2 BULLETIN 188, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



years, 1907 to 1914, inclusive, was only 24.4 bushels per acre. It is 

 during years when the rainfall is low that milo shows a marked 

 superiority over corn and oats, and it is probable that the figures 

 given above do not do justice to milo. The results obtained at the 

 experiment farm and by farmers who have given the crop a fair trial 

 mdicate that grain sorghum can be made a highly satisfactory grain 

 crop in the San Antonio region if the proper varieties are grown 

 and the necessary cultural methods are followed. 



CAUSES OF UNSATISFACTORY YIELDS. 



SORGHUM MmCE AND THIN STANDS. 



One of the chief difficulties encountered in the production of the 

 grain sorghums in the vicinity of San Antonio has been the sorghum 

 midge. It has been found, however, that by using reasonably 

 quick-maturing varieties and planting them early a good crop can 

 be produced before the midge appears in sufficient numbers to do 

 serious damage. This matter has already been made the subject of 

 a publication.^ 



There are still numerous instances in which the yields have been low 

 on certain farms. From the observations made on these farms, and 

 also at the experiment farm, it appears that unsatisfactory yields are 

 due, in many instances, to thin stands. Thin stands frequently 

 result from thin seeding, which the farmers practice in the befief that 

 with the low rainfall of the region thick seeding is not advisable. In 

 this section thin stands permit excessive tiUering or branching of the 

 plants, and this results in delayed and nonuniform maturity. The 

 thin stands and unsatisfactory maturity appear to be chiefly responsi- 

 ble for the low yields. 



The tiUers and branches of sorghum plants flower and mature 

 later than the main stalks. The successful production of sorghum in 

 the midge-infested regions depends upon the crop getting past the 

 flowering stage before the midge appears. Earliness is of prime im- 

 portance. As is shown in the results obtained in 1913, there may be 

 years when there wifl be no great increase in yield from thick seeding. 

 This was due to the fact that even the late-flowering heads were 

 mature before the midge appeared. On the other hand, when, 

 because of unfavorable weather conditions or for other reasons, plant- 

 ing is so delayed that the crop is in flower at about . the time the 

 midge appears, as was the case in 1914, unifonn flowering is of prime 

 importance if good yields are to be expected. 



TILLERS AND BRANCHES. 



AH sorghums, when widely spaced in the row, produce an abundance 

 of tiUers and less frequently branches under the same conditions. 

 TiUers are produced at or near the surface of the ground and appear 

 when the plant has reached a height of only a few inches, but their 



1 Ball, C. R., and Hastings, S. H. Grain-sorghum production in the San Antonio region of Texas. 

 U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin 237, 30 p., 1912. 



