Practicum. 533. STUDY OF THE RICE PLANT.-The plant may be studied in the laboratory, or partly in field, as opportunity offers. Compare Honduras, Carolina and Japan varieties. 1. Height of culm: average of ten culms to tip of upper flowering glume 2. Diameter of culms: average of ten culms just below raceme 3. Vigor of plant: strong; medium; weak. 4. Wall of culm: thick; medium; thin. 5. Foliage: scanty; medium; abundant. 6. Length of raceme: average of ten racemes from base of lower spikelet to tip of upper flowering glume, not counting awn, if any 7. Compactness of raceme: very open; open; medium; crowded. 8. Shattering: badly; medium; none. 10. Density of endosperm: vitreous; mostly vitreous; partly vitreous; largely white. II. Dimensions of grains: average of twenty-five: length 12. thickness .; width .; kernels · .; per cent Dimensions of kernel: average of twenty-five: length 13. Weight: average of twenty-five: grains of hulls to grain 14. Weight per bushel: obtained by weight of one pint 534. COLLATERAL READING. Rice: Its Cultivation, Production and Distribution in the United States and Foreign The Present Status of Rice Culture in the United States. By S. A. Knapp. Irrigation of Rice in the United States. By Frank Bond and George H. Keeney. XXVI. SORGHUM. 1. STRUCTURE, COMPOSITION AND VARIETIES. 535. Name.-There is no common name which is applied generally to the different cultivated forms of Andropogon sor ghum vulgaris Hackel, A. sorghum Brot., Sorghum vulgare Pers. The cultivated forms may be divided into three groups: (1) Those varieties whose juice has a high per cent of sugar which is used for making sirup and from which sugar is sometimes produced, known as sorghum (Sorghum saccharatum Pers.), sometimes probably incorrectly recognized as a separate species; (2) those varieties cultivated for their grain, known as Kafir corn, African millet, Indian millet, durra (spelled also dura, dhura, doura, dourra), milo maize, Jerusalem corn, Guiana corn, and Egyptian rice corn; (3) those varieties cultivated for the production of their spikes which are used for making brooms, known as broom corn. The first form may be distinguished from the second and third forms by the quality of the juice, the first being known as sweet or saccharine sorghums and the second and third being known as nonsaccharine sorghums. In this book the word sorghum will be used to apply to all cultivated forms, and statements made are to be taken as applying to all unless otherwise stated. 536. Relationships.-Sorghum belongs to the same tribe (Andropogoneae) and to the same genus as Johnson grass (Andropogon halepensis Sibth.), which is believed by Hackel to be the original form of sorghum.1 1 True Grasses, p. 59. There are several species belonging to different genera of grasses which with sorghum often pass under the name of millet. Such are Choetochloa italica, formerly Setaria italica, Panicum crus-galli, P. colonum, P. frumentaceum, P. miliaceum, Penisetum spicatum (L.) R. & S. Several of these species have numerous cultivated varieties and numerous common names. Much confusion exists as to their botanical relationships and to the synonyms of the common names. The cultivation of some of these millets is very ancient, and the grain has been used extensively as human food. In the United States these plants are raised chiefly for hay. Canary grass (Phalaris canariensis L.), is raised for bird food, although sometimes in southern Europe for human consumption. 537. The Plant.—The roots of the sorghum plant are said to have strong feeding capacity, which enables the plant to withstand unfavorable environment. The Kansas Station found that the roots reach out laterally in all directions from two to six inches from the surface. The culms vary in height with variety, climate, season, soil and culture usually from four to eighteen feet, with greater variations in extreme cases. The culms, like those of maize, are solid. The leaves are abundant, rather thicker and more glossy than in maize. The upper leaf sheath sometimes extends around the lower portion of the head or spike; when in broom corn it is called the "boot." 538. The Inflorescence. The inflorescence is in a more or less compact spike-like panicle, usually referred to as the head. The different types vary greatly in the form, size, compactness of the head; the usual variations in length being from ten to eighteen inches, except in broom corn, where the "brush" may be twentyeight inches long. The spikelets are one-flowered, some being sessile and others on pedicels of varying length, usually one of each at each joint of the rachis. 539. The Grain. The grain varies from other cereals in being more or less round. The color of the grains is variable, white and red being the more common colors. The color resides in the seed coats. The size and shape of the grain vary largely with the type and variety. The grain of Kafir varieties is larger and rounder than sweet sorghum or broom corn varieties. 540. Composition.-Compared with the grain of maize, sorghum seed contains a somewhat smaller percentage of protein and about one-half the percentage of fat. Otherwise they are quite similar in composition. Sorghum fodder is distinctly lower in protein and higher in crude fiber than maize fodder. All varieties of sorghum contain some sugar, varying from two to twenty per cent of the juice, or from 1.2 to twelve per cent of the cane. Those varieties which contain sufficient sugar, say ten per cent, in juice, for the practical manufacture of sirup or sugar are called saccharine or sweet varieties, while other varieties are known as nonsaccharine varieties. 541. Varieties.-Large number of varieties of sweet sorghum have been tested in this country, particularly with reference to their value for the production of sirup and sugar. Among these varieties are two rather well marked types: the amber canes and the orange canes, the former of these being rather more early maturing than the latter. These are also recognized as desirable varieties for forage purposes. Early amber, extra early; Folger's, early; Colman, medium; and Collier, late, are recommended for this purpose as well as for the manufacture of sirup. Among the varieties grown for seed the principal ones are known as Kafir corn, of which three varieties are recognized red Kafir, white Kafir and black hulled white Kafir (synonym African millet). In the red Kafir the seed is red or light brown, while in the white Kafir the seed is white. The hulls are gray or greenish white, while in the black hulled white Kafir the hulls are gray, brown or black. In both the white varieties the hulls are hairy and larger than in the red variety, where the hulls (glumes) are small, thin and brown, covering less than half the grain. The seed of both white varieties. is less astringent and more palatable than the red variety. At the Kansas Station the red and black hulled white varieties have given the largest yields; while at the Oklahoma Station the white varieties have given the best results. Up to the present time the red variety has been most generally grown, A, Sorghum: type, standard broom corn. (After Hartley.) B, Sweet sorghum: variety, amber cane. (After Denton.) C, Kafir corn: variety, black hulled white. (After Georgeson.) but the culture of the black hulled white variety is being rapidly extended. While the Kafir varieties have the widest adaptation and are most largely grown, durra (synonyms Indian millet, Egyptian corn), milo maize, Jerusalem corn and Egyptian rice corn are also grown, the latter two being especially adapted to higher altitudes and arid regions. "These are very similar to Kafir-corn in many respects, and in growing, harvesting and feeding practically the same methods may be followed. The white milo maize grows a head very similar to Kafir-corn, is a heavy yielder of fodder, but |