300 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
he expressed by the primitive contrivance of a rolling-pin, 
he obtained, by boiling, a quart of molasses, with very 
little impurity and of apj)roved taste. The usual propor- 
tions of sugar to sajD lie between fifteen and twenty per 
cent., the crystalizable sugar increasing with the decrease 
of the latitude. Besides this proportion of sugar there is 
an amount of perhaps 5 to 8 per cent, of uncrystalizable 
sap, from which a very agreeable beverage can be made, 
and alcohol distilled more cheaply than by any other 
method. This sap, strange to say, if set with the oxide of 
tin, will dye silk of a beautiful pink. 
As a food plant for stock of all kinds it seems to over- 
top all that we now possess, furnishing, in fair soils. 25 
tons per acre of excellent fodder, every bit of which is 
greedily eaten by animals. The seed, too, by which the 
plant is propagated— in this, unlike and superior to the 
sugar cane of Louisiana, which is raised by cuttings — are 
fit for human food ; at all events, when ground and mada 
up into cakes, after the manner of linseed cakes, they sup- 
ply a good material for fattening stock. The brush or top 
from which these seeds are taken, is not without its ser- 
vice, for the plant is a species of broom-corn, and, there- 
fore, its top; when deprived of seed, answers well where- 
with to manufacture brooms. When the sap, top, seeds, 
and leaves are taken, leaving only the crushed stem, it 
still has an economic value ; paper can be manufactured 
from it. 
This valuable addition to our vegetable production is 
originally a native of China, but has been sedulously cul- 
tivated for several years in Southeastern Caffraria, whence 
it passed into France and Algeria, in which last country 
it comes to great perfection. It would be hard to calculate 
its value. It constitutes every farm on which it is grown 
its own sugar-camp, orchard, winery, and granary, as 
well as a stock farm and dairy ; indeed, the “Sorgho” may 
be deemed a sort of vegetable sheep, every part and con- 
stituent of which is valuable . — NationoX Intelligencer. 
1^" What is companionship, where nothing that im- 
proves the intellect is communicated, and where the larger 
heart contracts itself to the model and dimensions of the 
smaller % 
CONCRETE OR GRAVEL WALL HOUSES-HYDRAU- 
LIC CEMENT, AND THE VARIOUS NOVEL 
USES TO WHICH IT MAY BE AP- 
PLIED-LIME FOR AGRICUL- 
TURAL PURPOSES, &c. 
D. REDMOND: 
Editor Southern Cultivator— Your favor, making 
inquiries as to the lime and cement of this quarry, and 
also stating your intention of building a concrete house, 
has been received. I have long wished for an opportun- 
ity of communicating the results of my studies, experi- 
ments and observations concerning the articles to which 
you refer, to some one whose opportunities of making 
them known to others were better than my own. It is 
with pleasure, therefore, that I address you in reference to 
them. 
The rock of this quarry is of three different kinds. The 
first is a dark blue, nearly black limestone, which makes 
the best quality of white lime, suitable lor the finest plas- 
tering. 
The second is a hydraulic lime. This lime is dark in 
color, requires a long time to slake, and does not more 
than double its quantity in slaking. It is not a good 
lime for plastering, but is the best lime for building with 
brick or mortar that I have seen. It is not liked by con- 
tractors, as it does not ‘‘go as far” as the white lime. But 
the bond is much stronger and in course of time it be- 
comes covered with a flinty coating, giving it the appear- 
, ance and almost the hardness of flint. The mortar made 
of this lime upon this place about eight years since, now 
exhibits this appearance. I have seen no notice of a simi- 
lar lime in this country, but it agrees perfectly v/ith the 
celebrated “Hailing lime,” so much valued in England for 
building purposes. 
This lime is hydraulic, but is not a cement — that is ta 
say, it does not harden under water, but if suffered to be- 
come once dry , it retains its hardness under water perfectly. 
The pillars of the Gordon county Bridge over Oostunaula 
River, and the abutments and pillars of the handsome 
bridge over the Etowah Ri%"er, near Kingston, built by 
Maj. Woolly, are made of this lime. For laying brick or 
stone, for foundations in damp places, for rough castings, 
in fact for all work in which there is not an immediate 
exposure to, or immersion in water, this lime answers 
very well the place of cement. It is about one-fourth the 
cost. Its especial advantage is for concrete work. 
The introduction of concrete, will, lam sure, constitute 
an era in building in Georgia, in all those localities in 
which the materials are convenient of access. To the 
farmer, this form of building is very desirable. If he has 
rock on his land and in the way of the plow, it can be 
used advancageously for building — no matter what its 
form or size. After the boards for the wall are placed, a 
layer of mortar, composed of one part lime, and tv/o parts 
sand, is placed at the bottom, then a layer of waste rocks, 
brick bats, &c., then a thin layer of mortar, &c. In this 
way about seven-eighths of the wall is composed of sand 
and this waste material. 
This style of building is economical. When finished, a 
concrete building is cheaper than a finished wooden build- 
ing, where lumber is S' 10 per thousand and lime 30 to 40 
cents per bushel and waste material abundant. It requires 
no mechanic to build the walls, if there be a correct eye 
superintending to keep the corners and walls in proper 
position. Two large concrete houses have been built in 
in this county, by farm labor alone. Contractors here w'ill 
undertake building concrete houses at the same rate wfith 
wood. I furnished the lime for a concrete building 18 feet 
square and 12 feet high, the chimney being also of con- 
crete and the amount of lime furnished was 45 bushels, at 
20 cents the bushel at the kiln — the cost of the lime was 
$9. In Augusta the same quantity of lime, in barrels, 
would cost $22. The rest of the wall would be composed 
of the sand and gravel which abounds in the vicinity of 
that piece. Would this not be cheaper than a plastered 
wooden wall there '] 
As concrete building is economical, it is also permanent. 
It improves in hardness in all time It was supposed at 
one time that the Romans used a cement in their buildings 
from the extreme hardness of the mortar found in the 
walls. It is now known from analysis that they used 
common mortar, which has hardened during centuries. 
Every permanent structure erected in our State, is a bene- 
fit to it. Our railroads and factories have exerted a ma- 
terial influence upon the character of our people. Thirty 
years ago Georgians were as migratory as the Arabs. One 
contemplates leaving a crazy log cabin with indifference 
—it is a different affair to think of abandoning a comfort 
able homestead. 
Besides being permanent, the concrete wall is ornamen- 
tal. The exterior may be colored to suit the fancy of the 
builder. 
It may interest you to see an estimate of the cost of the 
concrete wall as compared with other forms of building in 
the United States works at Fort Warren, Boston Harbor. 
I extract it from the “Treatise on Mortars,” written by 
Lieut. Wright, U. S. Army: 
“In order to illustrate the economy of using concrete in 
construction, I will annex a comparative view of the differ- 
ent kinds of masonry at Fort Warren. 
