DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT. 37 
black before he would feel authorized to harvest the 
stalks, on the other hand, the seeds of some varieties of 
the African Sugar Cane, when they are fully ripe, are not 
darker in color than a light buff, and its only distinction 
then would be their plumpness and hardness. 
It would be a matter of impossibility for any body but 
a most experienced hand to distinguish between a field 
of sorgho and one of ordinary broom corn in the early 
stages of its growth; for in appearance, size of leaves, 
covering, and general characteristics, it is identical. A 
difference will be found, however, if rows of corn and 
rows of sorgho should be planted together. So far as 
rapidity of growth is concerned, the sorgho is not a fast 
grower at first, and for this reason it would be very apt 
to discourage persons experimenting with it for the first 
time, as it did myself. 
COMPARATIVE GROWTH OF THE SORGHO AND OTHER SIMILAR PLANTS. 
An instance of the comparative rapidity of growth 
will be found at page 11 et seg. of the excellent work of 
Dr. Sicard.* We quote as follows: 
‘We sowed, in a warm bed, upon the same day, at 
the same hour, on the same kind of soil, seeds of the 
white sorgho, the Kaffir sorgho, broom corn, and the 
Chinese Sugar Cane. The seventh day the sorgho was 
out of the ground, the broom corn appeared in the after- 
noon of the same day. On the following morning we 
* «“ Monographie de la Canne a’ Sucre de la Chine, dite Sorgho a 
Sucre,” par le Docteur Adrien Sicard, Secretary of the Horticultural 
Society of Marscilles, etc. Marseilles, 1856. 
