rS^TEODUCTION OF SOEGHUM IXTO THE U^'ITED STATES. 65 



have begun with the iutroduction of the China variety by ]M. de Mon- 

 tigny, in 1850. 



Although throughout France and in Algeria the cultivation of sor- 

 ghum rapidly spread, and mauy experiments were undertaken in the 

 production of sugar from this plant, the new and growing beet sugar 

 industry resulted in the abandonment of all efforts with sorghum, and 

 it has been mainly in the United States that sorghum has been grown 

 as a sugar producing plant during the last quarter of a century. Even 

 here the crop has been chiefly used in the production of syrup, sugar 

 having been only an accident of manufacture rather than the result of 

 intelligent efforts for its production. 



For several centuries, however, before the importations of M. de 

 Montigny, sorghum had been extensively grown in Europe ; not, in- 

 deed, as a sugar plant, although, so early as 1776, Pietro Arduiui, of 

 Florence, had succeeded in making sorghum sugar. He says, that the 

 seed of the sorghum he experimented with was of a clear brown 

 color. 



In 1859, E. T. Teas, of Dunreith, Ind., rejwrts to have imported 

 from Vilmorin, Andrieux & Co., of Paris, a few pounds of Chinese 

 cane seed, and that in this lot of seed, upon planting, he found a single 

 plant, the seed of which had thoi'oughly ripened befoi*e the rest of 

 the plants were in full bloom. The seed from this plant was care- 

 fully preserved, and is said to be the source of the Minnesota Early 

 Amber, so named since it was very early, gave an amber colored svrup, 

 and has been grown extensively in Minnesota of late years. 



On the other hand, Mr. Leonard Wray at once recognized this so- 

 called Early Amber, from the wood-cuts of the ripened panicle, as one 

 of the 16 varietes of Imphees which he introduced in 1854, and he 

 says the name is Boom-vwa-na. 



In this connection, it Avill be interesting to know the names and de- 

 scriptions of the several varieties which were introduced by ]Mr. Wrav, 

 which Avere as follows : 



Vim-h'is-chu-a-pa. — This is the largest and tallest of the whole ; full 

 of juice, very sweet; requiring from four to five months to come to 

 maturity; grows to a height of ten to fifteen feet; from one and a 

 half to two inches in diameter at the lower end; usually cracks or splits 

 as it ripens ; juice contains fourteen per cent of sugar ; seed head 

 large and beautiful, twelve to eighteen inches in length; plump seeds, 

 sandy color, strongh' held by a sheath, which partially envelops 

 them. 



E-a-na-moo-dee. — Next in size, and very similar in habit and value ; 

 5 



