12 



NORTHERN SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



or Guinea corn. They have been cultivated for unknown ages in China, India, and 

 Africa. About 1851 or 1852 it was introduced from China to France, and the seed 

 soon afterwards sold by Messrs. Vilmorin & Co., of Paris. About the same time Mr. 

 Leonard Wray, a practical sugar planter, on a visit to Kaffirlaud, found the Imphee 

 cultivated by the natives, the stalks of which they chewed for the sake of the rich, 

 sweet juice. Mr. Wray brought seed of the plant to England, where he had it planted, 

 and also in France and Belgium. 



In 1853 Dr. J. Browne obtained some seeds of Messrs. Vilmorin &, Co. for the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, and in 1854 a portion of these seeds were distributed by the 

 Department for trial. In 1856 Mr. Orange Judd obtained and distributed to sub- 

 scribers of the American Agriculturist 25,000 packages of sorghum seed. Thus the 

 plant became introduced into various parts of the United States. 



The botanical characters may be briefly given as follows : Flowers in an ample ter- 

 minal panicle, loose and spreading, or close and rather compact, erect or nodding. 

 The flowers are on the small branches near the extremity. If they are examine 

 while young it will be observed that there are two kinds of flowers, one perfect and 

 finally producing seed, the other containing only male organs or empty. The male 

 or sterile flowers are on short stalks, one or two at the base of each perfect flower, which 

 is sessile or without a stalk. At or near maturity the sterile flowers drop ofi', leaving 

 still remaining the short stem or stems on which they were borne. The perfect spike- 

 let has two outer glumes, tough and leathery, and two smaller, thin, delicate, trans- 

 parent inner ones, one of which is two-lobed at the apex, and between the .lobes ex- 

 tended into a short, rigid, bent, and twisted awn. The stamens are three, the stig- 

 mas plumose. The sterile spikelets are narrower, the outer glumes without the 

 leathery texture, nerved longitudinally, the two inner ones thin and delicate, desti- 

 tute of the awn, and containing three stamens. 



STRUCTURE OF THE LEAF, STALK, AND SEED OF THE SORGHUM 



PLANT. 



The following figures show the cell structure of the stalks, leaf, and 

 seed : 



Fig. 1. — Horizontal section of the stalk, mag^nified 18 diameters. 

 Yia. 2. — Cross-section of leaf, magnified 18 diameters. 

 Ym. 3. — Section of seed, magnified 18 diameters. 



CELLULOSE. 



The cell walls are composed of cellulose and the tough fibers of the 

 outside coatings are of the same material. From a large number of de- 

 terminations I have found that the amount of cellulose and insoluble 

 matter in the stalks of the sorghum is not far from 11 per cent. This 

 amount varies greatly with the character of the cane, and the extremes 

 of variation may deviate as much as two per cent, from this mean. 



Fercenfage of cellulose and substances insoluble in ivater in sorghum canes. 





Weight taken. 



Weight of residue. 



Per ceut. of cellulose. 





Grams. 



Grams. 





No.l.. 



50. 00 



5.4.0 



10. 90 



No. 2.. 



50. 00 



5. 370 



10. 74 



No. 3.. 



50. 00 



5. 355 



10. 71 



No. 4.. 



50. 00 



5.420 



10. 84 



