BREEDING MILLET AND SORGO EOR DROUGHT ADAPTATION. 
15 
of yields secured from 1908 to 1914, inclusive. The strain of sorgo 
used from 1908 to 1910 was of the Minnesota Amber type (S. Dak. No. 
341), which is the parent stock from which the selections mentioned 
hi this bulletin were made. In 1912, 1913, and 1914 S. Dak. No. 
341-13, a selection from this strain, was used instead of the original 
stock. The results of yields from two closely adjacent and compara- 
ble plats of corn are given for comparison. These results are shown 
in Table IX. 
It will be seen that where forage is the main consideration it would 
be much more profitable to grow sorgo than corn, for the total yield 
of sorgo is one-half more than that of corn. It should be considered, 
however, that the corn produced an average annual yield of grain of 
6^ bushels per acre, which helps to compensate for the lower total 
weight of the crop. In most cases the sorgo also was nearly ripe when 
the crop was harvested and would probably have produced a yield 
of seed equal in value to that of the corn, although no records of the 
seed yield were taken. 
Table IX. — Comparative yield (in pounds per acre) of air-dry sorgo and corn fodder 
at the Belle Fourche station, Newell, 8. Dak., for 1908 to 1914. 1 
Year. 
Sorgo. 2 
Corn. 2 
Relative 
yield of 
sorgo, 
com= 
100. 
1903 
3,270 
5,920 
3,360 
4,100 
3,400 
1,725 
3,090 
3,230 
1,990 
3,870 
1,490 
725 
106 
1909 
183 
1910 
169 
1912 
106 
1913 
228 
1914 
238 
3,110 
2,060 
151 
1 No crop was planted in 1911 on account of the extreme drought of that year. 
2 Average of two rotation plats. 
Com is grown to a considerable extent in the northern Great Plains.. 
In a favorable season a fair yield of grain is obtained, and even in a, 
dry season some fodder will be secured. Corn is often planted for 
fodder alone. There is no doubt, however, that sorgo is a more 
profitable crop to grow where forage is the main consideration, not 
only on account of the higher yield of sorgo but also on account of; 
its excellent feeding value. 
WATER REQUIREMENT OF MILLET AND SORGO. 
An important factor in the adaptation of millet and sorgo to condi- 
tions of drought is the low water requirement of these crops. This is a 
factor of special importance in the Great Plains, where the rainfall is 
limited and the relative water consumption of crops is in general much 
higher than in the more humid sections of the country. In humid 
