The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1912-04-19
RAlN-SORGHUM CROPS
important Because of Drought
Resisting Qualities.
Certain Varieties, Such as kafir, Milo,
Durra and kowllans Better Yield
ers In Seasons Of Limited
Rainfall.

(By PROF. CARLETON r. BALL, Ag-
economist, United States Department
of Agricuture)
Grain sorghums are important dry
farm crops because Of their well
known drought resistance. This en-
ables them to produce crops of grain
where other crops fail What we call
drought resistance is probably high
ability to prevent the loss Of water
throush the leaves and other tissues
of the plant. 1t may also be connect
ed with strong development Of the
root system. 1t is now known that
the plants which we call drought re-
sistant are not able to extract any
more water from a dry soil than those
which are not able to resist drought
very extensively.
1t has been proved that certain var
ieties or strains of the different grain
sorghum crops, such as kafir, milo,
durra and kowliang, are better yield
ers than other varieties or strains, es-
pecially in seasons of limited or poor
ly-distributed rainfall. These superior
strains are no more drought resistant
than are the inferior strains, but are,
for one reason or another, drought
evasive. This Is very important to the
farmer. 1t is doubtful whether drought
resistance can be readily or rapidly
increased. 1t is possible, however,
for every grower of grain sorghums to
take advantage of the characters or
habits of these crops which make
them able to evade or avoid drought.
/ Some of the characteristics Of the
crop which enable 1t to escape
drought are earliness of maturity and
! dwarfness of growth. Conditions out
side the plant itself which may assist
in drought evasion are thin planting
and, perhaps, early planting also.
In the recent succession of dry sea-
sons in parts of the plains region, 1t
has commonly been noted that dwarf
| varieties, early varieties and varie-
ties which are both dwarf and early
have been able to mature larger crops
of grain than taller and later varieties.
There is a reason, without doubt. A
dwarf variety requires less water than
taller one. The larger the plant, the
more water it requires and the more
1t is likely to lose by Transportation. A
small plant which can produce as
much grain as a large plant will thus
have a real advantage in a dry sea-
son. This is not true drought resist
ance but merely a lower water re-
quirement which permits drought eva
sion
The year 1909 was marked by a
severe drought in July, August and
September in the southern half Of the
great plains. At the Amarillo expert
ment farm, in Texas, II plats of milo
gave an average yield of 6.S bushels
and ten plats of dwarf milo an aver.
age yield of IL bushels to the acre
The best plat of milo yielded at the
rate OF only 16.5 bushels, though in a
low piece of ground, while the best
dwarf milo yielded 232 bushels pei
acre. This advantage seems to be
largely due to the smaller size Of the
plants of the dwarf variety and the
consequent lower water requirement
The effect of earliness in permitting
drought evasion Is very important
Consider two plants, one earlier thar
the other, but otherwise similar In al
respects. The earlier plant, having
shorter growing period, not only
uses less water, but uses It earlier IL
the season. This is of especial i'm
portance in those parts Of the semi
arid country where much of the sea
sonal rainfall occurs in April, May
and June. The earlier plant might BIZ
able to mature it's crop of seed on tht
summer rainfall. On the other hand
the later plant might be crippled at {