New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-20
NewporkD Daily Gtiba,te
SyyTH hGRIcrL7yRM CONGRESS-.


UNIFIED STATES AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
ruy WHOLE STORY ABoI r THE INPHiE-ESrRA-
ORDINARY LETTER FROM THE United STATES
PATENT OFTICr--REMARks OF Dr. {. T. Sck-
SON OF Bo>roN-ADJoI RNMENT--riIE PREsI-
DENTS yALEDit TORY.
From 0Gr Spec!k Reporter. - ,,-s
WASHINGTON, Jan. II, 1888
The fret business in order this morning was the read
ing of letter from Prof. A. ID. Bache of the United
States Coas, Survey Office inviting the Society to visit
that Office a such time "a may be agreeable TO the
members The Pr sident announced the reception of
volume Of the transactions Of the Illinois State Agn'
cultural Society and stated that in Executive Session
I.t evening ufp, i>icns had been made 10 commence
library and preserve specimens presented 10 the
Srciety. .-,-.
in the President address which required the consider
alton OF a Special Committee, and he moved the APP
poiptm,n M Of such Committee, which accordingly
done. .o,.
The Hon. Henry Wager reported from the Commit
rec an awarding atestimonia to Mr.. Wilder, that thu
ann Of $3.50 had been appropriated for that purpose
Gov Brown of Mass. said he had seen Mr.. Widers
cultiy alton Of trees ard plants many years andtnH
in this Department as in his oiclnl connecVop rmn
the Society lac had ever found him earnest IN lsoor
Col II. n Burgwyn of ~ C., added his testimony 10
that OF Mr.. Brown.
Ex-President Wilder rose 10 return very hearty
thanks Tor this honor, ana the many prev lo"s e'
Of aft, ctou the part of the Society he should no.
have made any remarks this occasion Il he were
not DESTROYS 10 pay tribute to the unceas ing idsy
the cheerful zeal, and the accuracy with which MAJ
Ben Perey Poore of Mass had attended to the duties
of his Office Secretary If Il Society for two years
past. | express the opinions of my fcow-reporters
AT all the fairs OF this Society in indorsing the euIogy
of Elk President Wilder.
Mr.. Byington of Iowa moved that the Secretary be
instructed oexchange the Society Transactions with
the various State Societies Adopted.
Of N..tth ina In in
,rotuce Mr. Leonard Wray Of England, who would
address the meeting on the subject OF the African
Imphee. ,.-., ,t.... -
Nj. wray commenced by sketehng the hs19f{ o,
the discovery of the imphee in Cahraria: he haa
been in the East Indies in 1850, but his wife iang
health compelled him to visit the Colony oil Natai,
South Africa where he resided for three years
During this residence he had discoVered Tue rnP'tes
growing around the Kraais of the Zulu kalirs, by
whom they were universally cultivated Tor the mere
nurpose of chewing the stalks and sucking the JUICE
but not at all for sugar making
practical sugar-plantcr himself, he saw al once,
from the great sweetness of the juice and the very
brief time required for completing the growth, that
the plants might be immense value to the world ny
extending the sugarbeariDg region over the Whoio
Temnerate zone. Having cultivated aud at much
mains collected together fifteen varieties OF imphee,
which had been previously unknown to Europeans, ne
sailed for Europe in the early part OF 1904 taxing
with him seed OF all the imphees, and sugar which he
had made from the Juices These seeds and sugar ne
exhibited at the Exposition Unverselle ct Paris. and
received the silver medal. Mr. Wray also stated
that he bad received from the Emperor Napoleon
grant of two thousand five hundred acres 81 lana IN
Algeria with privilege Of selection in any OF the three
PROVINCES of that Colony. He had put the seed into
cultivation on the property Of NJ. lie Comte de Beau
regard near Toulon. Mr.. Wray, to show that IN the
Island of Guadalupe the imFse haa peen trieu in
comparison with the sugar cane, presented copy oil
the JoprHal de GVodoIoupc, in which, over the sigma
ture of NJ Dreyeton, Secretary>ot the Agricultural So
cety of Guadaloupe, it Is certified that IN tis cele-
=. ~ Ii tt. IN N
de Chazclles the imphee juice marked lOi Beaumc
nearly ll-when the sugar.cane only marked r. B',
the comparison being made the same estate at the
end Of the rainy season. MIR. Wrny protested agaihs,
Ike name Chinese Sugar Cane, for II members would
but examine a head of imphee on the table, which
had been brought by him direct from Africa they
would that it was exactly similar to the sorgho, or
Chinese cane. He believed that the sorgho had been
taken to China by the Portuguese, from their CAT
frarian colony at DelagOa bay. In fact, his SUPPOSE
ton received confirmation from the report recently
made TO the Boston Natural Historical Society by Mr..
c. j. Sprague Mr.. Sprague had. in consultation with
Prof Gray the celebrated botanst, given an opinion
that the sorghO was merely variety OF the same
specie AndrOpOgoa, to which the mphee belonged.
alone should grow in China, and eighteen be found in
south Africa unless the solitary specimen had been 7
taken from the latter to the former country.
In this country most Of the seed had been planted
N the estate of Gov. Hammond of \. c.. but unfor-
tunaely the largest proportion of II was found to be
mixed with Dowrah corn, the Ma 0d-he Of Africa.
Small patches were planted with selected seed, and
apart from the main crop. The crop of seed amounted
to some seven thousand bushels but all of this except
only about four hundred and fifty bushels of the pure
seed had been fed to the cattle, because neither Gov.
Hammond nor himself were willing to permit mixed
seed to be distributed throughout the country. When
the crop harvested, he had offered one hundred
bushels to the United States Patent Office, which was.
for most mysterious reasons, refused although the
head Of the Department had previously appeared to
favor its purchase. Not only bad this seed been
fused but efforts had been made by person in public
Office, using the prestige OF that office, to destroy
public confidence in the value OF his iDphees. This
letter he would proceed to read.
Mr. d. Jay Browne of District Of Columbia supposed
that the letter referred to private one, written
by him to publisher in NewYork, and he would sug-
vi il under such circumstances. The Patent Office
was Dot responsible in the premises, but merely him
self a. a private ndivid
Col. Burgwyn Of North Carolina said that with all
due Difference to the gentleman he thought that no
cOnceament should be used, aud if the letter con-
tanned matter the publicity Of which might materially
bear upon the value of the plant, Mr. Wray should be
permitted to make Of il, any other papers bear
ing upon the case.
Mr. Foster of Maine agreed to this view Of the mat
ter.
DR.. Higgins, State Agricultural Chemist Of Ma.
ryland, spoke to the question, and on his motion II
BY the chair put to vote aud unanimously res lived
that the letter should be read. The following its
its contents
L. 5. PATENT OFFICE, Dec Is 1851
DEAR SIR: AZ moJted question whether the Chinese
he extended the United sse whether plants viii no
ably aud whether the mphee b. no, between
plant, have been requested purchase
u the seed unless yos deem sa until you wb scon The
ps on the 18Th y ness mouth ! beSes ;a.i h.Ss
sdy hundred bushels ID the imPhee seed IN the United
States which win be thrown into he market such prices
This ofce has refused 20 purchase any Of the seed
AOuf yeryre