OTHER USEFUL PLANTS 77 



corn, and a score or so of allied plants, 

 some of which have great value as fodder 

 plants. 



The best known of the sorghums shows its 

 relationship with the sugar cane in that it pro- 

 duces a sirup which, although not of the same 

 chemical composition as cane sugar, is very sweet 

 and palatable. 



Sorghum differs very radically on the other 

 hand from sugar cane, in that it is a hardy an- 

 nual plant. It came to us from China but prob- 

 ably originally from South Africa, and it has 

 proved adaptable to our soil and climate almost 

 everywhere, and is grown in practically every 

 State in the Union, for sirup making. It is 

 known also as a forage plant of very great 

 value, and its stalks supply fodder for the farm 

 animals. 



It will be gathered from this that the sorghum 

 is a much less specialized product than the 

 cane, and that it retains its full vigor as a 

 seed producer. 



Partly as a result of its cultivation in widely 

 different regions of the globe, and partly no 

 doubt through conscious and unconscious selec- 

 tion on the part of its cultivators, sorghum has 

 developed many varieties, which are divided into 

 three quite distinct groups. 



