Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/403

* SORGHUM. 349 SORGHUM. obtained on land too poor for corn. The prepara- tion of the soil consists in deep plowing and fine surface pulverization to insure best conditions for the young plants, which are at first feeble and slow to grow. The seed is sown broadcast in hills or drills after the soil becomes warm. When it is grown in hills or drills it is treated like corn, when broadcasted like hay crops. As soon as the grain is ripe the plants are cut by hand or with a corn harvester, put up in shocks, and left to cure. When the curing process is completed the heads are threshed for the seed and the stalks When in good condition it is an excellent feeding stuH'. The seed is a concentrated feed, and quite similar in composition to shelled corn, though re- garded as somewhat inferior in feeding value. When sorghum is grown for making syrup the seed heads are often fed whole ; otherwise they are frequently left on the stalk and fed as forage. It is believed that grinding increases the diges- tibility' of the seed. Since Kalir corn is the most important non-saccharine sorghum, and since other varieties resemble it, it is taken as a type of the group. (See table.) Composition of Kafir Cobs Proddctb Whole plaut, green CureJ fodder, whole plant Stover cured fodder (without heads). Heads (mature) Seed Per cent. 76.1 10.9 9.0 16.2 9.3 Per cent. 2.8 3.3 5.8 6.9 9.9 Fat Per cent. 0.6 2.6 1.7 2.9 3.0 Nitrogen free extract Crude fibre Per cent. 11.7 tl7.4 48.2 65.2 74.9 Per cent. 7.2 30.4 30.1 6.8 1.4 Per cent. 1.6 B.5 6.2 2.0 1.6 and leaves used as fodder. Frequently the entire plants are used for feeding. From 35 to 50 bush- els of seed per acre and from 5 to 10 tons of fod- der are obtained under ordinarily favorable con- ditions. Jlillo maize requires a longer season of growth then Kafir corn, and is therefore liable to injury by frost in many localities. Durra, also some- times called Egyptian corn, grows vigorously and stools profusely. The heads are heavy, short, and thick, and hang downward from a short curve in the upper part of the stalk. The name is often written dlioura or doura. Egyptian rice corn difi'ers from the other varieties in stooling very little and having a smaller amount of foliage. The seeds are white, large, and sweet. Jerusalem corn produces heavy yields of grain. Its seeds are nearly free from husk and shatter easily. None of these varieties are materially affected by either plant diseases or insects. See Smuts. The saccharine sorghums are favorably re- garde(l for silage and soiling purposes and for forage. Growing animals thrive upon them, and dairy cattle produce a large flow of excellent milk. The bagasse or refuse from the press in syrup-making is also fed advantageously. Ac- cording to experiments 40 per cent, of the protein. 71 per cent, of the nitrogen-free extract, and 42 per cent, of the crude fibre of sorghum forage is digestible. The average composition of sorghum products follows : Average Composition In composition, the Kafir corn products closely resemble similar products of maize. Studies at the Kansas Experiment Station have shown that as the plant ripens there is a decrease in albumi- noids, but an increase in the percentage of other constituents and in the total weight of the seed. It is believed, therefore, that the best time to harvest Kafir corn is when the crop is ripe or nearly so. The stover, which has practically the same feeding value as corn stover, should be run through a cutting machine to obtain the best results. It has been found an excellent coarse fodder for cattle. The seeds have also given very satisfactory results, though it has not been found in tests at the experiment stations to be quite equal to corn, as is sometimes claimed. To obtain the best results the grain should be ground, as otherwise the small hard seeds are not thoroughly masticated and pass through the animal undi- gested. According to the Kansas Experiment .Sta- tion, a bushel of Kafir corn will produce 10 pounds of pork, a bushel of corn 12 pounds, an acre of the former, however, producing more pork than an acre of the latter. Animals tire of Kafir corn alone more quickly than they do of corn alone. Digestion experiments with chickens have shown that about 88 per cent, of the total organic matter, 53 per cent, of the protein, and 96 per cent, of the nitrogen-free extract of whole Kafir corn is digestible. Similar values have been ob- tained for the ground grain. In experiments with Kafir corn stover fed to sheep about 42 per cent. OF Sorghum PRonrcTS Whole plant fresh. Whole plant cured Sur^liuin silage Sorghum seed. Sorghum bagasse.. Water Per cent. 72.7 43.6 75.5 12.8 11.3 Protein Per cent. 1.4 3.9 1.5 9.1 3.4 1.7 3.3 1.2 3.6 1.4 Nitrogen Crude free extract fibre Per cent. Per cent. 15.2 7.4 25.8 20.2 11.9 8.0 69.8 2.6 50.5 30.5 Ash Per cent. 1.6 3.2 1.9 2.1 2.9 Although sorghum furnishes excellent pastur- age for all stock, it is especially valuable for sheep and pigs, but until the animals become ac- customed to it they should have only small amounts. It is best adapted for fall and early winter feeding, since it does not keep as well as many other coarse fodders. Sorghum silage has a greater tendency to develop acidity than corn. of the protein. 67 per cent, of the nitrogen-free extract, and 54 per cent, of the crude fibre was digested. Flour, which is said to be especially good for pancakes and has also been used for bread, is ground from Kafir corn, which is. however, not extensively used as food in the United States. The seeds of the closely related durra arc much