Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-05-08

The USES OF MILLET.-Millet has often
been recommended as forage plant, for
which it has special advantages rs it cah
be sOwn late in the season when the other
crops are out of The way. 1t may he sue
cessfully grown upon land too wet for put
ting in oaIs or other early spring crops, or
it may be sown on land after crop of
barley or grass has been gathered. and
mature sufficiently for forage. The millet
will ripen its seeds within sixty DAYS after
sowing and it will then make good hay,
besides affording II large quantity of seed
valuable for poultry, or, if ground, excel
lent to mix with corn or other grain to
Iced TO cattle and pigs. The seed of millet
IS worth all the crop costs TO raise, leaving
the hay for profit. As the crop can be
put in and harvested Mt seasons of the
year when other work does not press upon
The farmers time, its culture is made
easier. 1t is an excellent crop to put up
on a stubborn piece of ground to kill out
weeds, such us thistles, dock, etc., for if
the land is well plowed and the surface
made mellow, the millet will soon shade
it thoroughly and kill out the foul stuff. A
little manure on the surface narrowed in
with the seed will often double the crop
Time should be given to allow the seed to
ripen before frost. The crop may be run
through threshing machine, or if bound
up into bundles, thre-hed with fails to
separate the seed. A half bushel of seed
is abundant for an acre.
The Golden or German millet is the best
for forage plant and resembles corn in
its growth, as it throws out n broad, corn
liEa lnuf Tho foil &c ole L.,
This sort of millet requires nearly the en-.
tire season to mature its seed, and should,
in northern latitude, be sown by the first
of June. For forage alone it may be put
in the last of June when it will make full
growth of stalk but not mature the seed
1t requires stronger land than the common
TO make vigorous growth. On rich land
The amount of forage is immense. Stock
will eat either of these grain grasses with
II decided relish in winter and they are
most excellent for change For green
feed they are also good. AS supple
mentary crop, when the meadows are
light, millet is most valuable. A meadow
with slim prospect for hay might be
turned over, and be made to yield salts
factory crop by sowing TO millet, and at
The same time be fitted for a crop of grain
the next year. If the frost holds off, the
seed will not mature when the golden is
sowed late, as it requires a requisite de
gree OF heat which is not afforded after
September. 1t should always be cut be-
fore any frost touches it, or its value for
feeding will be greatly injured Like
corn, it blanches and dries of when frozen
The seed of Hungarian grass is not equal
to millet for feeding stock. 1t is not much
if any better than that of our native sum-
mer grass which it very much resembles.
The latter which is often plentiful in Il
grain crop, is good for cattle if ground up
and mixed with bran Or meal. Fed alone
it is too laxative -Rural NeW Yorker.
The golden millet may be pro6tably
sown after a field has cut light crop of
hay-say in June or early in Juy-if
plowed at once. Then with n little fl ne
manure spread on top and well narrowed
in before sowing, you will be tolerably
certain of good crop of forage. This
will leave the field in good condition for
corn the next year; when. if the first
ploughing was of good depth, and the sod
well turned under, the manure for corn
may be spread on before ploughing and
then pillow shallow enough not to turn up
the old sod. This will leave the manure
near enough to the surface to be available
for the roots of the corn. and the sod will
rot where it lies, keeping the land light,
and furnishing food for deeper roots and
later growth. We have raised India
wheat on an inverted SOD. where we had
taken off light crop of hay, and this
year shall follow with corn-as described
above.