THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, April 28, 1857. 53 
fore, took the advantage of a mild, damp day in the be¬ 
ginning of this month, and bad them all dusted over 
with quicklime. There being a fair share of moisture 
at the time, much of the lime clung to the moss, and 
what fell to the ground was not lost. That this liming 
will effectually clear the trees I have not the least 
expectation, but it may check its growth, and if 
j additional vigour can be given to the tree the ultimate 
result may be satisfactory. Now, to encourage the 
growth of the trees I have adopted the only available 
j plan I could well resort to—giving the ground a good 
dressing of compost.' Having cleaned an adjoining 
pond out in the summer of 1855, and mixed some lime 
j with it last year, it is now in a good condition to lay on, 
and a good dressing of this will be of great service to 
the grass, if not to the trees, which I hope it will be. 
Certainly it can do them no harm, and I want to give the 
system a fair trial, as I confess to being rather sceptical 
of the inutility of pruning old fruit trees; but if I am 
wrong, and the case above proves so, I shall have no 
more hesitation in acknowledging the error than in 
| reporting a favourable issue. Time alone, that true 
and unerring judge of all our proceedings, will determine 
whether it has been judiciously done or otherwise. 
J. Robson. 
CHINESE SUGAR-CANE. 
This new plant seems to be destined to take an important 
position among American economical products. Its seeds 
were sent some six years ago from the North of China, by 
M. de Montigny, to the Geographical Society of Paris. From 
a cursory examination of a small field of it growing at 
Verrieres, in France, in the autumn of 1854, Mr. D. J. 
Browne, then on a mission for collecting agricultural in¬ 
formation and products, was led to infer that from the 
i peculiarity of the climate in which it was growing, and 
its resemblance to Indian corn, it would flourish in any 
region wherever that plant would thrive. From this source 
he obtained some 200 pounds of the seed, which was 
distributed in small packages among Members of Con¬ 
gress, with the view of experimenting with it in all parts 
! of the Union, and thereby ascertaining its adaptation 
to the soil and climate, and its economical value in the 
United States. In numerous instances the results proved 
highly satisfactory, as it attained the height of twelve or 
I fifteen feet as far north as St. Paul, Minnesota, and matured 
its seeds at various points in Massachusetts, New York, 
Pennsylvania, and Illinois. The following year, while in 
! France on a similar mission as above, Mr. Browne obtained 
several bushels of the seed of this plant, grown from that 
reputed to have been brought from South Africa by Mr. 
Leonard Wray, of London, and which has since proved to be 
identical with that obtained in 1854. 
There appears to be a doubt among many in Europe, 
as well as in this country, as to the true botanical name of 
this plant. M. Louis Vilmorin, a scientific cultivator of 
Paris, provisionally gave it the name of Holcus saccharatus , 
which had previously been applied to the common Broom- 
corn, if not to other species, or at least varieties, of some 
allied plant. He also conjectured that it might be the Sor¬ 
ghum vulgare (Andropogon sorghum of others), and thought 
that it might comprehend a variety, as well as Andropogon 
Catfra, bicolor , &c., of Kunth. Mr. Wray, who has devoted 
much time and attention to ithe cultivation of this plant, 
with the view of extracting sugar from its juices, at Cape 
Natal and other places, states that, in the south-east part of 
Caffraria, there are about fifteen varieties of it, some of them 
growing to a height of twelve and fifteen feet, with stems as 
thick as those of the Sugar-cane, Saccharum officinale. M. 
Vilmorin also says that, in a collection of seeds sent to the 
Museum of Natural History at Paris in 1840 by M. d’Abadre, 
there were thirty kinds of Sorghum, among the growth of 
which he recognised several plants having stems of a sac¬ 
charine flavour. Others are of the opinion that the common 
Broom-corn ( Holcus saccharatus ), the Chocolate or Guinea- 
corn ( Sorghum vulgare ), and the Chinese Sugar-cane (Sor¬ 
ghum saccharatum), all of which contain more or less sac¬ 
charine matter, belong to the same species, but are variations 
caused by differences of soil and climate, or by a disposition 
to sport after the manner of Indian corn and other plants 
under cultivation. The Chinese Sugar-cane differs from the 
others in containing a far larger proportion of juice, and 
consequently is more valuable for fodder and other economical 
uses. 
In 1766 a plant analogous to the one in question Avas 
experimented upon at Florence, in Italy, by Pietro Arduino, 
for the extraction of sugar; yet it must have been of a 
different variety, as he describes its seeds as of a clear 
brown colour, while those of the Chinese Sugar-cane are of 
a shining, jet black, and in appearance identical with those 
of the Sorghum vulgare of the old collections. 
Description and Habit of its Growth. —The Chinese 
Sugar-cane, when cultivated on ordinary land in the United 
States somewhat after the manner of Broom-corn, grows to a 
height of fronjeightto sixteen feet, while in Europe it does not 
attain more than half this altitude. Its stems are straight and 
smooth, often covered with a white bloom or down, having 
leaves somewhat flexuous, falling over, and greatly resembling 
in appearance those of Indian corn, but more elegant in its 
form. Where cultivated in hills, containing eight or ten 
stalks each, it puts forth at its top a conical panicle of 
dense flowers, green at first, but changing into violet shades, 
and finally into dark purple at maturity. In France, and in 
the central and northern sections of the United States, it 
has thus far proved an annual; but from observations made 
by M. Vilmorin, as well as some experiments in our southern 
states, it is conjectured that, from the vigour and fulness of 
the lower part of the stalks in autumn, by protecting them 
during the winter they would produce neAv plants the follow¬ 
ing spring. It stands drought far better than Indian corn, 
and will resist the effects of considerable frost Avithout injury 
after the panicles appear, but not in its younger and more 
tender state. If suffered to remain in the field after the 
seeds have ripened and been removed, Avhen the season is 
sufficiently warm and long, new panicles will shoot out at 
the topmost joints, one or more to each stalk, and mature a 
second crop of seeds. The average yield of seed to each 
panicle is at least a gill. 
Cultivation. —Since its introduction into this country 
the Chinese Sugar-cane has proved itself well adapted to 
our geographical range of Indian corn. It is easy of culti¬ 
vation, being similar to that of Maize or Broom-corn, but 
will prosper in a much poorer soil. It does not succeed so 
well, however, when soAvn broadcast Avith the view of pro¬ 
ducing fodder, as it will not groAV to much more than one 
half of its usual height. If the seeds are planted in May 
in the middle states, or still earlier in the south, two crops 
of fodder can be groAvnin a season from the same roots—the 
first one in June or July, to be cut before the panicles 
appear, which would be green and succulent, like young 
Indian corn, and the other a month or two later, at the time 
or before the seed is fully matured. In the extreme 
northern states, where the season is too short and cool to 
ripen the seeds in the open air, the cultivator will necessarily 
have to obtain his seed from regions further south. If it 
were important for him to raise his own seed, he could start 
the plants under glass in the spring, and remove them to 
the field or garden at about the period of planting Indian 
corn, after Avhich they would fully mature. Iavo quarts of 
seed are found to be sufficient to plant an acre. If the soil 
be indifferent or poor they may be planted in rows or drills 
three feet apart, with the plants from ten to twelve inches 
asunder; but if the soil be rich they may be planted in hills, 
five or more seeds to each, four or five feet apart in one 
direction, and three or four in the other. The plants may 
be worked or hoed twice in the course of a season, in a 
similar manner to Indian corn. Any suckers or superfluous 
shoots which may spring up should be removed. The seed 
should not be harvested before it acquires a dark or black 
hue. Should the plants lodge or fall to the ground by the 
excessive Aveight of the heads, during storms of wind or 
rain, before the seed matures, they may remain for Aveeks 
without injury. In collecting the seed, a convenient method 
is to cut off the stalks about a foot below the panicles, tie 
them up in bunches of twenty-five, and suspend them in any 
secure, airy place, sheltered from rain. If intended solely 
