Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1856-08-30
SOVTHBRN BBNTINBL.
NEW SUGAR PLANT.

Dir. Wray, an American gentleman
residing in Paris, in a communication to
the London Times, describes a new plant
of the sugar cam species, called the I'm
phee,' the culture d (which seems destined
to bring about a revolution in the produc-
ton of sugar. The Chinese variety of
this plant, called the 'Shorgo,' is men
toned by MI. Fortune in his work on
China; and in 1914 Capt. Swinborn i'm
ported into England some seeds OF it; but
in 1852 the Geographical Society of
France received from M. de Montigny,
Consul General 1T Shanghai, q parcel of
these valuable seeds, which, with charac-
teristic sagacity, were Immediately ,distri-
buted to the most distinguished agricul-
turaIists and agricultural societies of
Franco, and by them carefully cultivated,
with beneficial results.
A far more valuable species, however,
is the Zulu Kair,' of which MI. Wray
has fifteen varieties, collected in Caffre-
land. Sugar manufactured from these
plants was first imported into Europe in
the beginning of 1854. These Imphees
vary in time of growth from seventy,five
to one hundred and thirty days, the most
p~reoocious requiring only from seventy
five to ninety days to arrive at maturity,
others, again, ninety to n hundred days
and so on Up to the gigantic BIN his-chu,
n-pa,' which requires one hundred and
thirty days, and reaches the height of
thirteen feet. The Chinese Tmphee, on
the other hand, even in the hxuriant soil
and climate of Algeria, does not ripen in
less than one hundred and sixty days, and
IS less full of juice than the Caffre variety.
To this il is principally owing that the
great efforts made by the French chem
lists and agriculturalists to obtain crystal
xed sugar from the juice Of The Chinese
variety, have hitherto so ~sigually failed
and that they are obliged to convert its
Juice into alchohOl Instead.
Perfect maturity, and a peculier pro-
cess of manufacture, which MIR. Wray
has already patented in many countries.
insure the most complete crystaIiza'ion Of
the concentrated juice, and the sugar oh
tained from it cannot be distinguished
from the q n sugar Of the West Indian
colonies, which it equals in every respect.
The Inphee yield from one to two and
a half tons OF Sugar to the acre, according
to the quality of the soil and the charac-
ter Of the climate, besides excellent grain
aud molasses; and in some departments
of France, the earliest varieties yield two
crops in the year from the same sowing.
The grain furnishes Il good meal, and the
sinks excellent fodder for cattle, while its
rapldity of growth ut the rate OF about
twelve inches n week. is marvellous
Mr. Wray has fora long time been labor
ing to introduce the culture of this plant
in France, and has now considerable
plantations in four of the Southern de-
partments, which fortunately have,
been much injured by the recent inunda.
sions. Official information has just been
received from G%uadaloupe, showing that
the Inphee introduced by him into that
Island has yielded four full crops in one
year, from the same sowing.
Mr. Wray has just reserved a com.
munication from the Viceroy of Egypt,
offering him ten thousand hectares of land
for experimenting with this new plant,
within his dominions.