MINOR CEREALS 171 



of corn per pound. (741-2, 853, 949-51) For horses, fattening cattle, 

 dairy cows, and pigs the grain is usually ground, being then called 

 "chop." Grinding for sheep is not essential. Often the unthreshed heads 

 are fed, or the forage carrying the heads is supplied, especially to idle 

 horses, colts, and young stock. (481) The product obtained by grinding 

 the entire heads, called "head chop," resembles corn-and-cob meal in 

 composition. 



237. Kafir. In the United States the kafirs lead among the grain 

 sorghums in both grain and forage production. They are stout-stemmed, 

 broad-leaved plants, having quite juicy stalks and long, erect, compact, 

 cylindrical heads carrying small egg-shaped seeds. They do not sucker 

 or produce undesirable side branches, nor do they lodge or shatter the 

 grain. Since most of the kafirs are rather late in maturing, they are 

 grown chiefly in the more humid sections of the grain-sorghum belt, 

 especially eastern Kansas and Oklahoma. The most common variety in 

 these districts is the Blackhull, while more dwarf varieties, which are 

 earlier, give better yields farther west. (481, 583, 681, 741, 853, 949) 



238. Milo. The milos have few leaves compared with the kafirs and 

 the stalks have little juice. Therefore, inilo is not as valuable as kafir 

 for forage. Milo is earlier in maturing and hence is usually a more re- 

 liable grain crop in the drier sections. The seeds are larger and flat, 

 and are borne in short, thick heads, which are often goose-necked or 

 drooping. In order to make harvesting easier, strains have recently 

 been developed in which nearly all the heads are erect. Milo is fully 

 equal to kafir in feeding value. (481, 742, 853, 950) 



239. Feterita. Feterita, or Sudan durra, usually has slender stems 

 carrying more leaves than milo, but less than kafir, and erect heads bear- 

 ing flattened seeds. It ripens with milo, but when planted late matures 

 sooner. It yields as much grain as kafir, tho less forage, and is a 

 promising sorghum for the western part of the grain-sorghum belt. Un- 

 improved feterita lodges badly after maturity, but a more dwarf, im- 

 proved type developed at the Texas Station 10 is free from this fault. 



240. Kaoliang; durra; shallu. The kaoliangs are early-maturing sor- 

 ghums introduced from northern China. They are slender, dry-stemmed 

 plants, with loose, open, erect heads. They are grown chiefly in the 

 northern plains section where the other types will not mature. In other 

 sections milo, kafir, or feterita usually outyield kaoliang in yield of 

 grain. The forage of kaoliang is scanty and of poor quality, the stalks 

 being pithy and the leaves few. (951) 



The true durras were the first grain sorghums introduced into the 

 United States. They were never grown to any great extent, as they have 

 coarse stems and relatively few leaves, and also because they lodge 

 readily and sucker badly. The grain shatters easily and the pendent, or 

 "goose-necked," heads make harvesting difficult. 



10 Tex. Bui. 275. 



