SUGAR. 26*3 



golden yellow, and, where obvious to the sun, 

 is in many parts very beautifully streaked 

 with red: the top is of a darkish green, but 

 as it becomes dry, from either an excess 

 of ripeness, or a continuance of drought, 

 of a russet yellow, with long and narrow 

 leaves depending ; from the centre of this 

 shoots up an arrow like a silver wand, from 

 two to six feet in height, and from the sum- 

 mits of which grows out a plume of white 

 feathers, which are delicately fringed with a 

 lilac dye ; and indeed it is, in its appearance, 

 not much unlike the tuft that adorns this 

 particular and elegant tree. 



The root of the sugar-cane is jointed, like 

 those of other sorts of cane or reed. From 

 this root arise four, five, or more shoots, pro- 

 portionable to the age or strength of the 

 root, eight or ten feet high, according to the 

 goodness of the ground : in some moist rich 

 soils, canes have been measured near twenty 

 feet long ; but these are not so good as those 

 of middling growth, abounding in juice, but 

 having little of the essential salt. The canes 

 are jointed, and these joints are more or less 

 distant, in proportion to the soil. A leaf is 

 placed at each joint, and the base of it em- 



