The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-08-21
From the Philadelphia North 4dmerican.
The Cane and Bamboo-LOngevity OF
PIanta.

A paragraph which we copied on Friday from
the Knoxville Regisfsr shows that our friends IN
East Tennessee arc somewhat agitated just now by
what they seem to regard as an unheard Of phenom-
enon among the canes, which is nothing less than
hese plants suddenly producing flowers and seeda
about this time last year." says the R<g'sfer'
he cane upon several islands in the rivers of East
Tennessee discovered to be producing small
grains, which very much resembled rye, both a. to
size and shape 1t grew in heads, and was covered
with chaf like that OF wheat" The production
was then considered remarkable, and 80 unusual
that not even s'thc oldest nhahitant" had
any thing Of the kind. "This year." continues
the Register "we told that the throughout
East Tennessee is bearing, in almost incredible
quantities, the same grain. At some places IT
would not be difficult TO collect as much as twenty
| Ave thirty bushels per acre. Some persons
| owning lands have already gathered large
quantities of the grain, which, they find, makes a
| tiour equal in appearance to that OF wheat, and
equally as palatabc when cooked in the form OF
cakes &c.'' And then the Register goes on to add
that the seeds eagerly dcvourcd by pigs and
fowis; that--and it mentions this NJ remarkable
feature--"so soon the grain begins TO mature
the begins TO die, and the indications are that
all the cane in East Tennessee will die out this
season." and that has been suggested TO farmers
there to SOW the seed upon the woodla nds, for the
purpose Of forming and keeping up cane pastures.
This account is highly interesting; but however
uncommon the phenomenon OF the ctaorescenco
and fructhcation Of the canc there Is nothing out
Of the way or unnatural in it, The American cane
s like the Oriental bamboo, one OF the long lived
the very long g-lived-grasses, which bear seed but
once, and complete their term OF existence when
they hear III the period being extended that it
does not usually happen to one generation, or to
single individual, to be able to mark the time We
cannot find from the books--or such as we have
been able to refer tothat the period OF the cfiores-
cence of the cane has been yet ascertained The
Knoxville Register says that the Oldest inhabitant
never noticed the phenomenon before II TINS be
So il shows that the period is an uncommonly long
one The Anglo Saxons have been familiar with
East Tennessee and the cane plant ever since the
time of Boone's rambles to Kentucky-eighty.o .one
years ago--or, rather, from the founding OF Fort
Loudon twelve years earlier lhe occurrence OF
such phenomenon during this period must have
been observed and remarked. 1t seems, however,
never to have been heard OF. Yet We must not
fall into an error this account The French De-
gan to be familiar with the great interior valley,
from the mouth of the Misssppi to the lakes, near
two hundred years ago. and we are not aware that
they ever chronicled any observations this point
although it is most likely the canes must have
blossomed several times during that long period
We have the advantage Of having commenced
precise and authentic record for the years 49 and
1850.
What the cane is. in this particular, in the United
States, the bamboo is in Hndosan, where inteiiI-
gent Englshmen have been struck by the similar
phenomenon Of its sudden fructihcation, and have
sought with some success, to ascertain the peaoo
OF lis growth A friend has placed in our hands
copy of the Proceedings Of the agricultural and Hor
ticultHal Society Of India, for February, lo42, III
which il article containing souic interesting
on this subject, the results OF the inqu
ries of DR.. Wallicb, Major Slceman, and other sa-
| vans on the spot. These gentlemen mention the
| towering, in 1924, Of what they call the "ceIe-
| brated" grove hedge Of bamboos which sur
rounds the city of Rampore, in Rohilcund-it an.
swers the purpose Of " wall or fertilization and
in extent is '.unrivalled in India" According to
| their inquiries the seed first sown IN 10Y
which would give the bamboo life OF hfty- -hve
years-avery respectable term, considering that the
bamboo is, like the cane, only species OF gigantic
grass.
The bamboo also resembles its American congo
ner in producing, when it does reach its bearing
year. large quantities Of highly nutritious grain
The work Just quoted refers TO the circumstance OF
failure of the rice crop occurring in the province
OF Orissa in 1912, when general famine was only
prevented by the providental Towering OF all the
bamboos of particular kind followed by seed.
which the poor people watched for and gathered
day and night. spreading cloths under the trces TO
caich il, and SO were fed and preserved by thou
senus.
The Tennessee farmers are acting wisely IN SOW
inc the cane seed in their woodlands. They know
it's value for winter pastures. Most probably, II
they could spare seed, some OF our caster farmers
would like TO try the experment-thought the cane,
where il even appears naturally, does not thrive
very well east of the mountainss