FETERITA, A NEW VARIETY OP SORGHUM. 27 



suits above referred to may have been thie to thinner stands, con- 

 cerning which no exact data were taken. It often happens that thin 

 stands of feterita are caused by faihire of the seed to germinate, 

 especially if planted while the ground is cold. Furthermore, the 

 larger seed of feterita would give thinner stands if planted at the 

 same rate as milo or kafir. At Amarillo, where feterita was ffrown 

 under identical conditions as to stand, it showed no greater drought 

 resistance than milo or kafir. 



Much interest has been aroused also in feterita bv the extravagant 

 advertising it has recently received from persons either not compe- 

 tent to determine its merits in comparison with other grain sorghums 

 or from those who had seed to sell at fancy prices. 



Experiments so far indicate that its earliness, its rather low water 

 requirements, its satisfactory yields, and the ease with which it may 

 be harvested give it a real place among the sorghums either for grain 

 or combined grain and forage purposes. Xo farmer should discard 

 milo. Dwarf milo, or Dwarf kafir for fetenta, however, until he has 

 determined with certainty that on his farm it will outyield these 

 staple crops when grown under identical conditions. The data at 

 hand are limited, but they do not justify the claim that feterita will 

 outyield Dwarf milo. 



PLANTING. 



Like other grain sorghums, feterita should be planted in rows 40 

 to 44 inches apart, or about the same distance as for maize, or Indian 

 corn. The time of planting will vary greatly, but, in general, it 

 should be two to three weeks later than for Indian corn in the same 

 season and locality. In sections affected by the sorghum midge very 

 early plantings are recommended. It is not Avell to plant too early, 

 while the ground is still cold, since feterita, like other sorghums, is 

 naturally a warm-weather plant. Owing to the soft seed there is 

 liable to be considerable loss through decay before germination unless 

 the soil is warm enough to sprout the seed at once. Difficulty in 

 obtaining a stand has been experienced in some localities, the poor 

 stand jDrobably being due to planting in cold ground. 



On the Chillicothe field station, in 1912, plantings of March 19 

 rotted in the ground, while plantings from the same seed on April 4 

 and 26 and plantings from a separate lot of seed on May 2 germinated 

 perfectly. At Amarillo a planting on May 11 resulted in a poorer 

 stand and lower yield than plantings on May 22 and 27, about the 

 normal time. 



Feterita may be planted either in a furrow witli the lister or sur- 

 face planted with the ordinary corn planter, according to the local 

 custom with related crops. When planted in cultivated rows in this 



[Cir. 122] 



