J ?
STATE
LIBRARY
Devoted to Agriculture, Horticulture, Mechanics and the Useful Arts.
VOLUME  VI.
ttTGttJMLC>J*rD,   APBIL,   1857-..
1,'tr-
UTTMBEB,   IV.
EDITED   ~B-5T
D. P. Holloway, and W.. T. Dennis.
TERMS   OF   THE   FARMER.
Ct~~~"PATMEnr TO BB HADE INVARIABLY IK ADVANCE.,*"*
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received at par. Subscription money, property endorsed
stay bo mailed at onr risk.      Address,
HOLLO-WAY tt. CO..
PaWsbers ladiana Farmer, Richmond, Ind.
TERMS   Of   ADVERT1SINO!
Advertisements Trill be inserted in this sheet for ten
cents per line for the first insertion, and fire cents per
line for each subsequent insertion.
Chinese Sugar Cane—How it Succeeds
in Texas.
Gi.S. 4»r^JS*~«~;/»*~w »f thc «7e%. Oilyaus
Picayune, gives the following account yof. his
success in growing the new cane on his
plantation in Texas -
For the last six months I bave • hardly
opened a paper, whether devoted to agri-
.eulture, politics, religion, sporting affairs, or
what not, without seeing some notice of the
Sorgho Sucre, or Chinese sugar cane. Why
have I not a perfect right to add my experience to the general stock of information
in relation to tbe cultivation of this new
grain, or plant, or whatever it may be
termed? To begin, then: In October, 1855,
1 purchased a small paper of seed. 1 do
not think there was more than two heaping
table-spoonsful of it, or three at the outside.
I brought it with me to New Orleans, and
on arriving sent it here to be planted.
When I reached this place, early m May
last, it was jast peering above the ground,
two rows of it in a ten-acre field, which had
been devoted in. the main to millet, oats and
a little Indian corn, and four short rows in
the garden; the latter planted last.      ,
About the 8th of July, the two rows in
the larger field had shot up, headed out and
ripened, notwithstanding the drought, and
heavy heads were cut for seed. The oats,
meanwhile, had come np, the millet was
hardly above the ground, while the Indian
corn was parched and dying for want of
rain. Two or three mornings afterwards,
on looking at the field from a bill close by,
I noticed that the two rows of Sorgho Sucre
had entirely disappeared, while rows of Indian Corn on either side are still standing.
On close examination, I ascertained that a
lot of hogs—hogs are apt to do such things
—had broken into the field, and devoured
the Chinese sugar cane root, and branch:
ai*ci3sr*BS*B s-o-#v~Rip-^v.~N-~B
 -—^.^	
tasting the cane, it seemed to mo to be as
full of saccharine juice as the ordinary sugar
it was cut clean to the ground by the pork- j cane of Louisiana.   At tbe same time I had
ers, not a sign or vestige was left, while, as
already stated, the stalks of Indian corn on
either side were left standing. I was thankful I had saved the seed, and thought little
more of it.
^ Some few days after this—perhaps a fort-
, night—the rows planted in the garden were
examined, the heads of seed found to be
ripe, and the greater portion cut and brought
to the bouse, leaving the tall stalks still
standing. On cutting down one of the latter, which must have been ten feet high, I
found it to be exceedingly heavy, and on
two or three imported French merino sheep
in my yard, in great want of green fodder,
and on cutting the cano into small pieces I
found tbat they devoured it with the greatest avidity. After, this I fed them daily on
it for some time, a single stalk furnishing a
good bait. I also gave some of it to a good
mare, she eating it even more greedily
than the sheep. Some three weeks after
the ripe heads of seed were cut, I noticed
that new heads had shot up from tho same
stalk; and theso new heads blossomed,
filled and ripened in September, and were
cu|nd b>i ghf to the house. All this time
yimustricollect we were suffering from
iiileced-il 3d drought, and Indian corn
ariswee* lotatoes, water melons, pUmp-
ki| and 1 e like, had died down to the
%rdut.
I no- lecame more interested in the
Si ;ho £e-e;than ever, and although I
st fed ot daily to the merinos and mare,
le i port i of the'stalks standing. Soon
nc head* ere seen shooting out, and these
in im li ssmed and ripened as did the
fir I If i no account of dates, but think
tlikhird" ip of seed from the same stalk,
if I I m.' call it, was gathered about tho
fir|of Oiler; it might have been during
the second week of that month.   I planted
gome of this last seed, by way of experiment ; it came up,'rapidly, looked, thrifty,
grew until it was nearly knee high, and was
finally cut down by frost in* November.   A
great number of shoots or suckers, which
had sprung up from tbe stalks first planted,
were cut down at the same time; the Sorgho Sucre can stand any kind of drought,
but tbe first sharp frost kills it to tbe ground.
And what amount of seed do you think I
gathered from the little paper I purchased
in Paris 1   Nearly, if not quite, two bushels!
And had not the hogs broke into the field,
I believe I should liave had three.   It certainly yields in the most miraculous manner ; beats everything for dry weather.
Of its properties for the production of sugar I can say nothing ; I only know that it
tastes like common sugar cane, and is full
of juice about the time the first heads ripen.
As a green fodder, it, also beats everything,
which grows: horses, sheep and hogs are
certainly inordinately fond of. it, and *o full
^s*~ti*re------.i-Ki^
they must be both nutritious and fattening.
I cannot say what kind of bread or cakes
the seeds will afford, nor can I tell what
kind of dry fodder the plant will make
when cut green ; these experiments I have
yet to try,,and now that I have the seed I
intend,;, to do it on a grand scale. I shall
plant it in rows, or drills, shall sow it, and
shall cut it at different stages, to try its
quaiiies as a. dry fodder. Let me repeat,
over and over again, that it stands a drought
better than anything we have—does not
seem to require rain after it is once up.
Tours, &c. G. W.
I
An Item for Trout-Fanciers.
We find tbe followingiu tbe Hartford Times,
relative to the cellar process of trout-breeding:
"During the past Winter, Mr.E. C. Kellogg
has succeded, without much trouble, in breeding Trout in his cellar. He placed a box;
with proper partitions, in his cellar, and put
some sand, gravel aud stones in tbe bottom.
He then procured two trout, a male and female
and went through the process which has proved successful in France, of pressing tbe spawn
from the female, and placing it in his box.—
He then filled the box with Connecticut river
water, and kept a small stream constantly running through it. This was about seven weeks
ago. He has now seventeen tine, lively young
trout, from half an inch to aa inch in length,
and more in the process of hatching. By holding the eggs to the light, little fish can be
seen in them distinctly. The old ones are
kept in a tub, and are not allowed to range
among the small fry. The little ones ol a
week old have all the characteristics of the old
fish and they will dart under a stone with
great rapidity, when the water is stirred up a
little. Our popular water-works are constantly developing new sources of comfort,
not tbe least of which is tbat which furnishes
a good supply of trout, fresh for the table, in
tbe cellars of our citizens, at all seasons ofthe
year."
 Ill   —     I	
The Gtarrote Cotillio--.—This is tbe name of
a new cotillion which is becoming very fashionable. The ladies swing corners. Having done
this, the gentlemen place their arms around their
necks and kiss them on the left cheek. Yonng
ladies screech aad fall into young gentlemen's arms.
Gentlemen seize young women around tbe waist
and waltz to t'.eir seats.
«T
AVI