CULTURAL METHODS FOB SOBGHUMS 317 



244. Time of Planting. — Grain sorghums are usually 

 planted soon after corn; the time ranging from March 

 to June in the Southern States, while as far north as 

 Nebraska the planting must be as early as possible in 

 order to insure maturing. Planting in Nebraska practi- 

 cally coincides with corn planting, about May 10. 



In the San Antonio region of Texas it has been found 

 necessary to plant very early in order to avoid the sorghum 

 midge, an iasect that becomes very numerous in June 

 and practically' prevents all seeding from that date on. 

 In order to avoid the midge, planting must be early. 

 According to one experiment reported in 1911, eleven va- 

 rieties of grain sorghums planted on March 4 yielded 23.1 

 bushels, while early varieties planted on March 15 gave 

 only profitable yields, and no varieties planted on April 1 

 were profitable.'^ 



245. Rate of planting. — Grain sorghums are usually 

 planted in rows 3 or 3| feet apart ; the plants 6 to 8 inches 

 apart for the milos and durras, and 8 to 10 inches for 

 kafirs. On very fertile soils the planting should be 

 thicker than this. The amount of seed required will be 

 3 to 5 pounds per acre. With durras a higher percentage 

 of the heads " gooseneck," or recurve, when planted thin 

 than when planted thick. 



246. Methods of planting. — Corn-planting machinery 

 is generally used for sorghums, the only change necessary 

 being to use special plates for dropping or to adapt the 

 corn-dropping plates. The corn-planting plates can be 

 adapted by filling the holes with lead and boring out to 

 the right size. Grain sorghiims are always drilled. 



Listing is a method common in regions of low rainfall, 



1 Grain Sorghum Production in the San Antonio Region of Texas. 

 U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus., Bui. 237. 1912. 



