. The history and distribution of sorghum. n, at least for some years. Europe. Pliny (TO A. D.) records that a variety of sorghum was intro-duced from India into Italy about ten years previously. Its cultiva-tion in Italy has ap- parently been con-t i n u o u s since theearliest introduction,and it was there thatthe name surgo, orsorgo, was first ap-plied to the the extensive com-merce of Greece andRome with Africaand Asia it is prob-able that other im-portations of sor-g h u m reached thenorthern shore of theMediterranean Seafrom time to the end of the fif-teenth century thecu
. The history and distribution of sorghum. n, at least for some years. Europe. Pliny (TO A. D.) records that a variety of sorghum was intro-duced from India into Italy about ten years previously. Its cultiva-tion in Italy has ap- parently been con-t i n u o u s since theearliest introduction,and it was there thatthe name surgo, orsorgo, was first ap-plied to the the extensive com-merce of Greece andRome with Africaand Asia it is prob-able that other im-portations of sor-g h u m reached thenorthern shore of theMediterranean Seafrom time to the end of the fif-teenth century thecultivation of one ormore forms of sor-g h u m had becomequite general in allof southern Europefrom Greece to Por-tugal. It had alsogradually extendednorthward to Ger-many (fig. 10),France, Belgium, Holland, and even to England. In these morenorthern countries it was probably grown as a curiosity in botanicgardens and did not always mature. It was generally known asIndian millet or reed millet to distinguish it from the smaller millets. 175. Fig. 10.—Plant of sorghum, after Fuchs, 1542. AGRICULTURAL HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION OF SORGHUM, 27 In southern Europe the seed at that time had come into common usefor fattening pigeons and poultry and less commonly other forage, both green and cured, was used for various kinds ofcattle, though it was early noted that animals sometimes died aftergrazing on the living plants. The seed was also commonly used inthe making of bread by the poorer, or peasant, classes. This breadwas brittle, dark colored, and more or less astringent. It was gen-erally regarded as inferiorin nutritive qualities to thatmade from the other mil-lets, as Panicum miliaceumand Chaetochloa (Setaria)italica.} or that from thelarger cereals. The flourwas also commonly madeinto a porridge with semisweet pith andsometimes the flowers wereused in medicine. The development of abroom corn from someloose - panicled sorghumtook place in Italy morethan two hundr
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