America's Crop Heritage


with. Its introduction into this country must produce an entire
revolution in our rural operations. Its culture will supersede that
of Indian corn."
 A cursory examination of the farm papers of this time quickly
shows the interest current in the new crop and its value to almost
every section of the nation. By 1857 the Patent Office had dis-
tributed 100,000 papers of seed, and other suppliers had furnished
so much other seed that Olcott estimated 50,000 acres were culti-
vated in that year. The Patent Office reported in 1858 that the
Chinese cane had proved especially successful in the southern,
middle, and western states, and that an estimated 100,000 acres
worth two million dollars had been planted that year.
 African Sorgos-At the same time that interest in the Chinese
sorgo was running high, another introduction of sorghums was
made from Natal, South Africa. These sixteen varieties imported
in 1857 were the most important group of sorghums ever brought
to America. The man responsible for their introduction was
Leonard Wray, a planter from England who discovered the varie-
ties in South Africa and took them with him to Europe before
coming to this country. (7)
 Wray came to the United States at the invitation of Governor
Hammond of South Carolina. A similar invitation had been sent
to him by the Patent Office but was never received. Wray had
applied to the Patent Office for a patent on his process of making
sugar from sorgo. His arrival from Europe heightened the interest
in the production of sugar from sorgos and increased the hopes of
success. Wray at first intended to maintain a monopoly of his
plants. Either he failed to do so, or saw that the attempt would
not prove profitable. At any rate, his introductions came to be
widely grown in this country. For three decades the Patent Office,
state agencies, and individuals carried on expensive experiments
with sorgos hoping to find in them the basis of a sugar and syrup
industry.

 MISCELLANEOUS INTRODUCTIONS
 The vigorous efforts of Charles Mason to introduce new plants
are well illustrated by the number of crop possibilities he con-
sidered and investigated. In his search for better varieties of the
commonly grown grains, a dwarf variety of Indian corn called
Forty Days Maize was re-introduced from southern Spain. It rep-
utedly ripened in forty days in the Alps, and was to be tried in