The Delta independent., 1914-05-08

department OF agriculture discovered
that feterita fixed the standard O
value uy which other sorghums of tn,
British Egyptian Sudan were compar
ed Its demonstrated worth there sug
gested possibilities with it in the Unit
ed States, particularly where rainfall
was scantiest. The first seed was OBJ
tanned in 1901, through the office o.
foreign seed and plantation produc
tion. Second and third importations
were made in 1906 and 1908. 1t has
been tested for seven years at the
Chillicothe forest field station, for sia
years at the Amarillo cereal field sta
'tion, Doth in Northwestern Texas and
for shorter periods at other field sta
tions in the South Plains area.
Regarding the opinions of various
people, coupled with the intense inter
est of sections like ours in silos and
forage pI Ioducts with which to fill
them, the following will be appreci-
ated:
C. A. Hauth, Bever county, Okla.
homa: "Feterita is one of the best
drought-resisting plants in existence
At least that has been my experience
in Western Oklahoma. 1t and milo
were the only crops left for grain and
the feterita stood the test better than
milo. In spite of hot winds, the plant
was not hurt. Other plants were burn
ed up, but is was not injured"
Alfred S. Bower, jefferson county.
Nebraska: "On the first of October
my feterita had been ripe five weeks,
having Lad only half an inch of rain
during the season. Kafir began to
head, but did not ripen seed
H. NJ. Hill, Wilson county, Kansas:
Evidence has come from any number
of growers about here who planetd
feterita alongside of kafir and n
every instance they agree that the
feterita is the greater drought-resister.
1t made 4 good crop where both kafir
and milo failed. Our yields in both
1912 and 1913 were fine. while kafir,
planted much earlier each season, was
almost = total failure. We had some
kafir on our best ground in 1913 that
was fair, but did not yield quite half
what the feterita did"
Henry S. Jeffries, Franklin county.
Kansas: "Kafir and milo planted side
by side with feterita were both d.
stroyed by chinch bugs, while the
feterita was not damaged Some farm
ers believe it to be immune to attacks
than aafir because the stalks are
sweeter, though it does not produce
SO many leaves. 1t is the best dry
weather grain | ever saw"
C. G. Miller, Labette county, Kan
sas: Il planted two acres to feteriIa
the twelfth of June. Three weeks be-
fore-May twentieth-four inches OF
rain fell, which was the last of any
account until the eighth of Septemb mber
The weather was extremely hot and
dry during July and August. The fet-
erita came up and grew nicely. | cul-
tivated it three times. 1t made a
growth of from three to five feet,
stooling out and making from two to
six stalks from each grain. The seed
was ripe about the first of Septem-
Der, or about seventy-five days from
the time of planting. Kafir, Egyptian
wheat, corn and milo did not do any
thing; the stalks were short and did
not head The chinch bpgs took my
Indian corn. Then they commenced
on my fcterita, covering the stalks,
but not checking its growth; they
apparently did no damage"
sas: L planted feterita with lister
on the twentieth of May on old alfalfa
ground. did not cultivate it, the
ground wGs so dry. 1t was about half
sand 1t grew thrifitily and yielded
well where Indian corn and kafir
failed. IL grows faster than kafir and
stools from five to seven stalks to a
grain. After planting there was not
even one shower to lay the dust Its
early maturity is a great advantage"
H. A. Sleffel, Norton county, Kan
sas: Last year was the first In
which kafir ever failed me, but the
feterita came through well and ma
tured more or less grain"
S. A. Coffman, 7 ego county, Kan
sas: Il travelled six hundred miles
in Western Kansas last year. Feterita
is the only crop that survived the dry,
hot weather. / had ten acres that
made thirty bushels to the acre.
r. NJ. Taylor, Osborne county, Kan
Some made sixty bushels in 1912"
These ere few typical experiences
ont NJ mapv that rniob+ ha oi,,o,, a.d