CULTURAL METHODS 



251 



Soils for Sorghums. Sorghums do well on any productive soil 

 (Fig. 96). They are also more alkali resistant than the grain crops 

 and are regarded as a crop that can be grown in soils comparatively 

 high in alkali salts. Sorghums are vigorous growers, and often a 

 profitable crop, especially for forage, can be raised on land too ex- 

 hausted for good crops of small grain or corn. 



Effect of Sorghums on Land. Farmers usually regard sor- 

 ghum as " hard on the land." This is probably due to the thorough 

 search the sorghum roots make for available plant-food, leaving the 

 soil more thoroughly exhausted. However, the total plant-food re- 



FIG. 96. Field of selected Brown Kowliang. 



moved is no larger than in the case of an equal tonnage of other 

 crops, and usually the second year after sorghum, no injurious ef- 

 fect is noticed. 



Cultural Methods. Sorghum is grown for four purposes : (1) 

 grain; (2) forage; (3) syrup; (4) broom brush. 



For grain, syrup, and broom brush it is always grown in rows 

 about like field corn, except that two to three times as many plants 

 are grown per acre. The rows are about the same distance apart 

 (forty to forty-four inches) as corn, but the plants four to ten 

 inches in the row instead of twelve to twenty inches. 



