AMERICAN NOTES FOR 1857 
ON THE IMPHEE. 
Tue history of the introduction of the imphee into the United 
States has substantially been given in the historical portion of Part I. 
That it may be perfectly understood I will make a condensed state- 
ment in this place. Mr. Wray arrived in this country in the month 
of March last, bringing with him seed of each of his varieties of im- 
phee, and samples of alcohol and sugars made from them. The 
greater part of the seed he planted upon the estate of Governor J. H. 
Hammond, of South Carolina ; but portions were put under cultiva- 
tion by Mr. R. Peters and Mr. J. Eve, of Georgia; Brutus J. Clay, 
of Kentucky; a gentleman in Canada; and Mr. D. Jay Browne, of 
the United States Patent Office. Of all these lots, the only one from 
which any considerable part of the crop was saved was that of Mr. 
Hammond. In Canada the seed did not ripen, Mr. Browne’s lot but 
partially, that of Mr. Peters and of Mr. Eve were entirely mixed with 
durra* corn, and consequently not saved. Of Mr. Clay’s I give the 
account published by himself. (Page 37.) The imphee seed brought 
by Mr. Wray was grown for him by the Count de Beauregard, on his” 
estate at Hyéres, France, and was there packed and shipped direct to 
America. By some chance a large quantity of the seed of durra 
was sent mixed with the imphee, and was unsuspectingly distributed 
by Mr. Wray to his several partners in the adventure here. At Govy- 
ernor Hammond’s urgent solicitation, Mr. Wray sorted out enough 
seed to plant several acres of some ten or more of the choicest 
varieties, and these were planted separate and apart from each other. 
The remainder, over one hundred acres, was planted with the sced just 
as sent from France. The result was that before the time of ripening, to 
their great dismay they discovered that it would be necessary to sacri- 
* The word durra has been spelt dourah, dhurra, doura and dourrha by various 
writers. In the preceding pages I have adopted the spelling doura; and Mr. Wray, 
I perceive, has done likewise The encyclopedias of Loudon, Johnson, and Hooker, 
make no mention whatever of the plant ; but Noah Webster, in his dictionary, spells 
it dwrra, and as this is nearest to the Arabic derivative, and more correct on phonetic 
principles, I shall in future adopt it. 
