1357.] The Sorghnm and Imphee. 561 



THE SORGHUM AND IMPHEE. 



EXPERIMENTS OP LEONARD WRAY, ETC., AS GIVEN IN AN EXTRACT OF 

 A LETTER FROM EX-GOVERNOR HAMMOND OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 



From unwonted delay in the issue of our December number, the 

 leading article of which, on the Sorghum was prepared over a month 

 since, we are permitted to report something definite on this subject, 

 from a source to which all have been looking with intense interest, 

 and many with sanguine hopes and expectations of success. 



Ex-Grovernor Hammond of South Carolina, late elected Senator to 

 the United States Senate, it is well known, is extensively engaged in 

 the culture of the Sorghum as well as the Imphee. Leonard Wray 

 who has published a work claiming to have discovered a secret 

 process by which the Imphee at least, could be readily crystalized, has 

 been operating with all the skill of which he is master, under the 

 most favorable circumstances, on the plantation of Governor Ham- 

 mond. 



The letter referred to, is in the following terms. It is conclusive 

 and fully corroborates our views and experience. — Ed. 



"The Imphee was quite a disappointment; I gave it, I think, a 

 pretty fair trial. We did not make any sugar from it. I do not 

 think there is much in it, or in Sorgho, that will crystalize. For 

 sugar, we may as well count it out. But it will make a beautiful 

 syrup, and one that will make a better substitute for sugar, than 

 molasses. It will not make so much as I expected; we repeatedly 

 obtained two gallons of juice from ten selected canes ; yet on 

 the whole we can hardly do better than make one hundred to 

 one hundred and fifty gallons of syrup on an acre. As forage, it will 

 not fatten alone ; but it seems to improve the health of all animals, 

 they get sleek, and young ones grow rapidly. Add a little corn, and 

 they ftitteu and pujBTup immediately. My carriage-horses from eat- 

 ing a few stalks cut up, every day, look as if they were just from the 

 Kentucky clover-fields. Altogether, this is a very valuable plant and 

 I would not be without it on any account. I can't tell which is the 

 best variety. I shall plant all, and the Sorgho next year, and make 

 a thorough trial." 



