306 On the culture of Sorgho and Imphi. [No. 10, new series. 



Of these, Sprengel has pronounced the 2nd to be a mere variety 

 of the first, and the 7th to be a variety of the 6th. 



Persson makes the 4th and 5th variety of the first, and Willde- 

 now admits the latter (5) to hold only an intermediate place be- 

 tween the 1st and 6th. Lastly, Roxburgh in describing the 3rd 

 calls it a species or variety of Sorghum (No. 1.) 



This is the opinion of distinguished botanists, the group is re- 

 duced to two admitted species. 



1. Andropogon Sorghum, Brotero. 



a. Niger, Spreng. 

 /3. Bicolor, Pers. 

 7 Rubens, Pers. 

 B Cernuus, Roxb. 



2. Andropogon Saccharatus, Roxb. 



a Caffrorum, Spreng. 

 In examining a great breadth of Sorghum cultivation, it is im- 

 possible not to be struck with the marked diversities of form, size 

 and color exhibited by the plant in different localities. 



I had occasion to make a careful examination of the Sorghum 

 crops in Rajahmundry in 1853, and passed through a succession 

 of fields from the rich deep alluvial lunka lands in the Godavari, 

 to the shallow stony soils on the uplands, exhibiting every variety 

 of appearance, from the large dense coarchate head to the loose 

 panicle, the branches of which sometimes upright, sometimes 

 drooping, the colors varying from pure white through every shade 

 of yellow, pink, red and brown to black ; the height differing 

 from 3 feet to 30. 



A large head not selected but taken at random from a lunka 

 field contained 5618 corns and weighed 10J oz. 



A head from an intermediate field contained 3856 corns and 

 weighed 4 oz. 



The average heads of the upper lands were not half the size of 

 the last, many were still smaller. 



In the Exhibition Catalogue of 1857 we find the common. 



Red Cholum. 



White do. 



Yellow do. 



Alangkaru small, milk-white, Chingleput and Canara. 



