SORGHUMS 261 



The wild annuals so far as known are confined to Africa, 

 but one occurs perhaps introduced in Tahiti and Samoa. 

 From this fact the cultivated sorghums probably originated 

 in Africa, a conclusion also supported by the fact that the 

 diversity of the African varieties both wild and cultivated 

 is far greater than that of all other regions. Tunis-grass 

 may be considered very near the wild original form and 

 Sudan-grass a variety somewhat improved by cultivation. 

 There are several other wild forms in different parts of 

 Africa concerning which but little is known. 



310. Agricultural history. The culture of the sor- 

 ghums is doubtless very ancient, far antedating history. 

 The first definite records are illustrations on ancient 

 Egyptian ruins dating from about 220'0 B.C. of what is, 

 with scarcely a doubt, some variety of sorghum. Bret- 

 scheider finds evidence in Chinese writings that sorghums 

 were cultivated in China as early as the third century of 

 the Christian Era. Old Sanskrit writings, dating back 

 1900 years, mention what is quite surely a grain sorghum 

 grown in India at that time. In ancient Greek writings 

 there are no clear references to sorghum, but the plant was 

 known to Pliny, who states that it was introduced into 

 Italy from India about 60 A.D. 



More potent than the brief records of ancient history is 

 the mute testimony that the plant itself affords by its 

 early wide distribution and the astonishing diversity of its 

 cultivated forms. Its culture probably extended through- 

 out Africa in prehistoric times and early spread to the 

 southern half of Asia as far northeast as Manchuria. In 

 the latter country an entirely distinct group of forms has 

 been developed, the kowliangs ; and the East Indian forms 

 also are very different from those of Africa. 



In America, the first sorghum to be introduced was 



