162 
S OUT HEE,N CULTIVATOR. 
Thk DmsC'iRKA JvPoN’iCA. — Oftliis new Japanese or 
Cliiiipse eNCiilftil root, {D'n^corea Baiains) it is isaid to 
l\ave lieeii piove‘i by rfppiJed « xperioictits ofFrencli r-t!!- 
tivators that u'li^n foo!<;-(l in iha ordinary maniiar, fVorn 
the lai'ii'e. amount of (aritiaceous properries it contains, it 
can never liei-otne waxy, as is iceneraliy the case witii the 
potaro. Its flavor resembles in delicacy the nsh-leaved 
kidney potato, and when dried !>nd reduced to powder it is 
equal to the Itesr arrow root; or mixed in the pmportioti 
of one third witii two thirds wheaten flour, it makes an 
exceediruily li^thtand wholesome bread, as well as a very 
superior pastry. 
CHINESE SUGAH CANE. 
Wk are indebted to Messrs. Parker, Whtte & 
Gannett, seedsmen and agricultural agents, Boston, 
Mass , for the following ititeresting article on the new 
plant described in our April number, page 130. 
In a note to the Editors of this journal, one of the firnr 
writes as follows : 
Editors Southern Cultivator — The following is a 
copy of an extract from a communication from our cor- 
respondent at Paris, M Louis Vu.morin', a Chemist, and 
one of the leading Aitriculiurists of France. You will see 
that he. makes his comparison with the Sugar Beet, that 
beitiiT the source of their present supply of .sugar. 
Whether the quantity of saccharine matter is increased 
or ditninished by growing in our climate, can only be 
known fiy experiment. 
It is reasonable to suppose, however, that in ^mur more 
sunny and warm climate of the South, there will be an 
increase ol the product of sugar. 
Yours respectfully, 
Geo. E. White. 
Bostnn, Mass , April, 1855. 
CHINESE SUGAE CANE-<HGLCUS SACCHARATirS.) 
The plant which I have presented to the Society of Ag- 
riculture in the name of our correspondent, M Rantonnkt, 
of Hyeres, is called Hulcus Saccharatus — St-rgho Sucre. 
It was known in Italy in the beginning of the century, 
but either uecaiise the nroc.ess of extraction known at that 
time was not brouijht to suflicieni perfectiun fur it to lie 
manained to advaniaije, or because the stock whicli they 
posse.ssed of it was less rich, its culture vvas abandoned. 
Four year.s ago, M dk Mo.ni'igney, French Consular 
Shanghai, China, sent to the Ge.ographical Society a col- 
lection of seeds, amang which was found a packet laliel- 
led ‘‘Sugar Cane from the North of China ” These seeds 
were largely di>iriimtcd by the Geographical .Society and 
I have this year culr.iv;tted a small lot that I have recived 
from one of my coiTes|H)ndents of Champagne, M. Pon- 
s\RD, nfOiiiey Tliis plant is the same botanically as the 
“Holcus S iccharatiis” funuerly cidtivated by L Ardulx'o, 
and the letter of M. Rantonnkt who requested me to pre 
sent it in his name in the Agricultiiral Society, has put 
me in the way of the origin of this new introduction. 
You will see that ilie experimtnts to which I have sub- 
jected the, plants are very limited. A stalk weigliing 450 
gtammes (a gramme, is equal to 19 grains) gave me at 
the first trial m olcj Oct l3tli, 150 grammes ofjuice, clear, 
limpid, and with tlie flavor of sweetened water. The juice 
proceeding irom the entire stalk gave me 10.8 for 100, of 
its weight, of sugar. Another trial of the Saccharimetre 
made Nov 28th, gave figures varying from 14.6 to l3.8 
for ’00 of sugar. I have in«>reover observed that the pro- 
pouion of sugar decreases in thesuccessive spaces between 
the joints, in proportion as they rise. Those in the lower 
ipart and middle of the stalk being the sweetest. 
I have under cultivation some superficial metres of our 
Sorgho in a garden plat not rich, and in the neighlmi hnod 
ofrrccs which would injure its develofiiTienf. In the state 
in which it was,, t lie plant offered by the .‘-qnare metieto* 
wai’i's 20 stcdlcs of sufficient strengtli to extract the juice. 
Tibs produced 3 kiiogrummes of juice by the ^quare metre, 
and 30, OOt! kilogrammes l-y the hectare — two and a lialf 
acres. Estimating the rendition of the juices os 10 to 100, 
this woul.i be SOOtt kiiogramrnes of sugar to the hectare. 
From these first figures, tiiere is siune probaldliiy that 
we will prefer the plant which we describe to i he Sugar 
Beet, but it will, witliout doubt, require several years of 
study before we can be sure that its introduction should 
be regarded as a nindnstrial event. At any rate, it will be 
valuable to furnish, alinndantly, alcohol dejirived of a dis- 
agreeable taste, anil as a rival of the beet in the produc- 
tion of sugar. This pi. mf is cultivated in the same way 
as Maize, to which it bears some resemblance. 
Remarks. — Weave testing this plant, on a small scale, 
in the hope that it may prove valuable for fin-age. Ifit 
will grow luxuriantly and stand our long drfiuihs, the 
large amount of sacharine matter which it ccHiairs will 
make it useful as fodder for stock, leaving the production 
of sugar and alcohol out of the question. Seed may be 
obtained from Messrs. Parker, VVhite & Gannett, Bos- 
ton. — Eds. 
FLORIDA— ITS SOIL, CLIMATE AND PEOLDCTIONS. 
The Orange — This tree, at one time, furnished the 
leading export of Florida. Previous to the great frost in 
1833, it IS said that there were over two millions shipped 
annually from St. A ugu.stiiie alone. I'lie orange of Florida 
is very largo and fine flavored, and commands t.he highest 
price of any in the market, having been sold in ihegnive 
as high as SIO per thousand. It has been remarked tliat 
the fruits of the tropics, generally, grow to the greatest 
perfection near its verge. This i*s certainly true in re- 
gard to the orange and banana, which, in the nortlnrn- 
most Bahama Islands, arc much supt rior to those of Cuba, 
St. Domingo, and localities still nearer to the tquator. 
From the shores of the Atlantic to the Mississppi, the 
great frost of 1833 completely ruined tlie orange groves. 
I'he effect was proiiably nowhere so severely felt as in 
Floritia, where they furnished the staple crop of the coun- 
try. The effect upon the city of Sc. Augustine, which 
was one vast orange bower, is thus described by Wil- 
liams: 
•' All kinds of fruit trees were killed to the ground, and 
m-riny of these m-ver agfiin started from the roots. Tlie 
wild groves suffered equally with the cultivated ones. 
The orange had become the staple of our commerce, 
several millions being annually exporteil. Nuiiierous 
groves had juat been planted, and extensive nurseries 
could scarcely supjiiy the demand fur yoimg trees 
“Some ()f the groves, the previous autumn, had brought 
their owners one, two and tliree thousand dolkars; and the 
increasing demand for the fruit opened prospects of mines 
of wealth to tlie iibnabitants, 
‘Then came a frost, a chilling frost.’ 
Some of the orange grnve.s estimated to be worth SlOTOO 
were at once rendered worthless. A portion of the popu- 
'ation of St. Augustine who had been accustomed to I^ok 
to their orange groves for the purchase of luxuries and of 
neces.sities, were left suddenly without resource. The 
town of St Augu-tine, that heretofore appeared like a 
rustic village, its white houses peeping from the clustering 
boughs, and golden fruit of ifs favorite tree, beneatf. whose 
shade the foreign invalid cooled his fevered limits, and 
imbibed health from the forest tree, how is she fallen! 
Dry, unsightly poles, with rugged bark, sti< k up around 
her dwellings, and where the mocking bird delighted to 
build her nest, and tune her lovely songs, owls now hoot 
