Wild Corn in Indiana 295 



as growing in sandy land near Ontario, LaGrange County. Specimens 

 have been collected by C. C. Deam. 



Wild Corn. (Andropogon sorghum, var. drummondii Hack.) A 

 serious problem in corn fields on overflow land along the Ohio and 

 Wabash Elvers in the southwestern part of the state, particularly in 

 Vanderburg and Posey Counties. 



CONCLUSION. 



The Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station desires to keep in 

 touch with new plants in Indiana that are apt to prove troublesome. 

 Specimens of strange plants that exhibit weedy tendencies will be 

 welcomed. It is thought that a great deal of trouble and expense can 

 be saved to the farmers of the state if prompt action is taken as 

 soon as new weeds are noted. 



WILD CORN, A SERIOUS WEED IN INDIANA.^ 



Albert A. Hansen, Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station. 



Wild corn is a member of the sorghum tribe that causes heavy 

 losses on overflow land along the Ohio and Wabash Rivers in Posey and 

 Vanderburgh counties, Indiana, and along the Ohio River in Henderson 

 County, Kentucky. 



The problem presented is very unusual. The seeds, which are pro- 

 duced in large numbers, are carried by the flood water. When the 

 water subsides, the seeds are left on the soil, ready to germinate with the 

 corn crop. The young wild corn plants resemble corn seedlings so 

 closely that recognition is difficult and they become large plants before 

 they can be identified. The damage done is so heavy that in some cases 

 infested corn crops have been left unharvested. The seriousness of the 

 situation is indicated by the fact that a request for assistance in con- 

 trolling this weed was i^ecently received from forty-six farmers residing 

 in Kentucky and Indiana. They represented a total of 21,186 acres of 

 corn land 25.9 per cent or 5,487 acres of which was damaged by wild 

 corn during 1921. During a weed survey recently conducted by the 

 Agricultural Extension Department of Purdue University, wild corn 

 was reported as the second worst weed in Posey County by County 

 Agent W. E. Shrode. 



Wild corn has been identified as Andropogon sorghum drummondii 

 Hack, a wild variety of common sorghum. The plant is said to have 

 been introduced from Africa by the early slave traders. It spread in 

 the southern coastal states, particularly in Louisiana and Mississippi, 

 but it was rarely found further north. In its southern range the plant 

 was commonly called chicken corn. Although classed as a weed, it was 

 sometimes used as a source of wild hay and for fall pasture. The seeds 

 were also gathered occasionally for chicken feed. With the introduction 



^ Contribution from the Botanical Department (Extension Division) of tlie Purdue 

 University Agricultural Experiment Station. 



