The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-06-01


little yellow near the heads. thought
that, rs il all looked so green, none of
the seeds, or but very few at least, were
ripe enough TO grow. ! was somewhat
mistaken in this. 1t proved, however,
that had hit upon about the right time
for cutting, and out of it l saved seed
enough for the next spring seeding, and
Il little to sell. The nutrition was most
~ saved in the straw, and not dried out
by being ovcr-ripc. Five loads of the
mile were put in stack in the yard
and near the shed, used as winter quar-
ters for some twenty-five calves. The
rest of il was put in the loft in my barn.
The value for feed proved to he fully
satisfactory. II was customary here
among all farmers at that time to put
calves into the corn fields as soon us the
corn was well ripened, and let them re-
main there a week or two after the last
load of corn was gathered. and this
practice is not wholly done away with
yet. When calf can have large corn
field, and perhaps meadow lot adjoin-
ing, to run in for two or three months
before being placed in winter quarters,
he is well prepared TO stand the winter
at least if supplied with daily ration
of corn, and kept up all winter with
that feed and hay. At the time of TAX
ing my calves from the corn field, put
them at once in the yard, and fed millet
to them in suitable racks, to avoid
waste. According TO custom, | offered
them corn, but they woulI not cat it..
They ate so much millet, that their bod
les were as plump and full as if running
in the best of clover pasture. had
been told that there was danger of iniu-
~ from the seeds, rs they contained
much oil--particularly so if the seed
had become fully ripe before being har-
vested. TO guard against this danger,
if any, as this was my first trial, l was
careful to keep salt and ashes fresh and
dry in box under the shed out of all
harm from snow and rain. While my
calves were consuming the millet stack,
they had no corn nor any other feed,
and grew finely, and did better than
any ever before fed, as I usually did,
on hay and corn.
That put in the barn was fed to work
horses and colts of all ages, cows, young
stock and sheep. found that my hor-
SEES needed less grain when being fed
with the millet. And so with all other
stock. My cows had never before given
so much or so rich milk OH any other
winter feed, even the brightest and best
cured cornstalks. They needed no corn.
bran, or anything else while the millet
lasted. To avoid any possible injury
from oil in the seed, fed little and Of
ten. | do not know how much oil there
is in bnshcl of seed, or how it will
compare with flax seed, but the hair on
all my stock lay very smooth. My sheep
were very fond of it, and was often
much amused to see them run their nos
CO through the millct when it was first
put into the hangers, to pick out the
heads and get the seeds. A the millet
was thrown from the loft to the barn
floor. and there shaken mp little with
the fork, several bushels of plump seed
was saved for myself and neighbors.
know Of hut one difficulty in regard to
it, and that is, when allowed TO get
fully ripe before being moved, and fed
TO animals that are quite hungry, too
much whole uncrushcd seed goes into
the stomach. ! mention one instance
with one of my teams: After heavy
days work it was put in the stable after
dark, hungry and tired, and fed with
too large n feed of millct and small
ration of corn. In the morning, one of
the horses was found TO be without ap-
petite. lie had evidently eaten too much
and too hurriedly ofthe millet. BY the
next day all was again WELL
The next year / sowed ten acres, and
had thirty-siX wagon loads, using q lit
tie over half bushcl of seed to the
acre. The hay was finer in the straw,
and better relished by my stock. For
several years after raised more or less.
found it paid well to let few acres
remain to fully ripen the seed for sale.
This would tramp out with horses on
the barn floor. would thus get the
heaviest and best of seed, and feed the
straw, which did very well with little
grain. | got from five to six bushels of
seed per acre. and sold it at 81 to 81. 80
per bushcl. AT our State fair in Poo
ria in 1857, several sheaves of what was
called Hungarian grass was offered as
something new. | could perceive very
little difference in it from the German
millet with which was then well ac-
quainted. The only difference was in
the form and shape Of the head, and
more uniform color of the seed, which
was more of bright yellow. The yield
per acre, and the value of the straw for
feeding stock were so highly set forth
that many orders were made for seed at
$40 per bushel, and at higher figures in
less quantities than one bushcl.
The different terms used or applied
to millet-such as German millct, Hun
garian grass, golden millct, etc.-are
all, l believe, improper. II is all the
same thing-simply millet; varying on
ly n little in stiffness OF straw, FORM OF
the head, color of the seed kernels, ETC.,
as is the case in wheat and oats. II is
very improper TO call it Hungarian
grass, as many do. II Is not a grass as
we understand the word. II never
throws up fresh blades from the roots,
and once ripened, like all other grain,
the straw and roots die and rot 1t is
millet and nothing else. From nv ex-
perience with it for some six years,
am able to say that on account of the
amount produced per acre the season
of the year when sown; the shortness
of the time required for maturing, and
the value there is in the crop as fodder
for stock, | can recommend il highly.
| do not know how it will be on clay or
sandy soil. If clay, the land should be
well narrowed and rolled, that a smooth
surfaced seed bed be produced. Where
the ground is rich, as our prairie soil
usually is, half bushel TO three pecks
is sufficient seed; the latter amount is,
| think, enough on any ground. The
more seed sown, the finer the straw.
| consider ton Of well cured millet, il
cut before the seed is fully matured
worth more for stock than a ton of the
| hnct t.p,nthu how