NATURAL CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETIES OF SORGO. 1 Race. EUSORGHUM. TRUE CHINESE CANE. 2 Race. Paniculis sparsis, patentissimis. Panicle thin, widely spreading. VARIETY A.-Chinensis. CHINESE SORGO. Panicle compound, rhombie- This plant appears to (1)IMPHEE. AFRICAN RACES. Paniculis confertis, ramis erectis subappressis. Panicles compact, the branches erect, but more or less appressed. Glumis semine æquantibus vel longioribus. Glumes equal or longer than the seeds. † Glumis hiantibus. Glumes open. (1) The amount of seed obtained by the acre equals fifty bushels. Doctor Sicard, of Marseilles, France, has obtained a fine red and perinanent color from the glumes. VARIETY B.-Præcocia. EARLY SORGO. Panicle compound, compact, rather cylindrical, about nine inches long, with the branches ascending and loosely appressed to the axis. Glumes black, mostly downy, principally towards the apex, oblong, acute, concave-convex, the inner one slightly shorter and more round; from the base to the middle they are smooth and shining, open at the top, showing the seed, which is oblong-ovate, pointed at both ends, rufous or yellowish, as long as the glumes, plano-convex, crowned at the summit by the remains of the style, presenting at the base, on the flattened side, a small cavity, in which is seen a small black spot. VARIETY C.-Pinna.-POMPOON. OOM-SE-A-NA. Otaheitan. Panicle compound, compact, cylindrical, about nine inches long, with the branches strictly erect and appressed to the axis. Glumes black, with a slight purplish tinge, mostly smooth, oblong, ovate, pointed at both ends, and very acute at the apex, concaveconvex, open and showing the seed; the inner one slightly smaller, and the outer one keeled on the back. Seeds rufous or sandy color, as long as the glumes, plano-convex, crowned at the summit by the remains of the persistent style, and presenting at its base a small cavity, in which is seen a small black spot. 20 t Here several sub-varieties, with the seeds longer than the glumes, take place after the last two type varieties; the shape and the color of their panicle is nearly identical, but white; the branches are erect at their base, their summits are more or less recurved in fruit, and their glumes more or less smooth; they appear to be hybridizations forms between the early sorgo, Oom-se-a-na, white imphee, and the Liberian. The San-go-ka-hea, by its downy glumes, appears to be a modification of the early sorgo and the Oom-se-a-na. Slagonda.... E-hoth-la.... The Ee-a-moo-da. Lim-moo-ma-na. E-en-gha.. Boo-e-a-na... Are modifications between the Liberian and oom-se-a-na. The Boom-va-na is a modification of the last sub-varieties and the white sorgo, which has inherited from it the color of its panicles. VARIETY E.-Nigerrima, (deep black.) BLACK IMPHEE. Panicle compound, flattish, wedge shaped, about six inches long, the branches thread-like, and more or less appressed to the axis. Glumes purple-black, smooth and shining from the base to the top, and downy along the edges, rather large, ovate, concave-convex, acute, longer than the seed, and closed; the inner one slightly smaller and keeled on the back. Seeds mostly hidden in the closed glumes, oblong, ovate, planoconvex, crowned by the base of the persistent styles, and presenting at the base of the flattened side a small cavity, in which is seen a small black spot. VARIETY F-Cerasina, (cherry color.) RED IMPHEE. Shla-goo-va. Panicle compound, rather slender, about fifteen inches long, the branches erect from the base, moderately spreading and drooping at the top in fruit. These branches are regularly whorled, leaving long intervals along the rachis between each whorl. Glumes as long as the seed, reddish yellow or cherry color, mostly downy; they are closed, round, ovate, acute, convex-concave, the outer one even, and the inner one keeled on the back. Seed round, ovate, dingy yellow toward the base, and clear purplish above, crowned at the top with the remains of the persistent style, presenting at the base a small cavity, in which is seen a small black spot. ** Glumis seminė brevioribus. Glumes shorter than the seed. VARIETY G.-Liberia, (Liberia.) LIBERIAN. Panicle supra-decompound, angular cylin- PRODUCTION OF SUGAR FROM SORGHUM OR NORTHERN SUGAR-CANE. BY WILLIAM CLOUGH, CINCINNATI, OHIO, (EDITOR OF SORGO JOURNAL.) THE term sugar is applied, in a general sense, to the sweet principle of plants, fruits, and trees. There are several different kinds of sugar. Three kinde exist in or are produced from sugar-cane, called, respectively, cane sugar, fruit sugar, and grape sugar. The last two rarely occur separately or apart from 'some portion of cane sugar, together with impurities and vegetable substances derived from the cane, and forming together an amorphous compound, variously termed uncrystallizable sugar, glucose, molasses, or sirup. CANE SUGAR. This substance crystallizes readily from a pure solution, forming bold, transparent, colorless crystals, having the form of a modified, oblique, rhombic prism, as exhibited in rock candy. It has a pure sweet taste, is quite devoid of odor, very soluble in water, and nearly insoluble in absolute alcohol. The formula of its composition is, 12 equivalents carbon, 11 equivalents hydrogen, and 11 equivalents oxygen. Its sweetening property is greatly superior to that of grape sugar or glucose. Cane sugar is believed to be exclusively the product of nature. All attempts to produce it by artificial means have failed. It is, however, easily transformed or degraded to fruit or grape sugar, and in all the ordinary methods of producing sugar from its natural sources, a large per centage is |