. He had a plantation of it on his estate in 

 Africa, which he wished to remove to give place to a crop of arrow- 

 root. The field was thoroughly plowed at the end of the season, 

 and the stumps removed; but the few which escaped the notice of 

 his workmen shot up into great luxuriance of growth, and in two 

 months and five days had attained the bight of seven feet. As 

 many as twenty-two stalks grew up from a single stump, and the 

 juice of all these made as good sugar as the parent stem. 



In our own country there have been similar instances during the 

 past season. Mr. Browne, of the Patent Office, it will be remem- 

 bered by those of our readers who saw the articles previously pub- 

 lished in the Evening Post, states that five cuttings have been made 

 in Florida from one set of stalks. In South Carolina, Georgia, 

 Illinois and New Hampshire, three and two have been obtained ; and 

 vre may safely calculate that as a fodder crop, both the Chinese and 

 these new African varieties will give us at the North two crops of 

 excellent nutritious forage. 



Mr. Olcott, of the Farm School, asked if the coloring matter from 

 the seed hulls could be procured in such quantities as to make it a 

 profitable department of industry ? Mr. Wray replied, that as yet, 

 the matter had not been definitely settled. He had not supposed it 

 would ; but more extended experiments might prove to the contrary. 

 The taint is abundant in the envelope of the seed of the Chinese 

 variety of sorgho. Fowls which had been fed on the seed were found 

 to have been tinted even to the cellular structure of their bones. — 

 Their dung was colored of a purplish hue, and could be readily dis- 

 tinguished in the yard from that of birds which had not partaken of 

 the seed ; but this peculiarity did not lessen its value as a food. He 

 had not tried it as a feed for horses because of its extreme high price; 

 and when he went to Kaffirland the natives told him not to feed 

 horses on it as it made them " puffy." Mr. Olcott exhibited speci- 



