70 KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



with belladonna might be advantageous at the beginning of the disease. Mild and 

 non-irritating articles of food only should be given, such as oil cake, etc. A veteri- 

 narian in Garden City recommended the application of a blister behind the ear. 

 This might be good, as also any counter-irritant application along the spine. I am 

 especially indebted for these conclusions and much assistance in making up this 

 report, to Dr. Harding (above referred to), and Dr. Budd Smith, of Grenada, Col. 



This examination, while it is very interesting, does not form a basis for any very 

 positive conclusions. It will be necessary, to continue the investigation, to perform 

 a number of like operations. It is very desirable to repeat the experiment of Dr. 

 Harding — all of which the writer is preparing to do as soon as he is able. 



ON THE VARIATIONS IN THE SUGAR-CONTENT OF SORGHUM 



VULGARE. 



BY J. T. WILIiARD. 



Individual specimens of all species of plants may be assumed to vary in com- 

 position between certain limits. When the variable constituent is a substance of 

 value to man, a determination of the causes of variation and its degree, becomes of 

 importance. Further, we might reasonably hope that, by selecting seed from plants 

 containing the largest percentage of the valuable constituent, the amount might be 

 gradually but permanently increased. This system of seed selection is, of course, 

 commonly practiced, and many of our best varieties of cultivated plants have been 

 produced in this way. But, so far as the writer has been able to ascertain, this sys- 

 tem has never been applied to sorghum by saving seed from plants which show by 

 analysis a larger percentage of sugar than the average. 



There are some difficulties in the way of improving sorghum by this method. 

 The ordinary farmer cannot apply it, because he has no means of determining the 

 sugar-content of his stalks of cane unless he has a chemist at command. The offi- 

 cials of the Department of Agriculture have never attempted anything of the kind, 

 perhaps because it would require several years of observation before anything defi- 

 nite could be ascertained, and they, like the rest of mankind, desire immediate 

 results, and have little object in inaugurating a series of experiments only to see 

 a successor come in and either take all the credit or drop the work. 



The plan of the experiment to be described was this: Kansas Orange sorghum 

 was selected as the variety at present best for this State. By individual analysis of 

 a number of stalks of a size and proportion suitable for perpetuation, I expected to 

 determine if there were any appreciable variations in their sugar-content; then by 

 ])lanting seed from the best stalk, all things considered, I hojjed to be able to fix the 

 good qualities of this stalk. It might also be expected that the plants produced by 

 seed from this stalk would exhibit variations in their sugar-content, and that by 

 again planting seed from the best stalk the average might be raised still higher. 

 By continuing in this way a number of years, it seemed possible to so increase the 

 percentage of sugar in sorghum as to make it a much more valuable plant. 



The experiment was begun in the spring of 1885, by planting a small amount of 

 Kansas Orange sorghum seed. The soil was in fair condition only. The seed was 

 poor, so that replanting was necessary, making the crop late. The season was, on the 

 whole, rather favorable to the growtli of the plant, although it was injured somewhat 

 by drouth. Ten analyses connected with this experiment were made, all after the 

 seed was dry and luird. One of these was of a bent stalk, and the result showed it 



