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HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



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capacitj'. The " Report of the Department of 

 Agriculture " for 1879, contains a very in- 

 teresting and instructive report from the 

 chemist of the department, giving the results 

 not only of the yield per acre of the four lead- 

 ing kinds of Sorghum, as grown on the ex- 

 perimental grounds, but also the quantity of 

 sugar and syrup extracted from each kind. 

 Tiie report is accompanied by many very use- 

 ful tables. Believing the matter of this 

 report to be valuable to those interested in 

 the culture of Sorghum, we have condensed a 

 portion of it, and herewith present it : Dur- 

 ing the past season (1879) there have been 

 made several series of investigations for the 

 purpose of determining the development of 

 sugar in the juices of several varieties of Sor- 

 ghum, Maize and Pearl Millet. These inves- 

 tigations appear to demonstrate that there 

 exists little difference between tlie various 

 kinds of Sorghum as sugar-producing plants ; 

 and, what is quite a sui-prising result, each of 

 them is, at a certain period of its develop- 

 ment, nearly, if not quite, as rich in sugar as 

 the very best of Sugar-cane. It is a matter, 

 also, of extreme practical importance that this 

 maximum content of sugar is maintained for 

 a long period, and affords sufficient time to 

 work up a large crop. Another result of 

 these investigations has been to satisfactorily 

 explain the cause of repeated failuie in the 

 production of sugar during the past quarter 

 of a centurj', and to give the assurance that, 

 in the future, such failure need not attend 

 this industry. For the purpose of making 

 clear the above points, the results obtained in 

 tlie laboratory and in out-of-door experiments 

 are appended. The varieties of Sorghum 

 grown and subjected to continuous investi- 

 gation during the season were Early Amber, 

 White Liberian, Chinese and Honduras, and 

 the Pearl Millet. Besides the above there 

 were made very many examinations of other 

 specimens of Sorghums and Corn-stalks ; all 

 the results of which only confirmed the gen- 

 eral principles abov'e stated, viz., the prac- 

 tical equality and great value of every variety 

 of this plant. The Early Amber Sorghum is 

 the favorite variety with planters in Minne- 

 sota and the Northwest. Svhat is now called 

 the Minnesota Early Amber Cane is claimed 

 as an improvement upon the Early Amber 

 varieties grown formerly in different parts of 

 Minnesota, by Hon. Seth M. Kenny and Mr. 

 C. F. Miller, of that State. Acting on the 

 theory that cane in a high latitude will degen- 

 erate if grown continuously from its own 

 seed, these gentlemen selected the finest spec- 

 imens of seed from their own crops and sent 

 them to a southern latitude to be grown. The 

 seed product of this southern growth was 

 returned to Minnesota. By this alternation 

 of seed, and by other intelligent processes of 

 culture, tiiey have succeeded in establishing 

 a new and permanent variety, which they 

 claim to be more productive in weight of cane 

 and to contain a higlier per cent, of saccha- 

 rine matter than any other grown in that 

 State. This claim needs to be substantiated 

 by more careful and extended observations 

 before it can be said to be fully established. 

 Messrs. Kenny and Miller describe the Early 

 AmberCaneas presenting "the characteristics 

 of both Sorgho and Imphee." By Sorgho they 

 mean the Chinese Sorgho, and by Imphee the 



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white Liberian and its kindred African varie- 

 ties. The Early Amber receives its name 

 from its early ripening and from the bright 

 amber color which characterizes its syrup 

 when properly made. The Early Amber Cane 

 on the department grounds did not grow quite 

 so tall as the White Liberian. Its seed-heads 

 were of moderate fullness and of very dark 

 color. The Chinese Sorghum grew on the 

 department grounds to about the same height 

 as the Eai-ly Amber. Its seed-heads are 

 fuller and more compact, and somewhat re- 

 semble a head of Sumac ; hence the synonym, 

 "Sumac Cane." It is also known as " Chinese 

 Cane." The White Liberian Sorghum is 

 rather taller than the Early Amber. The 

 stalk curves at the top, leaving the head pen- 

 dant; hence the synonym, "Gooseneck." The 

 seed-heads are shorter, more compact and of 

 lighter color than the Early Amber. The 

 Honduras Sorghum grows about one-half 

 taller than either of the above varieties. Its 

 seed-top is reddish-brown and spreading; 

 hence the synonym, " Sprangle Top." It is 

 also called " Mastodon," and " Honey Cane." 

 The results of an analysis of each of the 

 plants in the successive stages of develop- 

 ment show that the amount of glucose (or un- 

 crystallizable sugar) diminishes, and the 

 amount of sucrose (or true cane sugar) in- 

 creases. It may also be observed that the 

 plants differ widely in the date when the 

 sucrose is at its maximum, but are alike in 

 this, that this maximum is attained at about 

 the same degree of development of the plant, 

 viz., at full maturity, as indicated by the hard, 

 dry seed, and the appearance of offshoots 

 from the upper joints of the stalk. It may 

 also be observed that the heavy frost of Octo- 

 ber 24, which was sufficient to produce one- 

 half inch of ice, did not cause any marked 

 diminution of sugar. For the purpose of com- 

 parison, analyses were made of three varieties 

 of Sugar-cane received from Louisiana, which 

 arrived in excellent condition, and doubtless 

 fairly represented the average character of 

 this famous sugar-plant. It will be under- 

 stood that the results are to be taken as a 

 whole, since it was practically impossible to 

 secure in each case specimen stalks for exam- 

 ination in the laboratory, the development of 

 which in every case corresponded to the date 

 when the plant was cut, and, therefore, it 

 doubtless happened that plants taken from 

 the same row upon September 15, for exam- 

 ple, were in reality no further developed than 

 those selected a week earlier ; but, taken as a 

 whole, the several series of the analyses are 

 convincing, as showing the rate and progress 

 of development of saccharine matter in the 

 plant. The analyses of the several Sorghums 

 under date of October 29, were made after 

 they had been subjected to a very hard frost, 

 sufficient to have formed ice one-half inch in 

 thickness, and this cold weather continued 

 for four days before this examination was 

 made. There appeared to be no diminution 

 of sucrose in either of the stalks examined, 

 and no increase of glucose, as the result of 

 this freezing and continued exposure to a low 

 temperature. An examination Avas made on 

 the 8th of November, after a few days of warm 

 weather had followed this cold spell, and the 

 influence of this subsequent thaw was notice- 

 able in the diminution of sucrose and the in- 



