16 BULLETIN 188, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
THICK SEEDING AND THE SIZE OF PLANT STUMPS. 
Another advantage derived from seeding thicker than is cus- 
tomary is the reduced size of the plant stumps. One of the objections 
advanced against the growing of grain-sorghum crops, particularly 
in the black lands of Texas, is the difficulty of preparing the land for 
the succeeding crop. Where the plants grow very large the increased 
size of the rooting system necessaiy to support a plant with several 
stalks often causes soil to adhere to the roots, forming large masses 
of mixed roots and soil. When the land is plowed, many of these 
large clods, which are very difficult to turn under, are left on the 
surface, greatly increasing the difficulty of properly preparing the 
seed bed. Thicker seeding, by reducing the size of individual plants, 
markedly lessens this difficulty. 
THICK SEEDING AND CROP STANDS. 
It is obvious that the best results can not be secured with milo 
where the stand is irregular and spotted. Where relatively thin seed- 
ing is practiced the chances of getting a good, uniform stand are 
reduced. There are numerous conditions that operate to prevent 
high germination of the seed and successful growth of the crop, and, 
within reasonable limits, thick seeding is desirable, as it increases the 
chances of securing a good stand in spite of adverse conditions of soil 
and climate. There is little danger of getting the milo plants too 
close together in the row so long as the rate does not greatly exceed 
5 pounds of seed per acre, the rate used in these experiments, with 
rows 4 feet apart. As is shown in Table III, the highest yields were 
obtained from the unthhmed rows and the 2-inch spacing. In 1913 
both these plats yielded at the rate of 46.4 bushels per acre. In 1914 
the two plats so spaced yielded at the rate of 21.8 and 18.2, bushels, 
respectively. It seems certain that to secure satisfactory stands it is 
desirable to plant at a rate at least as high as 5 pounds of seed per acre. 
This would make a rather thick seeding if every seed produced a 
plant, but this is seldom the case. The experiments carried on with 
milo at San Antonio have shown that if the planter plates are so 
arranged that only one seed is dropped where a plant is desired, such 
a poor stand will generally result that the yields will be very materi- 
ally decreased. In the experiment described above, with a seeding 
rate of 5 pounds per acre, if every seed had produced a plant the 
plants would have averaged about 1.5 inches apart, or 2,112 plants 
to a 264-foot row. But, as is shown in Table III, there were only 
895 mature plants per row in the plat that was not thinned. 
THICK SEEDING AND MATURITY. 
It has already been shown that the closer spaced plants matured 
earlier and more uniformly than those which w^ere farther apart in 
the row. As shown in Table V, the difference in earliness of maturity 
