Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-09-10

son grass would be a valuable bav
grass as it produces large crops of
good hay.
Frot. Piper argued that if johnson
grass were. the wild original of the
sorghums, there should exist forms
without the rootstalk, which are
never found in the sorghums. Three
years search for such a strain re-
suited in the conviction that it did
not exist and that the root stock
character was one which sharply sep
arated Johnson grass from the sur-
ghums. Furthermore, the two are SO
distinct that hybrids between the
two are very rare and difficult to
secure.
Inc next step taken was to send
to all parts of the world for seed of
Johnson grass, known to botanists
as Andropogon halepensis. With the
seeds thus gathered were grown nine
dlIIerent manifestations of them
having rootstalks like johnson grass,
and the other five with merely fib-
rous roots like the sorghums. All
OF the latter are from Africa, the Or
lglnal home of the sorghums, while
those with root stalks are from south
ern Asia. Not only this, but the AT
rlcan forms all cross spontaneously
with the sorghums when they are
grown close together, while those
with rootstocks do not.
The conclusion seems fairly clear
then that the plants without root
stalks are the true wild forms of the
sorghums. 1t is also quite likely at
least two of the wild forms were Gull
tivated by the negroes and thus gave
rise to the existing surghums. II
must be rem embered that the ne
groes grew these plants primarily for
the grain, and undoubtedly began
with wild sorts already valuable for
this purpose. In the course of their
further cultivation increased grain
yield was the principal end sought,
with the result that all the varieties
are coarse, Corn-like plants, each
stem producing a large head of seeds.
Some of the five wild sorts Sc
cured are slender stemmed, leafy
plants excellent for hay production
and the best of these is the Sudan
grass that has been the agricultural
sensation of the day. Furthermore,
this variety is one that was quite I'M
known to botanists and it is therefore
necessary to give it a botanical bap-
tism
The cultivation OF Sudan grass for
three seasons convinced Prof. Piper
Of its remarkable value as dry land
forage crop and it was therefore dis
tributed by the department in 1912.
1t thus happens that a search based
on a botanical theory has given to
the west a new forage crop of bound
less possibilities.
The extraordinary rapid develop
ment of Sudan grass as a crop for
Texas is due largely to the
able director of the Texas expert
ment state, Prof. B. Youngblood,
said Prof. Piper recently. He quick
ly realized the wonderful possibili-
ties of the grass for dry land farm
ing and has devoted his energies to
bringing it to the attention of every
farmer in Texas and elsewhere in
the United States.
The value of the grass is by no
means limited to the drier portions OF
the United States, because it has
given excellent results nearly every
where that corn is grown"
To make two blades Of grass grow
where but one grew before is no
small accomplishment; and the intro
duction of Sudan grass has certainly
done this for wide area in the Unit
ed States.
ASHMUN BROWN.