The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-16
The sorghums.

A boom in Kaffir corn is on. Farm papers
and especially those in the west. have COM
mandatory articles in every issue, and it
is d very reasonable conclusion that many
will be led to plant more or less of it. The
sorghum family is a very large -one and
every year now some one or the other of
these long known plants are brought TO
the front and doomed as if it were some
thing new and extremely valuable, Ihou-
sands viii grow 'Kaffir corn" this year
only to be disappointed. That Is disap-
pofntment will ensue If planted under the
impression that ii is as valuable as inter-
ested persons claim 1t to be. The Sorghum
family is divided into two great groups,
the Sugar Sorghum and the Non.sugar
sorghums OF the first the Early Amber
may be taken as the type of the many va
rieties introduced into this country from
Africa or Egypt. At one time, ana espe-
cfally during the war, there was a large
area devoted to sorghum, but, its cultiva-
tion rapidly dwindled down until at the
present time very little is grown.
The type of the nCn-sacchartne sorghum
may be regarded as the valuable broom
corn. In this class appear the Egyptian or
Ivory wheat very generally experimental
with some 10 years as the result of a seed
distribution by the Georgia agricultural
department. We regard this variety as by
ali odds the most desirable of all the nom
saccharine sorghums.
Then there are the Dourrha corn, white
and yellow. the Millomaizes the Jerusa-
lem corn, the Kaffir corn, white and red,
African mllIet, Dlack rice corn ana so on.
OF course, there is a great deal of confu-
sion in the manufacture of these sorghums
both as to scientific name and the COM
mon name.
An acre of land, that will produce 100 lbs
of lint cotton can be made to produce any
where from 50 to 100 bushels of the Egyp-
tian or Ivory wheat; if the preparation and
cultivation is what it should be.
Comparative tests we are satisfied would
show that this grain will make more per
acre and that the quality of the grain for
bread-makng and feeding to stock is SUI
peror to the Kaffir or any other that we
have named. We have no interest what
ever i'm claiming this for the Ivory
wheat as we are not growing it, and
know of no one who is growing it largely
at this time For the poultry raiser it is
unequaled. AS an interesting experiment
we have secured small quantity of a
score Of these sorghums and will plant
them side by side to- test the matter OF
productions.
As a forage plant neither the Ivory OF
the katfir corn are desirable. Those who
have grown these non-Sugar sorghums no
doubt will agree with us that IL is a poor
ly fed COW that will eat the stalks of these
plants. The leaves and tender ends of the
stalks are good enough, but the great
bulk of the crop would be hard and I'M
palatable stalk. Properly grown Fodder
corn is better than such sorghum. OF
course if one grows crop of 1t chiefly
for the grain 1t is well enough to save the
stalks for forage If there is a prospect of
the latter running short. No sensible per-
son would be likely to plant a second time
either Kaffir corn or Ivory wheat purely
for the forage. The saccharine sorghums
would be far preferable for this and as
we said even common corn, to3l2 bushels
drilled in would be better thing The
southern farmer has such a royal list of
plants to choose from to supply an abund-
ance of forage it, puzzles him often times
the non-saccharine sorghums purely for
forage.