BOTANICAL HISTORY AND NOMENCLATURE OF SORGHUM. 35 



Canada. 



The earliest maturing varieties of sorgo from the United States, 

 chiefly Amber and its forms, have been grown in Lower Canada for 

 some years as hay and fodder crops. 



BOTANICAL HISTORY AND NOMENCLATURE OF SORGHUM. 

 PRE-LINNEAN PERIOD, FIRST CENTURY TO THE YEAR 1753. 



During the early part of the pre-Linnean period sorghum was in- 

 troduced into Europe and became widely cultivated under many 

 popular names. With the revival of learning in the latter part of 

 the period it received abundant attention in agricultural and medico- 

 botanical literature and acquired a considerable polynomial nomen- 

 clature. 



According to Pliny, as has been stated, sorghum was introduced 

 into Italy from India during the first century. In his writings he 

 includes it under the general term k " milium," or millet, used then, as 

 now, to designate the cultivated forms of several different species of 

 grain-producing grasses. The most important of these were the 

 grasses now known as Panicum miliaceum (proso millet) and 

 Chaetochloa (Setaria) italica (foxtail millet). Pearl millet (Penni- 

 setvm spicatum) and even corn (Zea mays) were included under the 

 name milium by various ancient authors. 



Even from the very brief description given by Pliny we may be 

 sure that he was writing of some sorghum. " Milium intra hos decern 

 annos ex India in Italiam invectum est, nigrum colore, amplum grano, 

 harundineum culino, adolescit ad pedes altitudine septem praegrandi- 

 bus culmis: lobas vocant : omnium frugum fertilissimum. Ex uno 

 grano terni sextarii gignuntur. Seri debet in humidis. Frumenta 

 quaedam in tertio geniculo spicam incipiunt concipere, qusedam in 

 quarto, sed etiam num occultam.* 1 The very stout, reed-like culms, 

 7 feet tall, exclude all other millets except pearl millet. The abun- 

 dant grain and black color separate it from that species, while all 

 these characters agree readily with those of sorghum. 



Origin of Popular Names. 



The name milium is derived from miliarius, or milliarius, which 

 means " containing a thousand," and has reference to the large num- 

 ber of seeds in each head. From it our words millet, millo, and milo 

 have been derived. For many centuries sorghum in general was 

 known as milium, or milium indicum. literally Indian millet, and 

 this latter name was still in use fiftv years ago. Just how early other 

 names came into use for sorghum can, never be known, owing to the 

 lack of literature on such subjects during mediaeval times. It is 

 natural that such names should have originated soon after the intro- 

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