Giti1es.—On Sorghum Haperiment. 373 
Arr. LIV.—Notes on Sorghum Experiment. By Mr. Justice Gruuties. 
[Read before the Auckland Institute, 8th August, 1881.] 
Havine received from Commissioner LeDuc, of the Department of Agricul- 
ture at Washington, in May, 1880, sufficient seed of the Early Amber and 
Honduras varieties to sow about 3 of an acre of each, I forwarded them to 
New Zealand with instructions for sowing and culture. The Commissioner 
informed me that these two varieties were those most likely to suit the 
climate of Auckland, which I explained to him. On my arrival in Decem- 
ber, 1880, I found that a piece of ground, 14 acres of light volcanic loam, 
which had been for several years in grass, had been carefully ploughed and 
prepared. The seed had been sown on the 28th and 29th of September (a 
month at least too early I now think) in drills running north and south 2 
feet 6 inches apart. Instead, however, of planting in the drills a few seeds 
at the distance of three feet from each other, the seed had been sown con- 
tinuously like peas, consequently it did not suffice for the ground prepared 
and the plants had come up much too thick in the drills. After sowing the 
weather had been unusually dry until December, so that on my arrival on 
the 7th December the plants were only about eight inches high. I had 
them immediately thinned out to a distance of 2 feet 6 inches between each 
two or three plants, and moist weather coming on the remaining plants 
began to grow well and litter or throw out 4 to 5 lateral shoots from the 
roots. The Early Amber covered ;%, of an acre; the Honduras exactly half 
an acre. Between the two varieties the unoccupied space, fully 3 an acre, 
was in October sown with maize broadcast for green food. By the middle 
of January the Early Amber was about 2 feet 4 inches high on an average, 
the Honduras 2 feet high, whilst the maize was 4 feet high. On the 4th of 
February a good many of the main stalks of Early Amber showed the seed 
top 5 to 6 feet high, none of Honduras, maize forming cobs. The crop now 
grew with great rapidity, but my absence from home prevented my record- 
ing the various stages of progress. On Ist April commenced cutting the 
Early Amber which then stood 10 to 12 feet high ; weighed the cane and 
found the produce to be 2 tons 16 cw. from 2, of an acre; stripped the 
seed (roughly) and obtained 180Ibs. seed. On 15th April cut the Honduras 
which then stood about 12 feet high, and obtained from the half acre 3 tons 
Tewt. cane and 170 Ibs. seed. The cane was cut about 9 inches from the 
ground and topped about 2 feet down and weighed immediately after cutting 
Without stripping the leaves. Having no machinery for cleaning the seed, 
the weight of seed includes the husk. - es 
Se ee 
