116 CHAPTER VII 



apart, and the plants 4 to 8 inches in the rows. This requires 

 from 1^ to 5 pounds of seed. For forage, though, the rows may 

 be 2 feet 6 inches and 3 inches in the row. 



If broadcasted for forage, about 20 to 30 pounds of seed 

 is required. 



Failures in obtaining good stands are frequently caused by 

 planting too deeply. Planting must be shallower than for 

 maize, about one to two inches, according to the condition and 

 type of soil, seems to be the best depth. 



The best implement for planting is the maize planter, 

 most of w^hich are now supplied with suitable plates. If these 

 are not obtainable, the holes in the ordinary planter plates 

 should be tilled with lead, and new holes of desirable size 

 bored through these lead fillings. Before use, the planter 

 should always be adjusted and tested on a hard road or suit- 

 able place, to see that the correct distances of planting have 

 been arranged. 



After Cultivation. — Harrow once the plants are well 

 rooted. After this the ordinaiy maize cultivation should 

 follow to break light shower crusts and to keep the land free 

 of weeds. 



Harvesting. 



Time of Harvesting.— T/ze Grain Sorghums should be 

 harvested when fully matured. If, however, the crop is to be 

 used for ensilage, harvesting should take place in the soft 

 dough stage, as ripe seeds in silage are apt to pass through 

 animals undigested. The best method is to shock the whole 

 plant, as in maize ; when cured and thoroughly dried the heads 

 are taken off and run through the ordinary grain-thresher. 

 Some farmers in South Africa send boys dowm the rows with 

 clippers, to slip off the heads into bags. These heads are then 

 thrown into heaps or stored ready for threshing. The seed is 

 very liable to overheat, particularly when slightly immature 

 or damp. If stored in bins or tanks it must be carefully 

 watched, and if any evidence of overheating is shown, the seed 

 must be thoroughly ventilated by shovelling, etc. 



A good average yield in South Africa is about 15 to 25 

 bushels. 



For Silage. — Extensive experiments in Kansas have 

 shown sorghum ensilage to be practically equal to maize silage 

 from a feeding point of view. The saccharine sorghums do not 

 seem quite so valuable as kaffir. On account of their succu- 

 lency they should be cut at a later stage of maturity (when the 



