The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-19
THAT NEW CEREAL.
Cane Brakes That Produce a Grain
which May Prove "A Valuable Crop.

Tune nEAAtH ~
which May Prove "A Valuable Crop.
From the New York Sun.
Washington, Sept. IA report became
current in the south last spring dhat
new grain had been discovered, and the
agricultural department has since been
collecting information on the subject.
The largest crop seems to have appeared
in the neighborhood of Pittsburg, Russell
county, Ala. There, on the lOW-lying
banks of streams, there are quantities Of
cane from the lips of which hang long
tassels composed of punches of leaves
and seeds much like oats. 1t was discover
ed that cattle going down into the cane
brake would eat the tassels The grain
was found to be sweet and starchy, nav
ing a general flavor not unlike oats After
this discovery quantities of the cane were
gathered and threshed. The grain was
fed to farm animals. Horses, II is said
preferred IL to corn or oats. Chickens and
hogs were also fed with IL, and the hogs
became fat on it, So far as is known at
present, no attempts have been made to
grind it into flour and make bread, but
il is believed that If properly ground IL
could be made into bread and pastry which
would be both palatable and nutritious.
Prof. f. v. Coville. who has charge of
the herbarium at the agricultural depart
menl, SdlQ IldL II Sefiltu now Us II the
chief difficulty in regard to the new cereal
was the unreliability of its growth. The
cane near Pittsboro has been known to
grow for years without tassels or grain.
Now, for no apparent cause, 1t produced
an enormous crop. lie thought that If,
by continued planting and cultivation the
cane could be made to seed with some
regularity, there was no doubt of its
value as a cereal in the same class as corn,
oats, and barley; but so little is really
known about the seed of the cane brake
that at present it is very difficult matter
to make any trustworthy prediction about
its sphere of usefulness.
In appearance the seeds are very much
like oat grains, except for their SIZE
which is two or three times greater The
huSk is almost an inch long. The husK,
like that of some of the other cereals,
becomes dry and yellow, but the seed re-
mains hard, and Is very agreeable to the
taste. This hardness of the seed will pre-
vent it from decaying as rapidly as some
other cereals. 1t has a very high ger
minating percentage.
Owing to it's taste of oats, some people
have suggested that the cane has been
crossed with oats in the fields and brakes,
but it is not believed at the agricultural
department that this is the case. The
grain has been kept and planted in various
soils under different conditions to determ-
inc the regularity with which 1t will pro-
ular, the value of the cane to farmers
throughout the south will be inestimable.
Many of the farms and plantations con-
sist partially of cane brakes and LOVELY
ing lands, which, if the seeds is found to
yield regularly, might all be put TO valua-
BILE uses. If crops nearly If not quite so
valuable as corn, could be gathered from
land heretofore considered almost useless,
the southern farmer would be glad to well
come the new cereal
In the crop near Pittsboro so large were
the tassels that it is said some OF the
smaller stalks were bowed to the ground.
One farmer made the assertion that enc
stalk yielded as much as a peck of grain.
According to newspaper accounts. mill
lions of bushels have been gathered, for
the farmers soon after the discovery took
advantage of the opportunity and put all
of their hands at work threshing out the
grain, which they stored up and will feed
to their cattle In the winter.