SORGHUM EXPERIMENTS OX THE GREAT PLAINS. 
75 
For Blackhull kafir and Dwarf milo, which were included in the 
tests for a total of 10 years, the results are more illuminating. (Ta- 
ble 20.) 
The yields in Table 20 show a consistent decrease in the quantity 
of forage as the stand becomes thinner. Considering the grain, how- 
ever, the average yields for each variety are surprisingly uniform ex- 
cept for the 4-inch spacing of Blackhull kafir, and the seasonal fluc- 
tuations are not consistent. Such slight differences as are shown, 
together with accumulated practical experience, indicate that an 
intermediate spacing of 8 to 12 inches per plant is best. 
EXPERIMEXTS AT AMARILLO, TEX. 
Spacing experiments were in progress at Amarillo, Tex., throughout 
the five years, 1913 to 1917. ' Three varieties, Sumac sorgo, Dwarf 
milo, and feterita, were included in the tests. Blackhull kafir was 
grown from 1913 to 1915, after which Dawn kafir, a better adapted 
variety, was substituted. Tests with Freed sorghum were attempted 
for three years but without success, because birds took the seed, and 
in 1916 and 1917 Red Amber was substituted for this variety. 
Shortage of land made it necessary to conduct these tests in smaller 
plats than usual; in single rows replicated four times or in duplicate 
2-row plats. It was also necessary to grow sorghums continuously 
on the same land. With the opening of each season, therefore, the 
soil was in poor physical condition, and the crops were dependent 
entirely on seasonal precipitation for germination and growth. In 
the extremely adverse season of 1913 marginal influences were some- 
what of a factor in the yields, and most of the seedings were so nearly 
a failure that the data are not presented. In 1916 a prolonged 
drought at seeding time made it impossible to secure proper stands, 
but quite satisfactory stands were obtained in the other seasons. 
The data recorded for 1914, 1915, and 1917 are given in Table 21. 
Table 21. — Agronomic data regarding sorghum varieties grown in rows 40 inches 
apart in spacing experiments at Amarillo, Tex., in 1914, 1915, and 1917. 
Variety. 
Sumac sorgo. 
Blackhull kafir. 
Dwarf milo. 
Feterita. 
Yields per acre. 
Average row- 
space. 
Per 
plant. 
Inches. 
{ 2.7 
4.0 
5.9 
I 7.5 
f 4.8 
) 7.3 
10.4 
I 14.6 
f 5.2 
| 8.1 
| 11.4 
15.5 
Per 
stalk. 
Inches. 
2.0 
2.8 
3.2 
1914 
1915 
For- 
Tons. 
3.45 
3.05 
2.90 
2.40 
3.6 2.90 
4. 6 2. 05 
5. 9 2. 55 
8.4 | 1.85 
3. 3 1. 80 
3. 7 2. 00 
4.2 1.55 
5.2 1.35 
5. 4 3. 7 2. 00 
4. 2 j 1.60 
12.1 I 4.7 1.45 
16.2 I 5.4 1.30 
Grain. *™' Grain. 
Bush. 




1.8 
3.6 
7.1 
Tons. 
8.53 
8.03 
7.60 
8.10 
4.48 
4.25 
3.98 
3.55 
4.45 
8. 6 ! 4. 21 
11.1 3.93 
15. 7 3. 53 
Bush. 
19.2 
17.9 
18.8 
15.6 
42.9 
37.9 
42.9 
33.5 
67.9 
65.2 
64.3 
63.8 
5.7 
5. 9 3. 91 52. 7 
8. 9 3. 60 52. 7 
7. 5 3. 70 49. 6 
i\n: 
Average. 
For- 
Tons. 
3.05 
3.38 
3.75 
3.73 
3.53 
3.28 
2.98 
2.43 
2.18 
2.08 
2.08 
1.93 
2.55 
2.73 
2.25 
2.80 
Grain 
Bush . 




11.2 
12.1 
11.4 
10.1 
14.3 
11.4 
11.4 
9.8 
15.6 
20.8 
21.9 
21.4 
For- 
age. 
Aver- 
age 
height 
of 
plants. 
Grain. 
Tons. 
5.01 
4.82 
4.75 
4.74 
3.64 
3.19 
3.17 
2.61 
2.81 
2. 7i i 
2. 52 
2.27 
2. 75 
2.43 
2.60 
Bush. 
6.4 
6.0 
6.3 
5.2 
18.6 
17.il 
20.5 
16.5 
29.7 
28. 1 
28.9 
29.8 
Inches. 
67 
49 
48 
49 
iV 
36 
36 
35 
35 
26.5 
27.8 
. - 
