AGRICULTURAL HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION OF SORGHUM. 



25 



to some of our forms of Amber sorgo. Our Early Amber is said to 

 have originated in 1859 as a sport in a field of Chinese sorgo growing 

 in Indiana. 



No other saccharine variety has been found in China. This one 

 is said by Collins to be almost entirely restricted to the island of 

 Tsungming, where it is cultivated as a delicacy for the Shanghai 

 market, the sweet stems 

 being eaten raw. The an- 

 nual area sown on the 

 island is only about 20 

 acres. Since the original 

 importation in 1851 no 

 seed, except that sent by 

 Collins, was ever brought 

 to the United States until 

 May, 1908, when a few 

 seeds (S. P. I. No. 22913), 

 secured on the island of 

 Tsungming, were received 

 by the Office of Seed and 

 Plant Introduction of this 

 Department. These seeds 

 were of poor quality and 

 the resulting plants did 

 not fully mature, but are 

 apparently identical with 

 some forms of Amber now 

 grown in this country. 

 There is, however, little 

 doubt of the independent 

 African origin of some 

 Amber forms. 



That form of kowliang 

 which somewhat resembles 

 broom corn is found also 

 in Korea and Japan. It 

 would be classed as very 

 poor brush in the United 

 States. Some improved broom corn is grown in Japan, but it is prob- 

 ably from seed originally secured in Australia, Europe, or the United 

 States. 



Pacific Islands. 



The tropical islands of the Pacific show very few sorghums or 

 none at all. Some of the larger islands, like Java, lying near the 



Fig. 9. 



-Plant of Chinese sorgo. 

 Office Report, 1854.) 



( From Patent 



o Collins, 1865, p. 91. 



