(142) 



Old World sent this boon to her offspring as a token of 

 good will. 



Within a year or two sugar has been made from it of 

 good quality, and during a recent visit to the Agricultural 

 Department at Washington, I saw specimens of sugar man- 

 ufactured from a new variety as excellent in flavor and color 

 as the best New Orleans sugar. I distributed some of the 

 seeds of this new variety, and I confidently predict that 

 Tennessee will, in ten years, make sugar enough for her 

 own consumption at a cost less than five cents per pound. 



HISTORY. 



In the fall of 1863 Dr. Jay Browne was sent by the De- 

 partment of Agriculture to Europe to gather seeds for dis- 

 tribution from the office. He saw a small patch of sorghum 

 at Verrieres, near Paris, and being struck with its resem- 

 blance to corn thought it would be an accession to our forage 

 crops, and possibly might be used as a sugar plant. 



Four years before, M. de Montigny had sent the seed 

 from the north of China to the Geographical Society of 

 Paris, in a package of many different kinds of seeds. They 

 were planted, and but one single sorghum seed germinated. 

 The product of this plant was distributed, and the next year, 

 so great was the demand, a gardener of Paris sold his entire 

 orop to Vilmoriu, Audrieux & Co., of Paris, for a franc a 

 seed. Through them it was sent over the whole of Europe 

 and America, for it was on their farm Mr. Browne saw it 

 growing. 



In 1850 Mr. Leonard Wray, of the East Indies, a practi- 

 cal sugar planter, on a vist to Kaffir-land, found the imphee, 

 another species of sugar cane, growing around the huts of 

 the natives, which they cultivated for its chewing qualities. 

 On examination, he discovered its rich saccharine character, 

 and was satisfied of its value. He therefore brought it with 

 him to England and had it planted there, as well as in 

 France and Belgium. He memorialized the French mm- 



