The true Democrat., 1857-03-24
China Sugar Cane.

G. w. Kendall former editor of the N. Q. Plcayune and resident in Texas, writes as lol- lows in reference to this species of cane:
 For the last six months have hardly open- ed paper, whether devoted to agriculture, po- lltcs, religion, sporting affairs, or what not without seeing some notice of the Sorgho Sucre or Chinese sugar cane; why have 1 not per- feet right to add my experience to the gene ral stock of information n relation to the cultivation of this new grain, or plant, or whatever it may be termed? To begin, then.
 In October, 1855, I purchased in Paris small paper of the seed. do lot think there Was more than two heaping -spoousful of 1t, or three at the outside. l brought it with me to New Orleans, and on arriving sent 1t here to be planted When I reached this place, early in May last, it was just peering above the ground, two rows of 1t in a ten acre field, which had been devoted to the main to mlet, oa;s, and little Indian corn, and four short rows u our garden--the latter lanted last.
 About the eighth of July the two rows in the larger field had shot up, headed out, and rpened, notwithstanding the drought, and the heavy heads were cut for seed The oats meanwhlIe had not come up. the miiet was hardly above ground, while the Indian corn
 
 Two or three morning, rwdrds, on looking at the field from a hill close by, l noticed that the two rows of Sorgho Sucre had entirely dis appeared, while rows of Indian corn on either side were still standing On close examina- ton, ascertaned that lot of hogs-hoss are apt to do such thng>--had broken into the field, and devoured the Chinese sugar cane root and branch 1t was cut clean to the ground by the psrkerS, not sign vestige was lett while, aS already stated, the stalks of the com- mon Indian corn on either side were left stanu- ing. l was thankful had saved the seed and thought httle more of it,
 Some few days after this--perhaps a fort nlght-lhe rows planted Ill the garden were ex- amined. the heads Of seed found to be riue. aild the greater portion cut and brou yht to the house, leaving the tall stalks still standing.-- Oh cutting down one o! the latter, which must have been ten feet hign l found 1t to be ex- ceedlngly heavy, and on tasting the cane 1t seemed to me to be as full of saccharine juice as the ordinary sugar cane of Louisiana At the same time l had two or three imported French merilo sheep in my yard, in great want of green fodder, and on cutting the cane into small pieces l found that they devoured 1t with the greatest avidty. After this fed them on It Tor some time, single stalk furnishing a good bait. also gave some of it to favorite mare, she eating It even more grecdily than the sheep
 Some three weeks after the ripe heads of seed were cut noticed that new heads had shot up from the same stalk; and these new heads bossomed, filled and ripened in Septenl- Der, and were cut and brought to the house -- All thls tune you must recollect we were suf- feiinS from the unprecedented drouth, and h. alan corn and sweet potatoes, water melons, pumpkins, and the like, had died down to the very ground.
 now became more interested in the Sorsho Sucre than ever and although I still fed out daily to the merinoes and mare, left portion of the stalks standing Soon new heads were seen shooting forth and these in turn blossomed and ripened as did the first. I kept no account of dates, but think this third crop of seed from the same stalk, if so l may call it, was galhst- ed about the first of October; 1t might have been during the second week of that month. 1 planted some of this last seed, by way of experiment; 1t came up rapidly, looked thrifty. grew until It was nearly knee high, and was hnally cut down by frost in November. A great number of shoots orsuckers, which had sprung up rom the stalks first planted, were cut down at the same time; the Sorgho Sucre can stand any Kind Of a drought, but the first sharp frost kills 1t to the ground.
 And what amount of seed do you think I gathered from the little paper 1 purchased in Paris? Nearly, if not quite two bushels, and had not the hogs broke into the field be,isvs 1 should have had three
 Of its properties for the production of sugar l can say nothing; only know that it tastes iKe the common sugar caae, and Is full of iuite aoout the tune the first heads ripen. As a green fodder it also beats everything which grows; horses, sheep, and hogs are certainly inordInately fond of it. and so full are the stalks of saccharne matter, that they must le both nutritious and tattening. l cannot say what kiid ot bread or cakes the seed will afford, nor can tell what kind of dry fodder the plant will make when cut green; these experiments have yet to try and now that 1 have the seed l intend to do 1t on a grand scale shall plant it rows, or drills, shall SOW it and shall cut jt at different stages to try its qualities a, dry fodder. Let me repeat over and over again that it stands drought better than anything