The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-12-28
Te0Sinte (Reana LuXuriansJ-My
EXDori0nce.

NJ C. Wauchope. M. D., in Lake City Reporter.
/ planted this gigantic gramm@a
two years ago, but owing to my not
getting the seed till rather late in the
spring, and my neglecting to protect
from the severe and sudden frost,
the two plants l had growing in the
fall, failed to secure seed, though
they had bloomed. l was SO much
pleased, however, with its general
appearanceand luxuriant growth that
1 determined to procure more seed
and plant again this year. j. FL.
Gregory, in his seed catalogue, thus
describes it: ga perennial in hot cli>
mates. 1t somewhat resembles Indi
an corn in aspect and habit OF
growth, but the leaves are much lar
ger and broader, and the stalk is
filled with sweeter sap, and is likely
to prove of value for the production
of sugar. In its perfection it produ.
ces a great number of shoots, growr
ing three or four yards high, very
thickly covered with leaves, yielding
such an abundance of forage that one
plant is estimated 10 be sufficient tol
feed a pair Of cattla foA sSUant.y fousA
hours"
M. S. A. Cooke writes: "It SUR
passes either corn or sorghum as
soiling or fodder plant. ! counted
eighty>five stalks from one seed.
They grew eleven feet in height, and
but for excessive dry weather would
have been much taller. Cows are
extrayagantly fond of them"
Mr.. Gregory sent me twelve or
fifteen seed, ten or eleven of them
sprouted and grew. They were
planted about the same time as my
corn, but were much slower III
growth, as they commenced to stool
like wheat, rye and other cereal
grains. Several seeds made from
forty to fifty stalks; several OF these
also threw out branches two or three
feet from the ground as large nearly
as the parent stalk. These grew to
the height of twelve to eighteen teet,
and had a great abundance of blades
or leaves. When some of the plants
had attained the height of two or
three teet, l cut them off and fed
them to my horse and COWS.
Both seemed TO be passionately fond
of them, and gave them the prefers
erence over pearl millet and other
green food. The plants cut soon
grew out again and were cut several
Times tor feed
Some five or six punches were unI
molested and saved for seed. They
commenced 10 tassel and silk about
the first Of September The tas>
sells resemble Indian corn; the
shoots, which are very numerous,
ten or twelve to each stalk, have a
few silks ike corn, but produce their
seed in covered bags like the chaff
which is around oats, but in some-
what triangular shapes, nicely adjust
ted to each other, some eight or ten
to a head on a small thread>like fila
ment, from which they are easily
threshed out or detached by the
hand, and are excessively hard, ais
most too much SO to be crushed by
the human teeth.
agree with Mr.. Gregory, in
thinking it may produce sugar, as
vast numbers of insects are found
upon the leaves and stalks about the
time OF maturity, and from the fact
that stock will even eat the dry
leaves which form on the stalks
about the time OF eff1oresehce, and
are easily pulled off. The stalks re-
semble sugar cane in size and general
appearance, and where protected