576 



SORGHUM 



SORGHUM 



maturity by the spreading and inrolling of the 

 glumes; awns long, yellowish and rather persistent. 

 History. — A peculiar sorghum introduced from 

 India, where it is extensively cultivated in Bombay 

 and the Deccan under the 

 native name, Shallu, usually 

 as a winter crop. It was 

 J|. imported and tested by the 

 Louisiana Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station more than 

 fifteen years ago. It is now 

 found growing at scattered 

 points from Kansas to Texas 

 under such names as "Cali- 

 fornia wheat," "Egyptian 

 wheat," and "Mexican 

 wheat." The source of these 

 culture areas is not known, 

 but probably from the 

 Louisiana importation. 



Varieties. — But a single 

 variety is found in this 

 country. The stalks are slen- 

 der, 5-7 feet tall,with rather 

 small leaves. It requires 

 100 to 120 days to reach 

 maturity. Its value is not 

 yet known. 



III. Sweet sorghums. 



Description. — Pith juicy 

 and sweet; internodes about 

 equaling the sheaths ; pe- 

 duncles erect (recurved in 

 Gooseneck); panicle vari- 

 • able, loose a;nd ovate to 

 compact and cylindrical ; 

 rachis variable in length ; 

 spikelets ovate, oval or 

 obovate, awned or awn- 

 less ; glumes equaling or 

 shorter than the seeds ; 

 seeds pale orange to deep 

 red. 



History. — The sweet 

 sorghums of the United 

 States were obtained 

 originally from two widely 

 separated regions, — China 

 and Natal. The Chinese 

 variety reached this coun- 

 try in 1853, by way of 

 France. It was at first called sorgho. 



From it has since been derived our well-known 

 Amber sorghum. The Natal varieties, fifteen or 

 sixteen in number, collectively called Imphee, were 

 brought from Europe in 1857, and were first grown 

 in South Carolina and Georgia. From them have 

 descended our Orange (Neeazana), Sumac (Koom- 

 bana) and Gooseneck (native name not certain). 

 These are .varieties in common cultivation today. 

 Three other little-grown varieties. Collier, Planter's 

 Friend and Sapling, are probably of the same origin. 

 Many additional forms and so-called varieties have 

 since arisen through sports, selections and natural 



Fig. 809. 

 Broom-oom. Seed-head or 

 brush, and seeds in de- 

 tail at right. 



crossing. The sweet sorghums are not sharply sep- 

 arated from the kafirs. 



KEY TO VARIETIES OF SWEET SORGHUM 



A. Peduncle and panicle erect : 

 I. Panicle loose, open, branches 

 spreading to horizontal or 

 drooping : 

 Eachis two-thirds as long as 

 to equaling the panicle ; 

 spikelets usually awned : 

 Stems slender; panicle 

 ovate - pyramidal or one- 

 sided; empty glumes 

 deep red or black : 

 Empty glumes black : 

 Empty glumes rigid, long, 

 more or less hairy, pure 

 black, usually awned . 1. Amber 

 • Empty glumes longer and 

 thinner, glabrous, usu- 

 ally glaucous when ma^ 

 ture, never awned . . 1. Minn. Amber 

 Empty glumes deep red . 2. Red Amber 

 Stems stout; panicle oblong, 

 elongated ; empty glumes 



light brown 3. Honey 



Eachis less than one-half the 



length of the panicle : 

 Panicle light weight, red- 

 brown, branches 6-10 

 inches long, drooping ; 

 glumes with pale margins, 

 acute ; seeds deep orange 



to red 4. Collier 



Panicle heavy, pale orange 

 or darker; glumes pale 

 straw - color or darker, 

 never all dark; seeds 

 pale orange to deep 



orange 5. Planter's Friend 



n. Panicle close, compact, obo- 

 vate-oblong or cylindrical; 

 branches appressed or the 

 uppermost spreading : 

 Panicle oblanceolate or ob- 

 long, 5-7 inches long; 

 stems 5-7i feet high : 

 Empty glumes about equal- 

 ing the large seeds : 

 Color of panicle pale or- 

 ange or darker ; glumes 

 pale straw-color or darker 

 but never all dark, acute ; 

 seeds pale orange or 



darker 5. Planter's Friend 



Color of panicle reddish 

 brown or deep brown; 

 glumes red to black, all 

 dark ; seeds pale Orange 



to red 6. Orange 



Empty glumes about half as 

 long as the small seeds : 

 Panicle very compact ; 

 glumes black, seeds dark 



red 7. Sumac 



Panicle cylindrical, elongated, 

 10-14 inches long; stems 

 8-10 feet high : 

 Empty glumes narrow, some- 

 what shorter than the red 

 seeds 8. Sapling 



