234 FIELD CROP PRODUCTION 



sorghums, and a more cylindrical head that always stands 

 erect. While the stalks do not usually contain much 

 juice, in some varieties they are quite juicy. Usually 

 the seeds are white, pink, or red, the varieties of kafir 

 being known as white kafir, red kafir, and the like. 



234. Milo. — Milo or milo " maize " resembles kafir 

 in general appearance, but differs from it in that the 

 plants are less leafy, the heads are shorter and more 

 rounded, and the seeds are much larger, slightly flattened, 

 and usually yellowish brown in color. The miles are 

 earlier, more drought-evasive, and have lower water re- 

 quirements than the kafirs, and it is said that they will 

 produce profitable yields in sections having an annual 

 rainfall of only 10 to 15 inches. The milos are somewhat 

 earlier maturing than the kafirs, but the forage which 

 they provide is less palatable on account of their fewer, 

 smaller leaves and more pithy stems. 



235. Cultural methods. — Kafirs and milos are planted 

 much as corn is, usually in rows 31 feet with plants 4 to 

 10 inches apart in the row. About 3 to 4 pounds of seed 

 are required to plant an acre. Sometimes the planting is 

 done with a lister, which gives the best results on certain 

 soils and under certain seasonal conditions. The time of 

 planting kafirs and milos is usually a little later than that 

 of corn, since the former are warm weather plants and do 

 not make much growth until the soil is well warmed up. 

 Harvesting is usually done with a corn binder, in which 

 case the plants are bound into bundles and set up in shocks 

 like corn. Sometimes only the heads are harvested, 

 which may be done either bj' cutting them off by hand with 

 a knife, or in the case of kafir by means of an attachment to 

 a wagon known as a " header," which removes the heads 

 and conveys them to the wagon. The heads may be fed 



