Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1915-01-29
Sorghum, for Forage in the Cotton Belt
By ". ~ NlNAII.
Aersncuniss. offcc cf ForarS-Crq, Investigations


ne souih bat deserves 20 be erovn
much more extensively than il is a.
the present tine The forage sore-
auas are net rsccuulslfed ss the
money cro7s- They should Be with
ized mainly as fodder o1 the farm
where they are produced, 81 shoald
be Ted az points within hauling dis
tauce. For the qrosuction 81 beef
cattle and dairy products in the
south. every farmer should grow
the sweet sorehums As q foddsr
ther arr practically equal in vaius 20
corn and renerAlly better Yields 2re
obtained
No croas perhaps respoad better
70 s good soil than sorEhuus, yet
there are few which viii sacceed On
50 many different tyPes A rtoh.
loose. vel drained. clay loan soil is
best Good oroQs may Re expected
On sandy loans and On heavy olays
when the latter are vel drained.
TIE sorghum viii not give profit
able returns. however. oa ciays thAt
are uater iorged o. On extreal ely
sandy soils Where the SOL is poor.
or u-produeiive. al application q.
fertilizer. st-oaE in nitrate should
- made q planting time. LIBERAL
Applications q hA-nyard manure will
alU1vs greatly increase TIE yields
sweet sorrhums are TIE best va
vseties for the south a7a oi these
SumAc. Orange. Amber. Gcoseneck-
a-a Homer varieties are TIE best
Two cuttings can be obtained from
TIE early varieties Grain soTghuuas
Ike milo. eanr. sAuJ,a- durra- AID
fsisrita have 70; beea generally
successful OF Account O. TIE attacks
of al i-sec;-iAs sorghum -aitge-.
which prevents ne development q
the seed.
SORGHUM seed are usually cheap
aut the farmer VII 60 vel 10 bay
from reliable dealer. seed O. The
varieties mentioned rather than o.
the novelties 50 oftoa glowingly de-
scrlbed il the catalogues Where
tie farmer decides 10 grow his owa
seed care must be exercised 10 sep
arzts his seed qlzts from fields ot
other varieties si1os TIE sorEhuns
VII cross freely. When the heads
fully uAture they nay be cut of in
tie feds O. after TIE sorghum has
been eur and shocked These heads
4 cz1 be threshed in az ordi1Rry grain
thresher o. frailed out on canvass
ou TIE bErn roor. Tie treaIZelt
. of The seed Is LOT. verT often neces-
sarTout where kernel smut Is prev
2ls1t IL can hs prevented il the CON
inE bF sulki-E tie seed for al hou-
IN . soluton of forlEIln, one puund
oI tormzlin 70 thirty gallons g va
ts-. after which TIE seed is dried
before 7l1ltuE
Where surface planting Is QrEctie-
"a spri.E rloTizg IS often TIE best,
as 81 kils the early crops q weeds
AID warns The soil After QlOWi1g
ne land il shoEld be allowed 70 re-
nEi1 roDght until 5ust before seed
fnE TINE when il IS vel 10 drag i
with q drag harrow OF disk: Afis-
Whlch il cEn Be marked OF il rows
ar the required distance aparz- i
ths furrow method q planting Is &c
bs used the LAID VII lot need 10 bs
spring plow=d. II the farmer has
3 Lister for planting corn this can BE
used OF stubbls Lard OF Gotten land
ard the planting done without pre-
rous Yrepzrztioa- Where the farmer
does lo1 have 4 lister the furroTs
can - lssd % with q PioW OF ''mic
de buster zad the seed can De
planted IN these furroEs with oae-
horse drlll. after the manner o. the
planting O. eSt1on or corn
Sorghum may be planted as soo1
as TIE ground becomes warn in TIE
. syranE. usually from ooe 70 thres
weeks later thar Indian corn When
I TIE season is tEVOrzbis the FlEntinE
may bs doos from this tine unt1l as
late As VII permit TIE ercp 10 ma
ture before frost ne method q
planting in furr0Es IS the sane Al
that used fer cora and the ssDs
tools may be used Planting In he
fnrroT Is advised for Western Texas
z1s Oklahomz, and the fat rl6Es
method for all regions east Oi thii
where the rainfall Is more abundant
Planting On the ridges should b
Frsefioed only where surface drain
age Is required When planted II