6 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
Sorghum at the West. 
The foundation .of the wide-spread culture in 
this country of the Sorghum, or “ Chinese Sugar 
Cane,” was without doubt laid by the American 
Agriculturist. Tens of thousands of little parcels 
of seed were distributed free from this office, and 
scattered broad-cast over the country, giving all 
who desired, a chance to try it on a small scale 
without expense. As we predicted, it has not 
been found adapted to the far north, but it is 
fast becoming a staple crop in the south¬ 
ern tier of the northwestern States, particular¬ 
ly in Iowa and Illinois, and more or less in 
Indiana and Ohio. We must be excused if we 
take a little credit for having enabled the coun¬ 
try at large to experiment so cheaply with a new 
plant. Generally, when any new plant comes 
before the country with such a flourish of trump¬ 
ets as attended the first introduction of the sor¬ 
ghum, a few speculators secure a monopoly and 
reap a fortune. The publisher of the Agricul¬ 
turist at once procured from foreign sources near¬ 
ly fifteen hundred pounds of the seed, and offered 
it in small parcels, free to all his subscribers de¬ 
siring it. It paid him, as an advertisement, but 
the country was none the less benefited. The 
same course will be adopted again with respect 
to other plants, should occasion call for it.* The 
constant advice of the AgricultiMst Was, that peo¬ 
ple should only try it on a small scale, and where 
this advice was followed, no one suffered loss. 
The seed thus disseminated was rapidly multi¬ 
plied, and wherever the plant seemed to flour¬ 
ish, it was further experimented with. Now, 
while it has been discarded in a majority of lo¬ 
calities, in many other places it is cultivated 
quite largely, and with promising results. 
The reports from the West for the past sea¬ 
son are encouraging. Lest, from our connection 
with the plant, we might be thought to be pre¬ 
judiced in its favor, we will let our cotempora¬ 
ries speak. The Prairie Farmer, referring es¬ 
pecially to Illinois, says: “The people of the 
West are sueceeding in its culture and manu¬ 
facture beyond even the highest hopes of its 
friends. More syrup and sugar is being made 
from it this year in the West than ever before- 
more seed will be planted next season than was 
planted the present. The syrup and sugar, 
grown and manufactured on our soil, will save 
our farmers a heavy tax, and are a source of 
wealth, which western farmers will scarcely ig¬ 
nore for some time to come.” 
An Ohio correspondent writes to the “ Friends’ 
Review,” of Philadelphia, that a large amount of 
excellent molasses has been made from the 
Sorghum and Imphee in his vicinity. He says: 
“ The quality of the syrup this year is so much 
superior to what it has been heretofore, that the 
cultivation o^ the cane will become very com¬ 
mon among farmers. I know of seven mills in 
* Many of our readers will be interested in the origin of 
our seed distribution. In the Spring of 1850 we sowed a 
small plot with sorghum seed obtained from France. In 
Autumn we described the experiment (see Vol. XV, page 
305) and offered our own seed in small parcels to such of 
our subscribers as would provide a ready directed post¬ 
paid envelop to carry it in. Scarcely was this offer pub¬ 
lished, when a party called and offered us half a dollar an 
ounce, saying “ the newspaper reports had made the peo¬ 
ple at the west crazy for it, and he could sell it out in 
small parcels at the rate of $5 an ounce.” We of course 
refused to part with it, having promised it to our readers. 
The hints thus received from the would-be speculator, led 
us to procure a large supply of seed, as above stated; and 
from this point we commenced our general annual large 
distribution of various seeds, which has grown to be an 
Important department of our enterprise. Other pub¬ 
lishers are adopting a similar course with ourselves. Al¬ 
most or quite a million separate parcels of good seeds 
have already gone out from our office. 
operation, and the least quantity from any one 
manuftictory, is over 300 gallons. More than 
700 gallons were made at one of our mills.” 
A correspondent of the Farmers Advocate 
(Illinois), says: “ I have made 5,000 gallons of 
very good syrup this Fall, which readily sells 
for fifty cents per gallon... .1 have raised two 
good crops of cane upon sod ground, and I think 
it the most profitable thdfk I can put on such 
laud. Our light shallow soil gives 100 gallons 
syrup per acre, while good rich land yields 200 
or more gallons.” 
Sugar Estates of Cuba. —From a work on 
the Sugar Estates of Cuba, by Charles Rebello, 
British Vice-Consul, it appears that there were 
in full operation in Cuba last season, 1365 Sugar 
Estates, which produced 1,127,348,750 pounds, 
worth $45,093,860. On these plantations 691,- 
917 acres are planted with cane, and 1,289,650 
acres used for other purposes. 
was a volume for our pains. This is not equal 
to binding, but answers a good purpose for those 
who are not convenient to a book-bindery. 
Chester Co., Penn. Wm. Kite. 
-- - ■■ ina -g>SnB3a—-- 
Cut Potatoes for Seed.— A. G. Hazeltinc, 
gives in the Country Gentleman, the result of a 
trial of cut and whole potatoes planted side In¬ 
side. The whole potatoes planted were of large 
size; yield less than the others, of inferior qual¬ 
ity, and knotty appearance. The yield from the 
cut potatoes, with one eye to the hill, was the 
largest in every case, and of uniform size and 
fine shape. 
-«a » « - THg -^>-tgBo».-•>—- 
A Land Sale of the right Sort. — We see 
it reported that the Land Department of the 
Illinois Central Railroad has recently sold 3000 
acres of land in Shelby County, to a company of 
sixty German farmers from Western New-York. 
If this report be true, we can testily from per- 
Extensive Draining 1 
T. C. Maxwell & Brother, nurserymen of Gen¬ 
eva, N. Y., have, according to the Country 
Gentleman, expended $5,000 in draining their 
land. Fifty miles of drain tile have been laid 
down, at a cost of $100 per mile. Upon the last 
30 acres drained, the expense of opening the 
ditches was reduced from 34c. to 30c. per rod, 
by using the common and subsoil plow to loosen 
the ground. The soil is a gravel and clay loam, 
with a hard clay subsoil in some places. The 
owners consider that the heavy expense has 
been fully repaid by the improved condition of 
the soil. 
Frozen Seed Corn. 
Daniel Steck, Lycoming Co., Pa., writes that 
the early selection of seed corn is important to 
prevent damage from frost before the kernels 
are dry. After the grain is matured, it still con¬ 
tains a considerable amount of moisture. If it 
be frozen before this moisture is evaporated, the 
germinating power will be injured or destroyed, 
although in other respects the corn may be 
sound. This fact, he thinks, accounts for many 
failures of seed supposed to be good: the diffi¬ 
culty could not be discoverd by any appearance 
of the corn. Mr. S. thinks that where corn re¬ 
mained in the field, exposed to the severe freez¬ 
ing weather of last Nov. 24 and 25th, it is in 
most cases rendered unfit for seed. Those who 
failed to select and dry their corn before that 
time, would do well to make provision for next 
Spring’s planting, either by saving enough of the 
old stock which is known to be good, or pro¬ 
curing a supply from reliable sources. A stitch 
in time saves nine. 
— ■«<& <-—g^t XTT.. -» Cl- - 
For the American Agriculturist. 
How to Preserve the Agriculturist. 
We have just finished reading up our last 
number, and as it closed the year we put it by 
for reference, in the following simple way : Two 
• strips of wood, a foot long, a quarter of an inch 
wide, and an eighth of an inch thick, were taken, 
and three holes bored in each; one in the mid¬ 
dle and one an inch and a half from each end. 
Then the two leaves from the last number, con¬ 
taining the title page and contents, were placed 
in front of the first number; a sheet of brown 
paper was folded for each side of the book; the 
the twelve numbers were neatly laid together, 
and a cord passed through their backs and 
through the strips of wood and tied, and there 
sonal observation to the value of this accession 
of farmers to the Prairie State. In Southern 
Ohio there is a most flourishing agricultural 
neighborhood settled by a similar company 
from the same locality, some 25 years ago, as 
near as we can remember. 
-- .-—raHS-t—.-- 
Musty barrels can be cleansed and render¬ 
ed sweet by putting in them a pint of unslacked 
lime, adding one or two gallons of water, and 
shaking thoroughly. After standing three or 
four hours, rinse them with cold water. 
Which was “ Sold.”— Jones was riding up 
in Westchester County, N. Y., and saw a board 
nailed up on a post in the yard of a farm-house, 
with the sign painted on it, “ This farm for sail.” 
Always ready for a little pleasantry, and seeing 
a woman in checked sun-bonnet picking up an 
apronful of chips at the wood-pile in front of 
the house, he stopped, and asked her, very po¬ 
litely, when the farm was to sail ? She went on 
with her work, but replied to his question in- 
stanter: “Just as soon as the man comes along 
that can raise the wind." Jones drove on. 
What the Humbugs are Doing. 
The publisher of a certain paper, smarting 
under the showing up some of his operations re¬ 
viewed in a former article, sneeringly asks: 
“ Why does the American Agriculturist go out of 
its legitimate sphere, to be prying into other 
people’s concerns ?” Answer .— This querist and 
others of his ilk, are continually imposing upon 
the public, seeking their money under false pre¬ 
tences, and it is exactly appropriate to our 
sphere, to put the public on their guard by gen¬ 
eral warnings, and by specific examples when 
needed. The Agriculturist circulates largely 
among rural people, who are not familiar with 
the arts of swindlers, and as we have before 
stated, they are, as a class, more honest them¬ 
selves, and therefore less likely to be on the 
look-out for deception from others. Swindlers 
understand this, and hence nine-tenths of all 
their efforts at imposition are directed at rural 
people. We are somewhat familiar with their 
operations by former experience, and being so 
situated that we can trace out their deeds, it is 
peculiarly our province to do what we can to 
guard the public. So far, therefore, as may 
seem desirable, wc shall follow up the subject. 
Some of these swindlers are so guarded in 
their operations, that it is proper for us to only 
allude to their plans in a general way, and leave 
our readers to draw their own inferences. For 
example, within a stone’s throw of our own of- 
