DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT. 48 
panicles; they contain scarcely any sugar. If we ex- 
press the juice from these canes, and allow it to stand 
for a while, there will be found at the bottom of the 
vessel a considerable portion of fecula, with a reddish 
tint, which subsequently passes into a violet tint by con- 
tact with the air. There is developed, sometimes, on the 
plant, much before its maturity, reddish points. If we 
cut into this part of the cane, it will be found to be pass- 
ing from a red into a violet; having no more sweet 
juice, but a species of vinegar, of a very disagreeable 
flavor, (which is due to the ferments which are developed 
from the juice under the influence of the air). We have 
found, likewise, the larvee of insects in the interior of 
the cane. Unfortunately they were lost before I could 
experiment upon them. We are in possession of a stallx 
which had received a bruise at the middle of one of its 
internodes. This wound, which only seemed to the 
naked eye a simple dot or point, controlled the violet 
color in all the internodes which had acquired the defects 
above indicated; but what is most remarkable is, that 
the principal nodes did not participate In any way 
in this alteration. This same coloring was observed 
upon all the canes injured by hailstones.” 
= 
PROSTRATION BY WIND-STORMS. 
It unfortunately happened to us, that as our crop of the 
last season was just approaching the time of the putting 
forth of the panicles, a violent storm prostrated the 
whole field. In our dilemma, ignorant of what was 
best to be done, we tried various methods of raising 
