Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1857-02-13

of the stalk consists Of juice, which varies in
richness according TO the size, vigor, and
| healthnoss Of the plant. That taken from o
cane seventeen feet in height and one inch
and a half in diamater, grown in the District
, of Columbia, on the moist loamy land refer
aed to above. yielded only fourteen per cent
Of dry sacharine matter while that from
stalk about nine feet in height an inch in di-
, ameter, cultivated on light land in Massachu-
setts, gave twenty-thrce per cent. Further
, more, it was asserted that alcohol of a supe-
rior quality and agreeable taste. resembling
noyoau. had been manufactured from ia
brcad-saying crop being thus supplied--and
that, if redistillod with grape seeds. it would
produce an excellent brandy. But a difficulty
had been apprehendod, both in the manuiao-
ture Of sugar and alcohol from the fcrmenta-
ton Of the juice in warm weather, owing to
the short time left for the manufacture. This,
however, he thought might be obviated, in a
northern climate, by planting the seed sufl-
ciently late to allow its maturity to occur dur
ing the time Of the light autumnal frosts lie
had observed that the juice did not Torment
where the mean temperature Of the day was
40 . or so f.; but at greater heat it soon
partook of the nature of cider, and would
doubtless eventually make am excellent vine
h''f HiNN'i hNiiNi'N A"ii'h7 Va WHICH, hN
thought, might be produced to the acre.
In respect to its nutritive properties he cit
ed instances of cows which had been fed up
on this cane exclusively giving diminished
quantity Of milk, but of increased richness of
quality. lie had seen two stock cows. not
giving milk, which had subsisted entirely up
on it for six weeks that were in good CON
dition for the butcher. In another case the
seeds were sown broadcast and the crop used
for soihng The animals fed upon it in
green state throve we'll, ahording excellent
milk without exhibiting any symptoms of
'hoyen or iatulcncy, which arc sometimes
produced IN feeding upon succulcnt clover or
indian corn The most serious objections to
TINS plant he conceived to be the woody ma
ture OF the covering OF the stalk when fully
matnred' which renders 1t more difficult to
crush for the purpose of obtaining its juice,
and its unhtnoss as fodder for animals with
out being reduced to fragments by cutting,
though when thus reduced, it is grccdily de-
youred by cattle, horses, sheep, and swine.
The only insects he had observed TO attack it
were species of green plant-hce, (aphides.) /.
winch appeared to do no essential harm. |
The seeds he thought, could be raised at
about the price of oats, and would prove
highly valuable for the purpose of feeding TO
animals, if not employed for human food /
When deprived of their Policies or covering
they had been used in France in the manu- /
facturo of chocolate-the pellicles themselves
being employed for dyoing silk. impartinr
shades varying from a pale-violet to a rose
carmine.
As to the fact of this plant exhaustinp Che
SOIL Mr.. Browne thought there was no doubt.
Judging from its analogy to the perennial
cane, he believed that at least half of its ash
consists of phosphates, and more than one
fourth of silica. He did not think it advisa-
bic to apply to this crop much. if any. stable