GRAIN-SORGHUM EXPERIMENTS IN THE PANHANDLE OF TEXAS. 21] 
DATES WHEN THE CROPS WERE SOWN. | 
In 1908 the Blackhull and Red Kafir varieties were sown on May 
20 and 21; the other varieties between May 27 and 30. In 1909, 
seeding began on May 25 and ended on June 2, while in 1910 the 
3 beginning was on May 24 and the end on May 28. In 1911 the 
sowing occupied June 3 to 8, inclusive. In 1912 and 1913 these 
crops were sown during the eight days from May 20 to 27, inclusive, 
while in 1914 sowing was condensed into the 3-day period, May 23 to 25. 
In the last two years only two days have been required to sow all 
varieties. The sowing was done in 1915 on May 24 and 25 and in 
1916 on May 25 and 26. 
ROTATIONS ON THE EXPERIMENTAL AREA. 
Owing to the lack of land and the shifting of the location from 
one farm to another in 1910 it was not possible to establish a regular 
rotation on the experimental plats. In 1908 most of the varieties 
were sown on sod land which had been broken during the previous 
fall and winter. In 1909 the varieties were scattered over the farm 
on various blocks which had been cropped to different small grains — 
the year before. 
In 1910 the crops were sown on land broken late in the autumn of 
1909 and in January, 1910. The milos and durras and part of the 
brown-seeded kaoliangs, including Manchu and Valley, were sown on 
the later breaking. This did not contain as much moisture as the 
fall breaking and the crops on it showed the difference to some extent. 
In 1911 all varieties except the Blackhull kafirs and the durra-kafir 
hybrids were sown on sod broken during the previous fall and winter. 
The two groups named above were on land which had borne a 
crop of small grain in 1910. _In the last five years, 1912 to 1916, 
inclusive, the grain-sorghum varieties have followed small grains in 
all cases. 
METHODS OF OBTAINING DATA. 
The data on plant space and stalk space and on the occurrence of 
suckers and erect heads have been obtained by actual counts of the 
plants, stalks, and heads in all the rows of each plat for which such 
data are given. The percentage of suckers is the difference between 
the number of stalks and the number of plants, divided by the 
number of stalks. It is thus a percentage of the total number of 
stalks in the plat and not a percentage of the number of plants. 
The growing period as given here is the total time elapsing from 
seeding until the grain is ripe. The vegetative period is the first and 
larger portion of the growing period from seeding until the heads 
have appeared. If heading is progressing slowly and unevenly the 
growing period is counted as ending when 50 per cent of the stalks — 
have headed. ‘The ripening period is the complement of the vege- 
