REPORT OF M. HARDY. 841 
February 16th, seventh and last trial. Plain juice, gave 7°90 per 
cent. of alcohol; with yeast, gave 0; boiled juice gave 1-90. 
This series of experiments seems conclusive, and proves that the 
juice of the sorgho carries in itself a fermentative principle ; and that 
it is not necessary to add to it any yeast to obtain the alcoholic fer- 
mentation, if it be simply submitted to the proper temperature. The 
addition of yeast, which, besides being of bad quality, neutralized 
the action of the natural ferment of the albuminous matter in the 
juice, and hastened rapidly the acidulous fermentation. The boiled 
juice did not experience a thorough fermentation, because the albumin- 
ous fermentable principle was coagulated by the cooking. 
At the end of eight days, the fermentation of the plain juice of the 
sorgho arrived at its maximum of alcoholization, and at this point 
it should be submitted to distillation; two days after, its alcoholic 
richness diminished, and it passed to acidification. 
The seed of the sorgho is equally as susceptible of giving a notable 
per centage of alcohol, as the other cereals ; I myself have, as yet, 
made no experiment in this direction; but, by analogy, one is natu- 
rally led to conclude that it should be so. The seed of the common 
sorghum, (broom corn,) according to M. Bassel, gives 24-75 per cent. 
of its weight in alcohol; that of the sugar sorgho should not yield 
less; whence it follows, that the two thousand five hundred kilo- 
grammes that one hectare produces, should give six hundred and 
eighteen kilogrammes, and seventy-five grammes of alcohol. This 
would, perhaps, be the best use to put it to, whenever the supply shall 
exceed the demand for planting. 
When the sorgho stalk has arrived at perfect maturity, a waxy 
efflorescence develops itself on the surface, similar to that of several 
varieties of sugar cane, and which is simply cerosie. Cerosie, or vege- 
table wax, is dry and hard, and may be pulverized; it is fusible at 
ninety degrees ; mixed with a little purified tallow, it may be made 
into candles, which give a beautiful bright light. 
I scraped the cerosie from a number of stalks, and found that a 
hectare should give one hundred and eight kilogrammes, four hundred 
grammes of this substance—costing an average price of two hundred 
and fifty-two francs for hand labor in gathering it. Beeswax being 
