GRAIN-SORGHUM EXPERIMENTS IN THE PANHANDLE OF TEXAS. 25 
only 16.6 inches, or about 5 inches below normal. While April and 
June had fair quantities of rain, there was really only one effective 
rain in each of the four months from April to July, inclusive, and none 
between June 4 and July 29. The good rains of August did not 
y begin until the 20th, after which there was drought again. It is not 
surprising, therefore, that low yields were obtained. The average 
acre ylelds of the leading groups were as follows: Milo, 7 bushels; 
Dwarf milo, 8.6 bushels; feterita, 12.2 bushels; and Dawn kafir, 
3.7 bushels. Standard kafir failed to mature. 
VARIETAL EXPERIMENTS. 
The objects of the experiments reported herein were to determine 
the adaptation and value of the different groups and the best varieties 
in each group. Studies on the best methods of growing the crop were 
also made, but the results will appear elsewhere. 
Preliminary experiments with two or three varieties had been con- 
ducted at Channing, Tex., from 1904 to 1906, inclusive. At Amarillo 
the work was begun in 1906 by Mr. A. H. Leidigh, in charge of the 
work with cereals at the Amarillo Cereal Field Station. Three varie- 
ties were grown in field plats in 1906, with acre yields as follows: 
Blackhull kafir, 44.4 bushels; Red kafir, 42.9 bushels; and shallu, 
26.1 bushels. In 1907 only two varieties were grown in plats, milo 
yielding 23.9 bushels and Blackhull kafir 18.9 bushels. Experiments 
in methods of tillage, rates of seeding, and the improvement of varie- 
ties were begun also by Mr. Leidigh. _ 
In 1907 the senior writer began active direction of the experi- 
mental work with these crops, and the comprehensive series of 
varietal and other tests here recorded was planned for the year 1908. 
The junior writer has been associated in the investigations since 
July, 1909, and has been acting in charge of the experiments since 
1914. 
The results obtained from all the lots, selections, and races of all 
the varieties under experiment in any or all of the nine years from 
1908 to 1916, inclusive, are presented in the tables that follow. The 
importance of the ecologic study of the grain sorghums has been 
shown in the introduction to this bulletin. The same reasons which 
require a full presentation of the climatic factors require as well a 
presentation of all the agronomic data available, so far as they serve 
to show the comparative response of these crops to environing con- 
ditions each season. 
The data in the tables include not only the yields, therefore, but 
many other agronomic data as well. Among them are the average 
drill-row space occupied by each plant and each stalk; the length, in 
days, of the vegetative and fruiting periods and of the total growing 
period, the percentage of suckers, the height of the plants, and, in 
