ON THE 



COMPOSITION OF SORGHUM SACCIIARATUM. 



THE cultivation of the North China sugar-cane, sorghum saccha- 

 ratum (holcus saccharatus), the sorgo sucre of the French, has of 

 late attracted much attention. During the past season it has 

 been grown in many places in England by way of experiment. 



This new graminaceous plant appears to be cultivated largely 

 in several parts of North America, where it has attracted much 

 attention on account of the sugar which it contains, and likewise 

 on account of its adaptation to the distillation of spirit and the 

 preparation of fermented liquors. It is a beautiful-lookine 

 grass, resembling in appearance Indian corn. In favourablg 

 climates it comes to maturity in a single season, and reaches e 

 height of from 12 to 16 feet. Sorghum sugar, when refined, is 

 identical in composition and quality with cane-sugar. Sorghum 

 saccharatum is recommended chiefly as a new material for the 

 manufacture of sugar, and likewise as a nutritious and fattening 

 food for horses and cattle. 



.The sorghum which was used for analysis was grown on the 

 Royal Agricultural College Farm. The seed was drilled on the 

 13th of May, in rows 14 inches apart, and at a depth of about 3 

 inches. It came up well and evenly. The plants appeared to 

 grow vigorously throughout the summer, and reached a height of 

 about 5 feet by the beginning of October. A patch of about 

 ^-acre furnished a good deal of green food to cattle, which 

 seemed not to relish it at first, but towards the end of September 

 grew very fond of it. The soil on which the sorghum was 

 grown was in good condition, of moderate depth, and, like most 

 soils in our neighbourhood, contains a good deal of lime and 

 clay, and scarcely any sand. The preceding crop was potatoes, 

 As this crop had been heavily manured, no farmyard dung was 

 put on the land this season, nor was any other manure employed, 

 except some ashes from burnings of roadside parings and the 

 clippings of hedgerows. 



The sorghum was submitted to analysis at two different 

 periods, namely, on the 23rd of August and on the 26th of 

 September, 1859. 



Composition of Sorghum, analysed August 23rd. 



Water. At this time the plants had no proper stems. 

 The stalks consisted merely of leaves rolled up, which could be 

 entirely untwisted. 



As there was a good deal of adhering water on the leaves, it 



B 



