316 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



It has been said that in Asia, twelve crops of silk have beeia 

 raised in one year. 



SUGAR SORGHUM AND DIOSCOREA BATATAS. 



These new plants are about to play the greatest part in our 

 agriculture, the latter furnishing a new aliment to replace the 

 potato, and the first a great number of highly useful purposes. 

 They possess precious qualities. The seed.is excellent for poultry, 

 the skin of the seed gives a splendid and valuable dye, the flower 

 is excellent and very ^delicate, it is useful in medicine internally 

 and externally. It is almost as good as oats, and in that alone it 

 pays the cost of the crop. The skins of the seeds subjected to 

 chemical treatment furnishes a valuable dye. The panicles when 

 the seeds are off are useful as well as the roots, for fuel. The 

 stalks yield syrup, sugar, wine, brandy, vinegar, alcohol. The 

 maturity of the plant is shown when the seeds change from a deep 

 yellow color to red. The stalk chopped into small pieces or rings, 

 (rondelles,) and boiled in some water a long time over a quick 

 fire produces. a marmalade — this is then pressed to get out the 

 juice, which is put over the fire, while boiling, a little lime or 

 any alkaline solution is occasionally thrown in to purify it — a scum 

 rises incessantly. The juice is finally clarified by albumen. Four- 

 teen eggs are sufficient for one hundred and forty pounds of juice. 

 Lime in powder of about three quarters of a pound in weight, is 

 sufficient for the 140 lbs. of juice. When this is over, put the 

 juice into earthen vases and set them where they shall not be ex- 

 posed to humidity or to heat. Thus every farmer and gardener 

 can have his syrup, and if he chooses to make it, he can have his 

 own sugar ! Think of eve^ry farmer, little or great, making his 

 own molasses ! instead of going to the West Indies for it. And in 

 the meantime, an admirable food, in its natural form for stock. 

 Truly this plant is a magnificent acquisition to our country. 



The Rev. Eli C'orwin, of San Jose mission, twelve miles from 

 Sacramento, California, exhibited to the Club a pear grown on 

 the farm of Mr. E. L. Beard, of that mission. It is a result of 

 grafting the common pound pear of New England upon a native 

 California pear tree, about four years ago. The tree is about 

 twenty-five feet high. This pear measures in its greatest, L e. 



