424 



A, the Ahmednagar Sorghum ran to leaf : it grew to stems 

 from S to 14 feet high, with abiiiidanee of leaves but the panicles so 

 small (from 2 to 4 inches in length only) as to be of no account at 

 •all, so that as a cereal crop it was valuele.-s, althougli as a fodder 

 crop, it would have a value. 



B, the Jalgaon sorghum, as shown in the photo, varied in 

 height from 4 to 7 or 8 feet, with a full heavy and rather close, l)ut 

 not compact head of grain,* and altogether the crop, as a cereal 

 may l)e said to be a very profitable one, as the figures l)elow will 

 show. 



A fact worthy of notice is that this plant, from a region of 

 India where the rainfall is a light one, has succeeded under very 

 diverse conditions of climate. 



Another jDoint which deserv^es notice is that the plots which 

 were planted from thinnings throve better than the plots raised 

 direct from seed — a fact which upsets the dictum that Sorghum 

 does not stand transplanting well. 



The result of this first cutting was : 



Sown plot, 142 stems were cut weigliing, with leaves 31 

 pounds; the 142 panicles collected weighed 8f pounds, after two 

 days drying that is to say that each panicle weighed dry, 1 ounce. 

 The final result was 5 lb. dry grain. 



Transplanted plot, 223 stems were cut weighing with leaves 102 

 pounds ; the 223 panicles collected weiglied 23if pounds, afer two 

 days drying, that is to say that each panicle weighed dry 1.70 ounce. 

 The final result was 15 lb. 5.03 oz. dry grain. 



As previously stated, the wliole crop was attacked by the sugar 

 cane borer, whicli creep.^ through the stem and feeds on its sub- 

 stance; the damage done, however, was confined to a small portion 

 of the stem below the seeding head, and, in no case, were the 

 panicles damaged by it: the pest which is very easily traced by the 

 red excretions which exude from it^ tunnel, was easily dealt with 

 hy injecting sulphur by means of a rubber puif into the hole, or by 

 introducing a thin wire through the hole; this either forces it out 

 or kills it. 



' The ])anicles themselves were damaged to a small extent by 

 aphids, and by a small weevil, which however gave way after re- 

 peated dustings with sulpliur. 



Birds were the most serious enemies to this crop, and it took 

 all the shouting and tin-lieating of a small 1>oy on the watch to keep 

 them off. A very effective device to scare the birds away, a device 

 put up by the coolie himself, was found to be tlie following : — 



* It is a rule in India that the Sorghums with very compact heads are grown 

 in the wide plains where field jcns on to field and there is no forest ; while near 

 forest such sorghums as may be grown are commonly those with open panicles. 

 The Jalgaon Sorghum is of nei'her extreme ; for with grains just touching, it 

 combines fine pedicels under them. It has been thought that loose eared races 

 are chosen by cultivators near forests because they are less subjected to bird 

 depredation, but it may be said that they are also suited to a moiater olimate 

 than the others. 



