68 THE CHINESE SUaAR-CANE. •• 



its service ; for the plant is a species of broom - 

 corn, and, therefore, its top, when deprived of 

 seed, ans^zers well wherewith to manufacture 

 brooms. When the sap, top, seeds, and leaves, 

 are taken, leaving only the crushed stem, it still 

 has an economic value, for paper can be manu- 

 factured from it. 



" This valuable addition to our vegetable pro- 

 ductions is originally a native of China, but has 

 been sedulously cultivated for several years in 

 South-eastern Caffraria, whence it passed into 

 France and Algeria, in which last country it 

 comes to great perfection. It would be hard to 

 calculate its value. It constitutes every farm on 

 which it is grown its own sugar-camp, orchard, 

 winery, and granary, as weU as a stock-farm and 

 dairy. Indeed, the sorgho may be deemed a 

 sort of vegetable sheep, every part and con- 

 stituent of which is valuable." 



It still further says, in another article : 

 ''Among the exotic plants recently introduced 

 into this country by the Patent Ofl&ce, in the 

 prosecution of its agricultural operations, is the 

 Chinese Sugar-cane, or Sorgho Sucre {Sorghum 

 Saccharatum). The history of its introduction, 

 and some account of its success, have been, from 

 time to time, laid before the public through the 



