1856.] The Chinese Sugar- Cane, 585 



of our common broom-corn ; to which, indeed, the whole plant pre- 

 sents a striking resemblance. The seed is, however, of a dark brown 

 color, almost black, in its outward appearance, but quite white and 

 mealy within. It is much heavier than the broom-corn seed, and 

 the yield far more abundant ; and, unlike any others of the corn or 

 cane kind, this plant sends off seed-bearing shoots not only from 

 the top extremity, but also from the joints below, successively. Three 

 hundred seeds, planted by J. McKee, of Georgia, produced a yiell- 

 of three pecks of seed, weighing 32 pounds, which is equal to about 

 44 pounds to the bushel. This weight signifies the presence, of 

 course, of a large amount of nutritive matter, and it is found that 

 both cattle and swine partake of it eagerly, and seem to thrive upon 

 it ; though the quantity yet produced has not been suiBicient to feed 

 the seed extensively to animals. We can therefore only say that so 

 far as tried, the seed is both wholesome and acceptable to our domes- 

 tic animals. As food for poultry, the seed has been more completely 

 experimented with ; and all experience testifies to its superior value 

 in this particular. Chickens eat it greedily ; nor would it seem 

 strange that our Asiatic poultry — Shanghais, Brahmas, etc. — should 

 rejoice to regale themselves with the same food, which fattened their 

 ancestors in the poultry yards of China ! The seed has been ground 

 and employed for bread in France, and is frequently resorted to for 

 that jDurjDOse among the Chinese ; but we do not presume that it 

 can in anywise become a substitute for our bread-grains in this 

 country of abundance. But for the food of poultry and stock, the 

 seed promises to become an item of no inconsiderable importance. 



Its virtue and value as a/oraye-o-op, when the stocks are cast and 

 fed as ' fodder,' were alluded to as of great moment, in our August 

 number. A communication from Mr. J. McKee, of Ga. — referred 

 to above — found in the Scientific American^ goes to corroborate our 

 views, then expressed in relation to its value as a forage crop ; and 

 which shows, moreover, that this Asiatic stranger is by no means 

 punctilious as to the particular locality assigned for its new hahitat^ 

 and that it thrives equally as well in the 'sunny south,' as in Indi- 

 ana or Long Island. In his communication on ' growing the Chinese 

 Sugar-Cane,' Col. McKee says : 



" Some time during the last winter I obtained about three hun- 

 dred seeds of the ' Sorgho Sucre ' from the Patent Office, which 

 I planted on the first of May last, on land that had been cleared 

 three years ago. I laid the field off in checks three feet apart for 



