Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1856-11-07

Farmers to Look at.
We clip the following from the
Louisville Journal Of last Fri
day:
'sThe Chinese sugar-cane seed,
distributed by the Patent Office
last spring, promises to be COM
plete success at the North. A
package Of seed was planted in |
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, lat
ituie 401-2 degrees North, and
has arrived at maturity. The
maximum height Of the stalk
was ten feet, and the product in |
grain much greater than any ce-
realunder cultivation. The stalk |
is perfectly green after the seed
has reached maturity, and the |
saccharine principle is then fully |
developed. The juice, which is
most abundant, is very sacehar-
Inc, quite as much SO as the vari-
ETY. Of cane cultivated at the
South. Whether the juice con-
tains the same amount of cryst-
allizable sugar remains to be seen.
Should it be found equal to or6i-
nary cane in that respect, a new
era In the agriculture Of the
North viii be inaugurated, and an
immense breadth Of land be de-
voted to its culture as soon as
the necessary seed can be obtain
ed, which viii require another
year at least. The seed having
been distributed late in thespring,
which was cold and backward,
there is good reason to believe
that much planted did not reach
maturity. Should the plant fail,
so far as the manufacture Of su-
gar is concerned, yet its value as
a forage crop cannot be over esti-
mated at the North. Cattle, hor-
ses and hogs eat the entire stalk
with ayidity, and no doubt would
fatten rapidly on it. The seed,
which is small, has a thin, black
hull which can be taken of, leav-
ing a fine, white flour as a resi-
due. We have no means at pres
ent Of estimating the value Of
this -four as an article offood, but
no doubt its merits will be fully
investigated. The culture requir.
ed for this plant is similar to that
adopted for Indian corn when
planted in rows, and the seed
should be put into the ground a.
bout the same time. As it is {
quick and strong growing plant
it should be we'll MANFRED"
The high price Of sugar, which
promises we'll to go higher and ne
yer to fall, and the apparentl,
chronic failure of the cane croI
South, makes a resort to some
substitute absolutely necessary,
we are not to see sugar become a
it was thirty years ago, a luxury
that poor families could only in
dulge in once a week. Our su
perb maple forests for a long tim
supplied the better portion of tn
sugar consumed in the country
and no inconsiderable part Of tn
town consumption, but the chea
per Southern article gradual,
drove it out of use, and the sue
ar trees were cut down for fir
wood. or to make room for th
plough. It was sad b!under, a
we now find, but men can'tsee te
ten years ahead The resultma
teach the lucky possessors
good asugar caEps" the value
keeping them. We can't look
the sugar trees to supply the fai
ure of the cane now. But
seems that We are not to be le
without sugar material in spite
the destruction oftrees and can
The sorghum saccharatum,"
"ChineSe sugar-cane,' has latel
been introduced into this coul
try, and the few experiment
made upon it with a view to i
utility as sugar producer, ha,
been astonishingly successful
What it is, and how it is to
cultivated. our readers may Leaf
from the above extract, and SON
further information appended h
low. It has been successful
raised in this county b
Mr.. VIM. P. Long. He has trit
its sugar furnishing propertie
land finds it equal to any repr
sensations made of it. We sa
a small bottle Of the molasse
and we can attest from the be
Of evidence good long tas
that it is very much better a
vored than ordinary Orleans m
lasses, resembling the @clarifet
or "golden syrup and even mo
resembling a first rate article
"home made" The stalk W