• The Sorghums ^^1 



MILO 



This group of sorghums, often called " milo maize" and by 

 some simply " maize," is characterized by rather slender, dry, 

 pithy stems which are usually sparsely leaved. The heads are 

 very compact and are oblong or broadly ovate in shape, the longi- 

 tudinal diameter frequently being but little gi*eater than the trans- 

 verse diameter. Most of the heads are recurved, although many 

 remain erect. The seeds are large, round in outline but decidedly 

 flattened, and yellowish red or white in color. The glumes vary in 

 color from e-reenish e-rav to reddish brown and black, and enclose 

 not more than half of the seed. Milo is very closely related to 

 durra in all its essential characters, and is valuable chiefly for 

 grain purposes. 



* Divarf milo 



This is a selected leafy milo, which under ordinary conditions 

 grows to a height of ZX^-2 to 4^/2 feet. Dwarf milo is very popular 

 in the southern half of the Great Plains on account of its ability 

 to make a reasonable crop of grain in years of drought when other 

 crops fail. The stover is often used for roughage or pasture after 

 the grain crop has been harvested. Dwarf milo is, however, only 

 of minor importance as a forage crop and can not be recommended 

 for Xew York conditions. 



White milo 



This is a white-seeded variety of milo which seems to have orig- 

 inated in India. It is almost identical with the yellow milos 

 except that it has white seeds and either gray or black glmnes. 

 Wliite milo seems to possess to even greater degree than Dwarf 

 milo the ability to mature crops of grain under conditions of scanty 

 rainfall. 



Besides the two above varieties, considerable seed of the Tall or 

 Standard milo is handled by seedsmen. This variety is not so 

 desirable, however, as the Dwarf milo. 



Milo is practically immune from both kernel smut and head 

 smut, but is injured more than any other sorghum by chinch bugs. 



DURRA 



This group, like the milo, has dry, pithy stems and compara- 

 tively few leaves. The lower four or five usually become dry and 



