20 



HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION OF SORGHUM. 



Asia. The physical and climatic features of the two regions are 

 quite similar, and the almost complete absence of any other forms has 

 prevented much hybridization. For that reason there has appar- 

 ently been but little change in the varieties in many centuries. 



The climate of much of this North African region is dry and hot. 

 The white durra when grown in our Western States is very early and 

 drought resistant and likewise a fair yielder. Its chief faults are the 

 pendent heads of most strains and the freely shattering seeds. The 

 shattering habit does not seem to yield to continued selection. If a 

 strictly nonshattering strain could be found in North Africa, it would 

 be of great value for our higher altitudes and latitudes. The brown 



durra is an inferior 

 sort and gives little 

 promise, though it is 

 also early and able 

 to grow with little 

 moisture. 



Southwest Asia. 



White durra, the 

 single variety found 

 throughout the re- 

 gion of Asia Minor, 

 Russian Turkestan, 

 Syria, and Arabia 

 (see fig. 6), has al- 

 ready been men- 

 t i o n e d . In the 

 southern part of this 

 area it has certainly 

 been grown for nine 

 centuries, and prob- 

 ably for three times that period. The form commonly grown in these 

 lands differs from that of North Africa and the United States in 

 having the heads shorter and more compact and the seeds smaller, 

 less flattened, and with less tendencv to shatter. The heads of nearly 

 all strains are persistently pendent or goose necked. In parts of this 

 region the white durra grows under exceedingly high summer tem- 

 peratures. It is possible that very drought-resistant strains may be 

 secured here. However, those brought from this region heretofore 

 have not seemed to be more especially drought resistant than our best 

 developed strains of kafir and milo. A nonshattering form of white 

 durra from a dry, hot region would be of great value on our dry and 

 windy plains. 



175 



Fig. (i. — Plants of white durra from different countries, 

 showing varying characters. The stalks in pairs, from 

 left to right, are from (a) the United States, <bi Algeria, 

 (c) Austria, i il ) Turkestan, and (e) Syria, respectively. 



