SORGHUM EXPERIMENTS OX THE GREAT PLAINS. 79 
The average yields of forage for both the long and short period 
confirm the results at Hays and indicate that the regular row space 
(40 inches) will produce the most fodder. This is true for both 
Dwarf kafir and feterita. In addition, the thicker the plants are in 
the rows the greater the forage yield. Contrary to the results 
obtained at Hays, the alternate 40 and 80 inch rows did not outyield 
the 80-inch rows in the kafir. With feterita, however, the reverse 
is true. Placing a row of cowpeas between the 80-inch rows of 
sorghum decreased both the grain and forage yields appreciably. 
The grain yields of the kafir plats were not so consistent as those at 
Hays. This was owing to the low yield in 1922 of the 40-inch rows 
with 8-inch spacing in the rows. The failure of this thickest rate to 
produce grain was caused by the late seeding of the duplicate plat. 
Because of continued rains the first seeding, which should have been 
made on May 1, w T as delayed to Ma}~ 12. The second seeding, 
planned for May 14, was made May 26. The kafir seeded on May 26 
did not have time to head before the drought became severe in July, 
and very few heads emerged in the 40-inch rows. The plats seeded 
May 12 and the thinner rates of the May 26 seeding didnot suffer 
from the drought so much and therefore made a better showing. If 
the seedings had been made on the dates planned, the 40-inch rows 
would no doubt have made the best average yield of grain. 
The feterita grain yields were largest in the 40-inch rows, owing to 
the early maturity of this variety, which enabled it to head out before 
the drought became severe. The only disagreement in the feterita 
grain yields at Chillicothe and those of the Pink kafir at Hays was in 
the yields of the alternate 40 and 80-inch rows, which produced less 
than the 80-inch rows. 
The experiments in row width at Hays, Kans., and Chillicothe, 
Tex., although perhaps not so extensive as they should be for definite 
conclusions, indicate that larger yields may be expected from rows 
spaced the ordinary distance rather than 80 inches apart. With 
equal yields the 80-inch spacing would be preferable, because the 
heads are larger and more easily harvested. The wide spaces between 
rows are also a measure of insurance against drought injury, and the 
soil is left in better condition for the following crop. 
The spacing experiments of the Office of Cereal Investigations at 
Amarillo, Tex. (10, p. 23-36), confirm the results recorded in this 
bulletin in respect to the fodder or total crop yield. For the grain 
yields, however, their results are more favorable to the widely spaced 
rows. 
Quantity of Seed Required to Obtain a Stand. 
In order to determine the relation of row space per plant to the 
quantity of seed sown, experiments were planned to discover how 
nearly the germination of sorghum seed in the field approaches that 
obtained in the laboratory; also, how many pounds of seed per acre 
are ordinarily required to produce a stand with the desired row space 
per plant. These facts are necessary in order to apply in actual 
farm practice the information obtained regarding the most desirable 
row space. 
