12 



BULLETIN" 981, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Fig. S.— Panicle of Andropogon sorghum 

 hewisonii, S. P. I. No. 33739, from a 

 plant grown in the greenhouse of the 

 Department of Agriculture. 



CHICKEN CORN. 



Seed of this sorghum (Andropogon 

 sorghum drummondii (Nees) Hackel) 

 was first collected by Drummond at 

 New Orleans in 1832. It is widely dis- 

 tributed in Louisiana and Mississippi, 

 being known locally as "chicken corn," 

 and occurs as far north as Kentucky, 

 growing spontaneously in cultivated 

 ground. This wild sorghum was un- 

 doubtedly introduced from Africa by 

 Negro slaves, as it has been found in 

 northern Nigeria and at other points 

 along the Niger River. Specimens have 

 been collected from the Carolinas, 

 Mexico, Yucatan, and Guatemala. 

 This sorghum apparently has been 

 modified by cultivation, and in its 

 present form it resembles the cul- 

 tivated varieties much more closely 

 than does any other wild-grass sor- 

 ghum. At one time it appeared to 

 have been abundant and rather highly 

 prized in the Southern States, but it 

 is now somewhat scarce, owing prob- 

 ably to the attacks of the sorghum 

 midge. 



In cultivated plantings at the Arling- 

 ton Experimental Farm and other field 

 stations of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture Andropogon sorghum 

 drummondii grew to a height of 8 to 

 10 feet, with pithy stems five-eighths to 

 three-fourths of an inch in diameter; 

 rather broad, fairly abundant leaves; 

 panicle barely exserted from the last leaf 

 sheath, open and spreading like that of 

 Amber sorgo (fig. 9) ; and spikelets about 

 the same size as those of Black Amber, 

 with smooth black or reddish brown 

 glumes. A careful comparison with 

 other sorghums indicates that this form, 

 though interesting historically, adds 

 little of value to the crop plants of the 

 United States, 



