298 On the culture of Sorgho and hnph i. [No. 10, new series. 



XIV. On the culture of Sorgho and Imphi. By M. Perrottet. 



[The following paper was received from M. Perrottet by the Committee 

 of the Madras Exhibition of 1859. It was by them transferred to 

 the General Committee of the A. H. S. by whose kindness we are 

 enabled to present it to our readers. 



The Hon'ble Mr. Elliot has kindly added to it some notes which are 

 valuable additions to the original. — Ed.] 



On the 20th of January last, you did me the honor to send me 

 a letter for M. Montclar, dated from Madras on the 2nd idem,* 

 which had through oversight been forwarded to M. Montbrun. 

 together with six small tin boxes containing some grains of tha^ 

 kind of Sorgho called Imphi (Imphi-seed) from South Africa. 

 Subsequently on the 14th February you transmitted a farther sup- 

 ply of other six boxes containing the same Sorgho seed, request- 

 ing me to sow them as well as those first sent, and to watch the 

 progress of their development, which accordingly I at once pro- 

 ceeded to do. 



I now beg to report the result of these sowings tog ether with 

 the observations made by the Head Gardener, to whom you also 

 furnished a supply of the same seed direct. 



The whole of the seeds germinated freely but unequally, and 

 the development of the stalks was completed, although slowly and 

 very irregularly to the ripening of the grain which occupied a pe- 

 riod of from 50 to 60 days after the seeds hadjbeen sown. 



On the first appearance of the plants above the ground they 

 were watered only three times a week, but afterwards daily and 

 more freely in proportion to their growth, and as they approached 

 the period of inflorescence. Under this treatment they attained a 

 height of from 6 to 8 feet, not more, when the formation and 

 ripening of the grain was completed. 



I watched the gradual development of these newly introduced 

 plants with much interest, examining their structure with great 

 care to ascertain whether, as had been stated, the T7 really consti- 

 tuted distinct species or varieties. These observations have led 

 me to the conclusion that, in a botanical point of view, they ex- 

 hibit no appreciable differences whatsoever /that will justify the 



* 21 in original. 



