20 THE CHLNESH .SUGAR-CANE. 



with earth. M. Ledocte proposes to associate 

 with the plant another of more rapid growth, 

 such as lettuce, or rape, in order that the labor- 

 ers may distinguish the young sorgho from grass, 

 which it greatly resembles in the early stage of 

 its grow^th. Any suckers, or superfluous shoots, 

 which may spring up in the course of the season, 

 should be removed. 



'^ The great object sought in France, in the 

 cultivation of this plant, is the juice contained in 

 its stalks, which furnishes three important prod- 

 ucts : namely, sugar, which is identical with that 

 of cane ; alcohol, and a fermented drink analo 

 gous to cider. This juice, when obtained with 

 care in small quantities, by depriving the stalk 

 of its outer coating, or woody fibre and bark, is 

 nearly colorless, and consists merely of sugar and 

 water. Its density varies from 1.050 to 1.075, 

 and the proportion of sugar contained in it from 

 ten to sixteen per cent., a third part of which is 

 sometimes uncrystallizable. To this quantity of 

 uncrystallizable sugar this juice owes its facility 

 of readily fermenting, and consequently the large 

 amount of alcohol it produces, compared with the 

 saccharine matter observed directly by the sac- 

 charometer. In so far as the manufacture of 

 sugar is concerned, this plant appears to have 



