GEAIN-SOEGHUM EXPERIMENTS IN THE PANHANDLE OF TEXAS. 21 

 DATES WHEN THE CROPS WERE SOWN. 



In 1908 the Blackhull and Red Kafir varieties were sown on May 

 20 and 2i; the other varieties between May 27 and 30. In 1909, 

 seeding began on May 25 and ended on June 2, while in 1910 the 

 beginning was on May 24 and the end on May 28. In 1911 the 

 sowing occupied June 3 to 8, inclusive. In 1912 and 1913 these 

 crops were sown during the' eight days from May 20 to 27, inclusive, 

 while in 1914 sowing was condensed into the 3-day period. May 23 to 25. 

 In the last two years only two days have been required to sow all 

 varieties. The sowing was done in 1915 on May 24 and 25 and in 

 1916 on May 25 and 26. 



ROTATIONS ON THE EXPERIMENTAL AREA. 



Owing to the lack of land and the shifting of the location from 

 one farm to another in 1910 it was not possible to estabhsh a regular 

 rotation on the experimental plats. In 1908 most of the varieties 

 were sown on sod land which had been broken during the previous 

 fall and winter. In 1909 the varieties were scattered over the farm 

 on various blocks which had been cropped to different small grains 

 the year before. 



In 1910 the crops were sown on land broken late in the autumn of 

 1909 and in January, 1910. The milos and durras and part of the 

 brown-seeded kaoUangs, including Manchu and Valley, were sown on 

 the later breaking. This did not contain as much moisture as the 

 fall breaking and the crops on it showed the difference to some extent. 



In 1911 aU varieties except the BlackhuU kafirs and the durra-kafir 

 hybrids were sown on sod broken during, the previous fall and winter. 

 The two groups named above were on land which had borne a 

 crop of small grain in 1910. In the last five years, 1912 to 1916, 

 inclusive, the grain-sorghum varieties have followed small grains in 

 aU cases. 



METHODS OF OBTAINING DATA. 



The data on plant space and stalk space and on the occurrence of 

 suckers and erect heads have been obtained by actual counts of the 

 plants, stalks, and heads in aU the rows of each plat for which such 

 data are given. The percentage of suckers is the difference between 

 the number of stalks and the number of plants, divided by the 

 number of stalks. It is thus a percentage of the total number of 

 stalks in the plat and not a percentage of the number of plants. 



The growing period as given here is the total time elapsing from 

 seeding until the grain is ripe. The vegetative period is the first and 

 larger portion of the growing period from seeding until the heads 

 have appeared. If heading is progressing slowly and unevenly the 

 growing period is counted as ending when 50 per cent of the stalks 

 have headed. The ripening period is the complement of the vege- 



