The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1914-07-10


The sorghums, both for grain and
forage, are becoming more and more
the principal dependence OF farmers
In the great plains regions west OF the
one hundredth meridian of longitude
AID extending west to the Rocky
mountains and south to the Rio
Grande. The lessons of last years In
tense drought over this region are
likely to induce still greater depend
ence upon these drought-resistant
crops and less upon corn and the ordi-
nary small grains.
Wide publicity was given last sum-
mer and fall to the excellent showing
made by feterita, a new sorghum.
writes Fred L. Petty, In the Farm and
Home. While heretofore comparative
ly little known, this variety has been
tested for number of years at vari-
GUS experiment stations and is now be-
coming quite generally disseminated
among farmers 1t IL also known as
Sudan durra
The facts concerning feterita are
that 1t Is early maturing thereby es-
Gaping much of the drought danger,
and Is a valuable grain and forage
crop. 1t resembles milo except that
the seeds are larger, softer and white
or blush In color. 1t skaters more
than milo, but less than the common
white durra when ripe.
There are no data to prove that fet-
er1ta Ia In itself more drought-resist.
ant than the other grain sorghums. At
the government field station at Anna
rillo, Tex, no difference was noted be-
tween feterita and dwarf milo as
drought-resistant crops. The expert
mentists In charge state that they in
spected large number 81 grain sor
ghum fields In that vicinity and that
the good showing made by feterita was
due to the generally thin stand--a
vital factor with all crops in a dry sea-
son.
In Kansas this variety proved equal
to dwarf milo and dwarf kafir. both
tried and reliable grain sorghums. In
the northwestern part of the state
where other sorghums dried up, feter.
tia made seed and some forage At the
Fort Hayes station, however, dwarf
milo was ahead. The feterita made
forage but no seed.
The fact that feterita produced grain
on most fields In 1913, a year SO dry
that few other crops matured, has led
many farmers to believe that they
should abandon other tried and proved
sorghum crops like milo and kafir and
grow only feterita. This would un-
doubtedly be an unwise move. Few
seasons are so abnormal as was 1913,
and the comparative value of feterita,
except under extremely abnormal con.
ditions, Is not yet definitely fixed. AS
a safeguard. however, against the fail
ure OF other varieties every farmer
In the sorghum-growing districts
should plant at least q few acres o.
feterita
Normally feterita has two serious
faults. 1t Ii blown down easily and II
begins to shatter as soon as ripe
Last year 1t produced only one heat
per stalk, and thus harvesting waa
easy. Normally, however, 1t sends out
suckers at various times 80 that there
are three or four different periods OF
npening on each stalk. Unless each
head is cut when ripe the seed shat
ters out on the ground. This raises
harvesting difficulty which has not yet
been solved.
In most cases last fall actual thresh.
Ing returns Of feteritA proved disap-
pointing in comparison with early es.
Inmates. A large number of immature
heads were harvested even last year,
and nearly all this light seed was, OF
course, blown out by the threshing
machine.