The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1885-02-05
MILO CANE.

EDITOR JOURNAL: Some farmers have
been telling me that they have grown milo
for two or three years for its forage and
have tried to get their -tock to eat the stalks,
but they refuse it. A few questions asked
has settled in my mind the reason why. 1t
is because they do not save the cane when
it is in condition for feed
Others may wish to know what the matter
is. So far as l can | will try and suggest
the trouble:
Ifthe stalk has been exhausted by seed
bearing, if not all certainly sufficient of its
eaccharini matter and other nutritious ele-
ments have gone to the performance of that
duty, and hence the canes are worthless for
feed. Another result: n this condition
stalks are more likely to, and indeed they
will, absorb and retain moisture, freeze and
! thaw, mldew and rot The reason for this
may not fnlly understand, but | believe
the absence Of sugar plays an important
part.
! noticed carefully two lots of cane this
winter. One of the patches was planted
few days before the other, and had full
| southern exposure, which the other did not
have. This patch ripened its seed nearly
two weeks earlier, and after its fodder and
| seed heads had been removed, the plant APP
| peared to have exhausted itself, the stalks
were dry and did not make any shoots. The
other patch was fresh and juicy and full of
| sap" | use that word for lack Of one to
more fifty express the ability of those canes
to make new foliage and try again to make
seed indeed it is another way of saying
that the stalk is in its best condition for
feeding to stock This was its condition
then and it threw out shoots, some foot
long, and even made forms for seed-heads.
This was very near frost. Most of these
stalks were put in the barn or under a shed.
The first lot of cane was left outside the
shed and has to some extent widowed,
turned black and rotted, while the other APP
pears to be nearly in the condition as when
put up in October. The only difference |
can see is the drying Of its new foliage.
This is the lot of stalks | have fed my stock
upon, for roughness since November l. The
foregoing seems to indicate when to save
the stalks for feed. At least until learn
more, or am better advised by those compe
tent to determine, l shall think that the
fodder and seeds-head should be removed
before the cane is played out, and when il
has with re established vigor began to dress
itself again. cut and put it under cover al
once
1t will be remembered that in 1881
failed in seed, but pulled heavy yield O
fodder, and the plant threw out its foliage
then, and my stock ate up the last bit of it
! To provide against all contingencies
would plant one patch at early corn plant
ing, another a month later and another {
month after that. We may as well look ou
for summer drouths and have green forage
at hand.
:. There is another point | wish to press
Milo cane is dense nutritious stock feed
DO not suppose that cut milo forage or it,
fodder can take the place of its stalks The
latter is bulky enough to answer every re
quirement of stock for roughness 1t is d
deal more nutritious than any other, and i.
a feed in and of itself | have not as vel
an analysis of it, and of course this state
ment is only my belief You may, however
be sure Of this, barn halt full of gooC
milo stalks will out-feed full barn of any
hay, fodder or other roughness you can put
into it,
And rs you ought to make $4,000 can,
from an acre, get so to 80 bushel of seed anC
800 to 900 pounds of fodder planted on
check of by 3, l do not hesitate to say
plant milo, and use your time more profita
bly, than making hay, fooling away your
time, and decreasing the weight of youl
crop of corn by pulling its fodder, and buy
ing baled hay from anybody or anywhere
especially from foreign States. Yours,
G. W. Benson.