22 HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION OF SORGHUM. 



of careful selection. There is nothing in the appearance of the varie- 

 ties to indicate that at the end of this period one might hope for any- 

 thing better than, or even equal to, the best kafirs, white durra, and 

 milo which we now possess. It should be possible to secure some 

 excellent early and drought-resistant varieties in India by searching 

 through the middle and northern parts of the Empire, as Berar, the 

 Central Provinces, the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, north to 

 the Punjab and the frontier. Those previously introduced have come 

 from the Madras and Bombay Presidencies. 



Besides the durra-like forms, there are a few minor groups, of 

 which only one needs special mention here. In all the writings on 

 Indian agriculture concerning the sorghum crop there are references 

 to a fall-sown, or rabi, crop. The great bulk of sorghums in India, 

 as elsewhere, is sown in the spring and harvested in the summer or 



Fig. 7. — Plants of different varieties of sorghum from India. 



autumn. The rabi crop, on the contrary, is sown in September or 

 October and harvested in the following February or March. From 

 all available information this rabi crop is mostly composed of a single 

 variety or group of very similar varieties, which is commonly called 

 " shallu," or " shalu/' Botanically these forms represent the variety 

 roxburghii Hackel. The rabi crop is most largely grown in the Bom- 

 bay Presidency, although not unknown in other sections of India. 

 The shallus are characterized by rather slender stems, large, loose, 

 and open panicles, and oval yellowish or straw-colored spikelets. 

 The two indurated (empty) glumes spread wide apart at maturity 

 and each becomes involute, thus leaving the white or pearly seed fully 

 exposed. One variety of this group has been sparingly cultivated in 

 our lower Plains region for several }^ears and is now being carefully 

 tested as a grain sorghum. (See fig. 4.) 



175 



