248 



SORGHUM. 



Professor Geo. H. Cook, director of the New Jersey Experiment 

 Station, reports the following results of his analyses of several varieties 

 of Sorghum in 1881 : 



The sorghum was grown on the college farm, and the chemical work carried 

 out in the laboratory of the experiment station. The investigation includes 

 the trial of different varieties of sorghum, with special reference to their time 

 of ripening and percentage of susrar, as well as the study of the effect of differ- 

 ent fertilizing ingredients, applied singly and in combination, upon the yield of 

 sugar and seed. 



The field selected for the experiment is thoroughl}' underdrained, rather 

 heavy piece of land, cropped last year with field corn grown on sod, to which a 

 liberal dressing of barn-yard manure had been applied. On that portion de- 

 voted to the trial of different varieties, Mape's sorghum manure was used this 

 j'ear immediately before planting, at the rate of 600 pounds per acre. , The 

 seeds were kindly furnished by Dr. Peter Collier, chemist of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture. 



Dr. Collier, in his valuable reports, has clearly .shown that the condition of the 

 ripening seed may be taken as an index to the condition of the juice of the 

 plant. When the seeds have become so hanl that they can no longer be split 

 with the finger-nail, the stalks will contain the ma.ximum amount of sugar and 

 minimum of glucose, and when this stage is reached, the plant may be regarded 

 as matured. 



The importance of using great care in the choice of seed is illustrated by the 

 following list of varieties: 



Wolf Tail Failed to mature before frost. 



Link's Hybrid ... do. 



Siberian do. 



Early .\mber Seed failed to germinate. 



Neeazana Failed to mature before frost. 



Goose Neck Matured. 



Sorghum do. 



Karly Orange Failed to mature before frost. 



Oomseeana Matured. 



Gray Top Failed to mature before frost. 



African Matured. 



Honduras Failed to mature before frost. 



(;hinese do. 



Early Golden Matured. 



Of the fourteen varieties, five only matured. Their relative value to the 

 manufacturer is shown below : 



