Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-31
FARM AND GARDEN,
oMETHING ABOUT SORGHUM.

SOMETHING ABOUT SORGH UNI.
If the founders of our republic could
visit the scenes of their labors and witness
the ten thousand inventions and discove-
ries that serve to mitigate pain and increase
the physical enjoyments of man, they
would probably find a sigh escaping them
that they were born a century too early.
Nearly every year Witnesses some dis
covery of new plants or some new virtues
in old ones. In the year 1886, Prof.
Pietro Arduino, brilliant FlOrentine, and
a man of refinement and culture, attempt
ed to introduce the culture of the imphee
into Italy from Caffraria. But the pre-
iudice which was then felt, and is still
felt, in many localities, against the intro
duction of new plants was so great as to
make his attempt failure. n thing fur
ther was done, until 1851 when the French
Consul at Shanghai, sent seeds to Paris,
all of which persisted except one, and
from this all Europe and America were
supplied with what is called
SORGHUM.
Sorghum is a species of millet which
includes four varieties; broom corn,
imphee, doura and sorghum 8Hcre.
The last is the only one we pre-
pose to speak of in this arti-
Gle. Not until 1856, did the COL
tivation of this plant begin to att:act at
tention in the United States. During
that year seeds were distributed by the
Patent Office Department at Washington,
and by Mr.. Orange Judd, the enterprising
elitor of the American AgricutturfSt
and Hearth and Home. Since that time
it has gradually gained ground, until in
most of the Middle and Northern States,
it is recognized by leading farmers as
staple crop.
CULTURE.
Sorghum likes a rich, sandy loan with
8 light porous subSOil, but will grow well
wherever broom corn will flourish. In
higher ATTITUDES, q southern exposure is to
be preferred, as its maturity is thereby
hastened, but in our own State any other
situation is better, as its vigorous growth
demands large quantity of moisture. 1t
should be planted in rows, on rich land,
four feet apart in drills, to be thinned
out so as the stalks will not stand closer
together than eight inches in the row.
Drills are preferred because it is less la
BILE to blow down. The covering should
be light, say half inch Or inch at most.
Being very delicate when it first makes
its appearance, it should be kept clear OF
grass and weeds and well cultivated until
at least four feet high, at which time it may
be "Laid b." and no further work to il
is required except to keep it suckered IN
til the seed begin to pass from the milk
to the hard state. Then it should be
stripped of its fodder, cut and stacked up
in the field. 1t should never be put W
when wet, because should warm weatheI
- suneryeue. fermentation would be in
duced and the juice become acidifed.
VARIETIES.
The variety to be preferred depends SC
much upon climate aud soil and the purpo'
essfor which it is grown that each enc mus
determine the question as to which is bes
for himself. In our own State the Ola
heitan is thought to be best for sugar
as a larger per centage of its juice can b
crystallized, while for the manufactured
syrup the Liberian is grown. This last
usually known as the Red-tOp, and
more generally grown in the State
Tennessee than any other. No two va
rieties should be grown on the same plar
tation, nor should it be planted nea
broom corr, as its tendency to hybridIza
ton diminishes the quantity of sacbarin
matter, and of course its yield in saleabl
products per acre. And if two varietle
are grown near each other they lot
their distinctive peculisrities by q fusion
SO to speak, of their characteristics
The best fertilizer for it is lime, plaste
and well rotted manure. Stable manu-
induces a too vigorous growth, and IL
creases its liability to fall down,
which event a gummy juice exude
from the joints and impairs IL
quality of the syrup. The variety know
as the Chinese is also objected to on tn
ground and because of its strong sorgt
flavor.
PROFIT.
The yield of syrup on an acre und'
the most favorable conditions of sol
climate and season, has reached four hui
.dred gallons, but ordinarily one hundr'
and fifty gallons would be fair averat
WELD In 1865 the States north OF L
Ohio made an average of one hundr
and forty-six gallons to the acre, Whit
at the low price of fifty cents per gallo