THE CHINESE SUGAR-CANE. 89 



I do not suppose I obtained more than half of the 

 saccharine sap by this method ; while the added 

 water greatly protracted evaporation, which, hav- 

 ing been performed in an iron kettle, has proba- 

 bly heightened the color, and for aught I know 

 imparted a somewhat peculiar taste. I can give 

 no information touching the cost of the syrup ; 

 and, being ignorant of the art of making sugar, I 

 made no attempt to procure the latter. 



" I think land that will grow fifty bushels of 

 corn to the acre will bear a heavy crop of the 

 sorgho Sucre ; but I very much doubt if our sea- 

 son is long enough to ripen the seed, unless the 

 plants are brought forward in a hot-house. In 

 my case, the seeds were not fully formed when 

 the heavy frosts occurred, the first of which made 

 ice one quarter of an inch thick, without white 

 frost. This apparently did not injure the plants. 

 The following night a heavy white frost occurred, 

 and the leaves were shrivelled and dry before 

 midday, but the stalks showed no change. I cut 

 them the same afternoon.*' 



The editor comments as follows : '' We have 

 received a bottle of the saccharine matter from 

 Mr. Bryant, and given it a taste. It is of much 

 the same flavor as the sap of the sugar-maple, 

 when boiled down to the degree of consistence. 



