372 SorgJio Sucre — Sweet Millet. [August, 



corn and broom corn, and soon found the seed to come np m excellent 

 order. The seed in size and shape resembled broom corn seed, but its 

 color was black, while the plant bore a similar resemblance, except that 

 they came up and continued to grow more thrifty, and from the first 

 continued to retain a deeper green color than Indian com, tiuged with a 

 whitish furze over both stalk and leaf, which could be wiped off with 

 the finger, indicating in corn generally a more luxuriant and hardy 

 growth. At first I concluded it was most probably a species of broom 

 corn, and found no cause to change that opinion, until the blossom had 

 dried ofiT from the seeds, and they began to harden, the resemblance to 

 broom corn still continuing to be so complete, even to the formation 

 of head and seeds. But profiting by the remark printed upon the 

 paper which contained the seeds, "Good for fodder, green or dry, and 

 for making sugar," I cut ofi" a few stalks and offered them to my 

 horses and cattle, who ate them with apparently a good relish, and 

 seemed to ask for more. 



I then concluded that as a part of its recommendations was probably 

 true, I should also try the other, and manufacture sugar from the juice 

 contained in the stalk. Its stalk being very long and heavy, and ex- 

 ceedingly rich in juice, and to the taste, in its natural state, almost as 

 sweet as molasses, no doabt remained upon my mind that it was what it 

 was said to be. I cut six stalks, placed them successively upon a flat 

 board, took a rolling pin, and as well as this simple machine enabled 

 it to be done, expressed and saved the juice. The result was, I ob- 

 tained two table tumblers full of juice (but half was not saved). This 

 was then boiled down, and produced one of the same tumblers half 

 full of good, pleasant tasted molasses, about as thick as the common 

 molasses, obtained in the stores. But as my object was simply to 

 ascertain the quantity rather than the quality of saccharine matter con- 

 tained, this juice was neither strained nor clarified, and therefore, of 

 course, its taste was not equal to what it would be under more careful 

 treatment. From all that I could observe concerning this plant, I am 

 fully convinced that 15 per cent, of good clarified sugar could be ob- 

 tained. My experiment produced about 25 per cent, of molasses. 



Mr. Brown says, "the great object sought in France in the cultiva- 

 tion of this plant is the juice contained in its stalk, which furnishes 

 three important products, namely: sugar, which is identical with that 

 of corn sugar, alcohol, and a fermented drink, analogous to cider." 

 He also adds, " the juice, when obtained with care, by depriving the 

 stalk of its outer coating or woody fibre and bark, is nearly colorless, 

 and contains merely sugar and water^ producing from 10 to 16 per 



