Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-03-11
Sorghum In America,

III VIC spIluS VI 1000, Tue EulJOr
of the American Agriculturist receiv-
ed small parcel of sorghum seed from
Messrs, Vllmorin, Andreux & Co., the
noted scotsman of Paris, who had
brought it from China. 1t was
planted in rich garden soil, and grew
Is to Is feet high, maturing it's seed
well. The children of the neighbor-
hood found the juices of the stalks so
sweet that they used up a large part
of three rows rs feet in length. A
sketch of one of the plants was made
and published, with description, in
this journal for February, 1857. 1t
was subsequently announced that the
seed would be distributed among our
readers, to be divided equally among
all who should send an envelope di-
rected to themselves-say from % to
so seeds each. This publication
brought samples to the office from
three other parties within 80 miles of
N. Y. City. Soon after stranger
came in and tried to buy all our seed.
When his offer reached $500 pound,
he was imfoI med that it would not be
sold at any price, as it was already
promised to our readers. He then
produced newspaper item from the
west, where lie had been travelling,
and said the interest was SO great that
he could divide pound into hun
dred or more parcels and sell them
quickly at $1,O0 parcel. AS soon
as he left the Office, the editor sent
out and bought all the seed in the
three localities he had heard of, al
IS pound. At the same time he
wrote to the Paris seedsmen to send
him all the seed they had, and draw
on him for the pay. To his surprise
Consideration almost-they return
ed word by the next steamer that
they had shipped 1000 lbs. mo At,
lantic cable then) and held 600 lbs,
more to his order. The whole was
ordered at once, and when the 1000
lbs. arrived it was Immediately an
nounced that none of it would be sold,
but that packet of at least 400 seeds
would be presented to any reader of
the American Agriculturist who desir-
ed it-enough to experiment with and
to provide an abundant supply of
plants the next year if it proved val
liable. Thirty-One Thousand l,000)
parcels were distributed to our read
ers throughout the country, and plant
ed, Enough was saved and sent to
Georgia to grow "a, 5000 lbs Ut tons)
of seed, during the summer OF 1857.
This was sent to this Office, and full
pound given Ito every reader desiring
it for discover 10000 pound par
GELS were thus distributed.
From the above seed thus widely
and freely scattered was produced at
least nine-tenths of all the sorghum
growing in this country. A small
quantity was sent to from the
patent office, and sold by dealers).
Hundreds of millions of gallons of
syrup were made and used during the
war when the usual supply of southern
grown sugar was cut off 1t was
worth many millions of dollars to the
country. But such difficulty was ex-
perienced in producing good sugar
that the cultivation fell off after the
supply of southern grown sugar came
in. Quite "boom" was started later
onsby high claim asserted for variety
called the African "lmphee," but
this soon died out. Recently, the
improved processes of obtaining the
saccharine matter incystalline form,
as sugar, have given new impetus,
and p. omising results are anticipated.