KAFIR AND DIIRRA. Andropogon Sorghum, Brot., or Sorghum vulgare, Pers. Graminete. Figs. 577-582.
Strong- growing plants, somewhat resembling corn, used for forage and for the grain which is borne in the panicle or head. They belong to the same species as broom-corn and the sweet or syrup sorghums (not sugar-cane), but differ in the less saccharine juice and also in characters of the head and seed. [See article on Sorghum for further botanical discussion and classification, and also for comparative economic notes.] Although belonging to the same species, kafir and durra represent two groups, quite as distinct as dent corn and flint corn. The methods of culti vation and handling, however, are very similar, and they are therefore treated in a single article to avoid much repetition: The kafir group includes three varieties : White, Blackhull and Red kafirs, with small oval spikelets in erect, cylindrical heads. The durra group includes three varieties also : Yellow milo (usually known merely as "milo"), Brown durra and White durra, the last often called Jerusalem corn, rice corn or White Egyptian corn. These are characterized by compact, ovate or ellip tical heads, mostly pendent or goosenecked, and large, obovate or nearly round spikelets.
Unfortunately, there is no one common name that can be used generically for these maize-like plants. "Kafir" is apparently becom ing popular, but it is loosely used.
These plants are botanically all sor ghums, but with farmers the word "sorghum" is understood to mean the syrup - producing kinds.
Sorghums are of two kinds,—the sweet or sac charine, and the non-sac charine. The non-sac charine sorghums are the kafirs, durras and broom corn. The common word "corn" has been trans ferred from maize or In dian corn to these kafirs and durras in some re gions, and confusion has resulted. For this rea son, the compound word "kafir-corn" is not used in this article, and it would seem to be advisa ble to discourage its use generally. Furthermore, the word maize itself has been transferred from the true maize or Indian corn to some of these plants as a contraction of "milo maize." The farmers of western Texas, and probably of other parts, reported "milo maize" as "maize" to the Census of 1900. It is said that a considerable part of
the "milo maize" crop was thus reported as "maize." In this• article, and subsequently in this Cyclopedia, the word milo will be used for "milo maize." The kafirs come from Natal and the coast region of east-central Africa, and the name kafir has come with them. Although originally a proper name, it now becomes a common class-name and must lose its connection with a locality or a people ; there fore it is treated here as a common-language term by being printed without a capital initial. Peach is a comparable instance ; also timothy, and other words. Two varieties of kafir were exhibited by the Natal government at the Centennial Exposi tion at Philadelphia in 1876. At least one of them was secured by the State Department of Agriculture of Georgia, and was grown and selected for several years by Dr. J. H. Watkins, and was distributed by the Georgia Depart ment of Agriculture, from which the United States Department of Agriculture early secured the seed.
The durras come from from Morocco to Egypt ; also from southwestern Asia, from Arabia to Turkestan. The durras are much less grown than the kafirs. In Egypt, the word which is here rendered as durra (rendered by others as dura, durrah, durrha, dourah, doura, dhurra, dhoura, dhura) is applied to all tall-growing suc culent crops, whether maize, sorghum, or others, and subordinate specific names are used with it to designate special kinds. The word milo is a corrup tion of the Latin milium, a name that has long been applied to various plants that are commonly known as millets.
Cultivation of kafir and durra.
By E. G. Montgomery and C. TV. Warburton..
Kafirs and durras all come from rather dry, or semi-arid regions. All are considered drought-re sistant, are similar in general appearance, and are cultivated principally as forage crops. While the kafir is principally grown for forage, it unquestion ably has great value as a grain crop .in semi-arid regions. In Kansas, in 1899, about one-seventh of the acreage was grown for grain, the remainder for forage.