276 
AMERICAN AGKICUJ i’URIST. 
FINAL NOTES ON THE CHI¬ 
NESE SUGAK CANE. 
We ‘trust our readers will excuse us for devot¬ 
ing so much of the abbreviated space of this Index 
number to a subject which has been one of great 
interest to the country during the nearly closing 
year, and one in which we have taken so active 
a part. Hereafter this plant will take its place 
among other cultivated crops, and require but 
comparatively a limited degree of attention in 
these pages. 
RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS. 
On pages 296-7, will be found a table prepared 
at no little expense of time and labor, showing at 
a glance the result of some sixty experiments 
upon the Sugar Cane, made in different States and 
with a variety of treatment, soils, climate, &c. 
Following the table are interesting and valuable 
condensed extracts from accompanying letters. 
These have been taken at random from a vast 
accumulation of reports that have literally loaded 
down our tables during the last few weeks*. We 
have not made any selection of the letters copied 
from, with reference to presenting a favorable or 
unfavorable view of the matter, but have taken 
them up just as they chanced to be laid away at 
the time of reception. We therefore think a 
careful perusal of the tabulated reports, and the 
remarks following will furnish a fair view of the 
general experience of the whole country, and of 
the present opinion of those who have devoted 
some attention to experimenting with the new 
plant. 
A careful study of these reports will, we think, 
lead to the following conclusions: 
1. The Chinese Sugar Cane will flourish well 
wherever Indian corn will grow ; it endures cold 
better than corn, but will not ripen its seed, in a 
cold season like the past, further north than about 
the latitude of 40° to 41°. 
2. Under favorable circumstances, and in good 
seasons,.it may ripen its seed as far north as 43° 
to 44°. See report No. 63. 
3. It promises to be superior to Indian corn for 
soiling (feeding green) in any locality where corn 
is now cultivated, and entirely aside from its 
value as a saccharine plant, it will be an acquisi¬ 
tion to our forage crops. 
4. It will produce good syrup from the imma¬ 
ture canes, and this may be done in ordinary sea¬ 
sons as far north as 45°. and even in colder lat¬ 
itudes. 
5. The best syrup is made from the ripe or 
nearly ripened canes. 
6. Unlike the Southern Sugar Cane, its sacchar¬ 
ine properties are not materially injured at once 
by a moderate frost. 
7. The trials so far, do not show that sugar can 
tie readily made, but limited experiments seem to 
indicate that this will yet be the case. 
8. If it should finally be found impossible to 
make crystalized sugar, still an excellent syrup 
can be profitably extracted from its juices. 
9. The most profitable results will be obtained 
where the culture and manufacture is carried on 
upon an extensive scale. 
10. The manufacture of syrup is as easy and 
simple as ordinary maple sugar making. 
11. Unless “ sweetening” of all kinds shall be 
produced much more abundantly at the South, and 
sold at the North much cheaper than the average 
*Our correspondents who have contributed so largely 
of their experience will please accept our hearty thanks 
for their favors. We could not, however, possibly find 
room for even a passing notice of each letter received. 
The matter contained on pages 296 and 297 has alone re¬ 
quired the examination and condensation of over a hun¬ 
dred pages of letter manuscript. 
prices of the past year or two, the culture of the 
Chinese Sugar Cane will prove highly remunera¬ 
tive in-the Middle and Northern States. 
12. In all localities remote from easy access to 
market, the Chinese Sugar Cane will furnish sweet¬ 
ening for ordinary ■purposes cheaper than it can be 
obtained from abroad. This is perhaps the most im¬ 
portant feature connected with this plant. There are 
thousands of inland towns, especially at the West, 
and on the Pacific Coast, where, owing to expensive 
wagon transportation, sugar and molasses cost doub¬ 
le or treble the sea-board prices. At all these points, 
the inhabitants can grow their sugar cane and make 
tlicir own syrup, if not sugar, cheaper than they can 
import it from abroad. 
13. While seed may not be ripened in the 
northern tier of States and the Canadas,' except 
in very favorable years, this point is of no practi¬ 
cal importance, since the small amount required— 
not more than a quart or two to the acre—will 
render it an easy matter to get an annual supply 
from the Southern and South Middle States, 
where it will always mature. 
14. The cultivation, both for feed and for syrup 
making, may be entirely similar to that of Indian 
Corn, though at the North earlier planting is de¬ 
sirable where canes are desired for syrup making. 
It will, however, often produce a fair crop on soil 
too sandy and too .poor to give a paying crop of 
Indian corn. 
Other conclusions may be suggested on study¬ 
ing the reports, and from further information and 
comparison of views among practical experi¬ 
menters. For this, as for other crops, we shall 
endeavor to present, at the appropriate season, 
practical directions in regard to the best modes of 
culture, feeding, and syrup or sugar making. 
THE NEXT SEASON. 
We are constrained at this time to caution our 
readers against laying out plans for excessive 
planting next Summer. Better to wait another 
year even, before venturing too large a sum. The 
persons indicated in note 12, above, may well plan 
for a moderate crop next year. Others should 
study well the chances of profit over old staple 
crops. We have urged every farmer to grow 
corn for fodder, and think the Sugar Cane may be 
used for a similar purpose to still greater advan¬ 
tage. 
' A Word as to ecd. —Numerous inquiries ad¬ 
dressed to us already, indicate an almost feverish 
anxiety to secure seed for next year. This is 
needless. There is probably enough in the coun¬ 
try to meet all demands. There have been many 
thousands of acres planted this year, of which a 
large portion has matured. We shall be disap¬ 
pointed if there be not plenty of seed offered 
in the Spring at 15 to 30 cents per pound, if not 
at lower rates. It is yet too soon to form a 
correct estimate of the probable demand, or es¬ 
timate exactly the amount to be offered for sale. 
We shall give it out quite freely in our next 
year’s free Seed Distribution, to all subscribers 
wanting it in limited quantities. 
A WORD FOR OURSELVES. 
Many kind and well meaning friends, who have 
read and valued the Agriculturist for a dozen 
years or more, were, during last Winter, quite 
anxious lest this paper and its publisher should in 
some way get “ mixed up ” with the Chinese Su¬ 
gar Cane, and in the end suffer thereby. At the 
same time, a few considerate (we would not say 
jealous) editors, tried to make a little sport of what 
they were pleased to style “ Judd’s Chinese Sugar 
Cane,” with sundry winks and hints about Morus 
Multicaulus, Dioscorea, &c. Had we followed 
the advice offered quite freely, we should have 
wholly abstained from the distribution of the Su¬ 
gar Cane Seed ; but as there were no direc 1 
grounds for condemning it in advance, as we did 
the Dioscorea,^&.c., and as there was a general 
interest in the subject, and speculators were in 
the field taking advantage of the univeral desire 
to try a little of the seed, and especially as we 
had good reason to believe the plant might prove 
valuable, we engaged in the work of supplying all 
who should ask it with a free parcel of the seed. 
We distributed among our own subscribers over 
25,000 separate parcels, and in this way the grow¬ 
ing capabilities of the plant has been tried in eve¬ 
ry part of the country. Some of the results are 
given above and elsewhere. 
The course constantly advised by us in refer¬ 
ence to the Sugar Cane was the same we would 
take with regard to any new plant, viz.: to first 
experiment on a limited scale for a season or two. 
A few of our readers are already censuring us for 
intimidating them from cultivating the Sugar 
Cane to a large extent the past season. They 
now think they would have profited by doing so. 
But while this mighfhave been the case, it might 
have been otherwise. We deem it better to always 
take the safe side. We prefer even to be consid¬ 
ered a little “ old fogyish,” than to run headlong 
into every new enterprise brought forward, be¬ 
cause one thing in ten may turn out well. We 
did everything to disseminate the seed of the Su¬ 
gar Cane, and to instigate and promote wide 
spread experiments, while, at the same time, we 
cautioned our readers against investing anything 
that they could not abundantly afford to do at 
the risk of losing the time and money expended. 
We confess to not a little gratification at the 
results obtained from the new Sugar Cane, and 
in the part we have had in its introduction. It is 
now settled that the plant will be worth unto’d 
millions to the country. Our future course in 
regard to each and every new plant will be what 
it lias been in the past, and we trust our readers 
may always be able to rely upon the Agriculturist 
as a conservative, but at the same time a wide 
awake friend and adviser. 
HOW ABOUT THAT “AFBICAN 
IMPHEE.” 
Such of our subscribers as read the Tribune— 
and some others, are aware of the excitement 
raised last Spring, respecting a wonderful new 
plant that was destined to far eclipse ev6n the 
wonderful Chinese Sugar Cane itself—we refer 
of course to the “ African Imphee.” For a time 
there seemed to be the prospect of a lively com¬ 
petition between Sambo and John Chinaman, for 
the honor of sweetening the Universal Yankee 
Nation. We promptly investigated the matterat 
the time, and became satisfied that Sambo was 
no where—or to drop the slang, we found no rea¬ 
son for giving even a hearing in these columns 
to any claims put forth for the “Imphee.” Im¬ 
pelled by a host of inquiries, we, however, gave 
on page 142 (June Agriculturist), a brief explana¬ 
tion of some “ seed transactions ” which, we have 
been indirectly informed, lost us some love, and 
some money in the way of advertising. At a later 
period we declined even noticing Mr. Olcott’s 
work on Sugar Cane after its, appearance, mainly 
because of the prominence given to the “ Imphep ” 
in its pages. 
None of us frigid Northern people were allowed 
to test even the smallest quantity of the seed of 
the new plant, though two or three of us did suc¬ 
ceed in getting enough of it from France to exper¬ 
iment with, in a private way—the experiment is 
still going on, as the plants, though especially 
recommended for rapid growth, and early matur- 
