845 



make a flour which the Europeans there used mixed with wheat- 

 flour, and the stems after the ears are harvested are used for 

 feeding cattle (Bull. Agric. Congo Beige, 1912, p. 666); the 

 flour is employed in the preparation of a porridge and for making 

 beer; the grains are used also in the starch factory and in the 

 distillery, Eritrea (Manetti, Agric. Col. Italy, 1911, p. 100; Bull. 

 Bur. Agric. Int. Rome, April 1911, p. 829); the grain is also 

 used for making beer in S. Africa (Walters, I.e.) on the Niger 

 and Gambia (Mug. Kew) and " Gero " is ground up for eating 

 uncooked with milk and other food, Nigeria (Dalziel, Hausa Bot. 

 Voc. p. 38). 



An annual, 3-10 ft. liigh; culms stout, erect, the spike 



bearing many grains 



maturity 



in from 3-5 months, the cultivation in general being much the 

 same as for Guinea Corn {Sorghum) ; but it appears to be a better 

 crop for drier regions. In Nupe it is sown in March and April 

 with the first rains, ripens in July and August, said not to be 

 a productive grain, considering the space it requires ; but 



Dawa " {Sorghum) is always planted with it to ripen at 

 Christmas (Barter, Herb. Kew). It is usual to plant millet 

 seed before the Guinea Corn, generally about the middle of 

 April or as soon as the first showers are experienced, the crop 

 is ready for picking in June and July and much less ram is 

 required for this crop than for Guinea Corn in N. Nigeria. There 

 is a smaU-spiked form of millet known as '' Ligi " (in Beri-beri) 

 which may belong here, cultivated on the banks of Lake Chad; 

 it is sown as the water recedes and grown without rainfall 



(Lamb, No. 109, 1921, Herb. Kew). On the Gambia " Sannio " 

 is grown alternately with *' Guinea Corn " or " Maize " (Dudgeon, 

 Agric. & For. Prod. W. Africa, pp. 12, 148) and round the 

 villages there always exist fields of greater or less extent (Kew 

 Bull. 1892, p. 45). In India, where it is generally grown mixed 

 with minor crops — *' Mung " {Phaseolus radiatus) etc.— the seed 

 is soAvn at the rate of 2^3 seers (5-6 lb.) per acre, yielding 

 5^7 maunds (450-570 lb.) of grain and about 30 maunds 

 (2460 lb.) of dry fodder. The average yield on dry lands is 

 1-7 cwt. per acre (Watt, Comm. Prod, India, p. 870); average 

 500 lb. of seed in Georgia (Piper, Forage PI, p. 303). 



The grain is easily stored and keeps in good condition for 

 a long time (Dudgeon, I.e.). In the Museum at Kew there is 

 a specimen showing the method of conveying the spilvcs to 

 market in certain parts of the Niger region — there are about 

 172 spikes, 86 arranged on each side of the plaited centre of 



convem 



on the backs of oxen. 



The plant is very variable under cultivation and there are 

 several distinct varieties and numerous forms occurring in 



Africa \see Hooker, Fl. Br. India, vii 



has 



given at a total production of 38 bundles average weight of each 



? 13721 



X 



