CHAPTEE VII 



SORGHUMS 



History. — Piper says sorghums were erown in China in 

 •2200 B.C. Whether this is correct or not, it is certain that 

 sorghums were grown for grain in very ancient times. Their 

 culture hy Europeans is of comparatively recent date. In 

 1853, Wray collected sixteen varieties in Natal for the United 

 States Government, which were the first to be imported into 

 the United States. 



To-day sorghums play a very important part in the agri- 

 culture of the dry Western States of America, and the success 

 of these crops there has stimulated their culture in other parts 

 of the world, including South Africa. 



Production. — The acreage devoted to kaffir corn in the 

 Union in 1911 was 166,597, while in 1918 it had risen to 

 233,105 acres. No figures are available of the world's pro- 

 duction. In the United States the crop is limited to the dry 

 semi-arid States of Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, etc. The 

 following figures show the increasing importance of sorghums 

 in those States, and the area cultivated in India. 



Kansas. 1901. 1913. India. 



Kaffir ... 618,816 acres. 1,403,731 acres. 30,000,000 acres. 

 Milo ... 5,988 ,, 229,534 ,, 



The sorghums, being more drought resistant, arc gradu- 

 ally taking the place of maize in all parts of the world where 

 the moisture is not sufficient for the latter. They would be 

 grown more extensively in South Africa were it not for the 

 depredations of birds. 



Origin, Description, and Classification. — The pro- 

 genitor of those having rootstocks is supposed to be Andro- 

 pogan halepensis, while that of the chief agricultural sorghums 

 is held to be Andropocion sorghum. The cultivated sorghums 

 are thought to have originated in Africa. Tunis and Sudan 

 grasses are annuals, and because these do not have root- 

 stocks and cross readily with kaffir corn and Milo they are 

 considered to be closely allied to the original wild form. 

 108 



