304 On the culture of Sorgho and Imphi. [No. 10, new series. 



inasmuch as their roots which have a constant tendency to rise 

 and to run along the surface of the soil are unable to keep the 

 plant from bending and inclining towards the ground with the 

 slightest wind, particularly when the head is full of grain. 

 This alone is sufficient, sometimes, without a breath of wind, to 

 drag the plant down to the earth, the consequence of which is 

 that it throws out shoots in this recumbent position and becomes 

 so altered that it is no longer possible to extract the sugar which 

 in fact is completely destroyed. But even when the sugar is ob- 

 tained it is found to be of a different quality from cane-sugar pro- 

 perly so called. It is found as those who have worked it admit 

 — to crystallize with difficulty nor are the crystals themselves well 

 defined. The juice of the Sorgho differs entirely in taste from that 

 of the Saccharum Officinarum, being more insipid, thinner, the 

 impression on the organs of taste evanescent or of the shortest 

 duration and more fit for conversion into Rum than Sugar, such 

 is the opinion of those who have tested its qualities by experiment. 



The cultivation of these plants with a view to the production 

 of grain would, I am persuaded prove very remunerative because 

 they will yield two or three crops a year in this country, especially 

 as the seeds or corns are larger than those of other species and 

 the heads full and much branched. They abound in gluten and 

 amylaceous particles. 



The Natives who have examined these seeds consider them supe- 

 rior to their own kinds which they have cultivated from generation 

 to generation, that is those of the Imphi Andropogon Caffrorum. As 

 for those of the Chinese species or And. niger, they seem to care 

 little about them, and the plant will never enter largely into their 

 culture, notwithstanding they are very sweet, but not more so than 

 the Imphi which is perhaps the sweetest of the two. 



The above remarks were drawn up entirely with reference to 

 the produce of the first six boxes, but apply equally to those of 

 the last six which presented no appreciable difference. I have no 

 further botanical remarks therefore to add to this part of the sub- 

 ject. 



Such, Sir, are the results of the examinations and discoveries I 

 have been able to collect up to this time from the seeds you did 



