496 SORGHUM. 



Its uses were described as so various, that it is supposed all 

 the varieties of Sorghum were confounded by these differ- 

 ent authors. It was recommended as fodder for stock, food 

 for poultry and hogs, and for a syrup ; while the Italians 

 called it meliea from its resemblance to, honey. It was 

 described as having seeds, various in color, from rufous to 

 black, from white to yellow and red, and they were said to 

 make an excellent bread. The bread had a pinkish tinge, 

 being colored by the husks, which could not be entirely 

 separated from the seed. Through the caravans of the 

 Syrian desert, Sorghum was carried from Asia to Africa, 

 and there, under the changes of climate, soil and moisture, 

 new varieties originated, and we have the Imphee canes. 



Linnseus calls it Holcus Saccharatum, and the Dhouro 

 corn he calls Holcus Sorghum. But Persoon, and others 

 since, have separated the two, and applied to the sugar cane 

 the general name Sorghum, and its specific name Nigrum, 

 from the color of its seeds. These plants are all called 

 Sorghum in the East Indies. 



VARIETIES. 



There are many varieties of cane, and, while the descrip- 

 tion at the head of the article will give the generic charac- 

 ters, it will not the specific differences of the various kinds. 

 But it is not necessary to give the botanic description of 

 each variety. 



1st Bace — Eusorghum. 



True Chinese Sugar Cane, (already described). 



2nd Eace — Imphee. 



1. Prcecocia, (early Sorgo). 2. Ooui-se-a-na, (Otahei- 

 tan). 3. White Imphee, (Nee-a-ga-na). 4. Black Imphee, 

 Nigerrima). 5. Red Imphee, (Cerasina, cherry red) Shla- 

 goo-va. 6. Liberia, (Liberjan). 



