The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-04-04
MILO MAIZE.
THE FACTS CONCERNING IFS
CULTURE GIVEN.


Method of Its Cuiti-
yation, Etc. Etc.
s.TANGIEwOOD," MARIETTA, Ga, jan
uary 81, 1Ss5.-Editors Constitution
In compliance with your request, l
give you the following account of what
/ have learned concerning milo maize"
and my four years experience IN Its cui-
ture.
HISTORIC.
The original milo maize seed was I'M
pOrted from South America by the Rev.
II. h. Pratt, in 1877, and was cultivated
for several years by his son, Mr.. Is. u.
Pratt, at or near Winnsboro, South Car
Olina.
Il has long been the staple grain, an
swering the several uses Of our Indian |
corn, for the population Of "A large area |
of South America.
| obtained my seed of Mr.. Chas. Pratt,
and first planted it in the spring OF 1881.
Although it had over seven months good
season. it failed to form seed heads, and
am informed that none Of the imported
seed planted in Georgia that season, ma.
tured its seed, while the Pratts and
other secured crops in South Carolina.
Notwithstanding its failure to make
seed. the foliage of that crop was amaz.
ingly heavy and pulled at the rate OF
$500 pounds Of fodder to an acre, from
ten acres. l afterwards cut AMI fed the
stalks to my stock, which they ate greed
liz and wasted none.
There has been discussion rs To what
the plant was, and where it originated.
Il evidently belongs to the sorghum
family. My seed camo from the Pratts
and hence is from parent seed OF South
4 America.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ELANT, ETC.
Its stalks and foliage, habits and mode
of growing, resembles sorghum. IL
grows to a height Of > and even / feet,
and is clothed with verdure from bottom
to top. The seed heads, stand erect,
measuring q to 10 inches in length, be-
ins very compact and close, the seed
crowding tightly together, weighing
three to five ounces, and numbering
5000 to 1000 81, ed to each head and A.
600 10 IL 900 seed to pound. Milo seed
weighs. uniformly, sixty go, pounds to
u bushel.
The original seed, were about half the
size Of large white wheat, OF n claylsh'
brown color and had n small bright scar
let eve. In shape, the seed have the APP
{ pearancc of nearly round grains Of corn
The foliage Of the plant is longer .heav
lie Ter aud more abundant than that oil In
: dian corn and is quite as easily cured. !
is eaten with evident relish by stock
u quite rs much as that Of corn fodder
wlrnsrANDlNG pRouTh.
The very marked characteristic o
milo, in holding it, own, continuing II
e vigorous growth, right through our Sc
, ytrcst drouths, seems to cnttlc II to GU
:, very first consideration. The only pei
h ceptible effect of n lrouth upon 1t beln
!, in the smaller Weld of good see l, failln
as it does to fill out fully. ] wat ched tn
n crop carefully throughout the sever
!, dro,th of 1882, and called the attention
Of many persons to its green and inxl
u RANT conditions; even when corn wa
n curled and dried up, milo looked ~ II
had been watered daily.
II Too much cannot be said in its prals
n. and COMMUNICATION. both as to torap
and seed. for II homo staple crop, for, !
~ suppor, Of its certainty to yield II crol
$, drouth or no drouth, may repeat I'll
=, foregoing in another form In no SO,
:" son will milo mnizc fail to yield near
~ twice ~ much seed In weight, and man
:, times as much forage as corn.
'. MILO MAIZE Is NOT A pOrRA.
o' Il il essentially different from all dol
he ras. not only in its analysis. but IN Il
49, fact that douras produce only one sta
'' from seed, while the original milo SCI
in filtered from four to nine stalks from
ho seed, and the improved or acclimat
~ seed now tillcrs from nine to twent
MS eight.
l., ACCIIMATlzATloN.
The first objection raised to milo W
"o the long SYSTEMATICALLY eight months
r." required to make and mature its SEE
another was, the difficulty most eve
one had in securing stand. but this
long more properly under the head
Planting
Of Tho wonderful yield of leaf foliage
-, 1881, fixed my attention upon the pla'
!" and from observation aud experience
oi felt convinced that the plant would
rn- commodate its habits to our climate, 4
"a. with careful selection OF seed and Gu
,r walton, It's long season for maturing st
might be shortened.
RESULTS.
In 81 | ngain procured and plan
u seed. obtained of Mr.. Chas. Pratt-ti
iou scpl were harvested in South Carol
to in 81. n year of drouth therc--and !
MI. tured forty bushels of seed to the ~
Ia Season, about six aud u half months.
~ In 'S,-our severe drouth-' obtal
t'i' twenty four bushels from an acre,
ing about six months. and found in the II
the several heads which had fully ripe
,,L their seed within five months.
, When reported this fact to the
Iec' ricultural department there was "A su
+ Is cion that must have cotton some 81
i,ut branching sorghum or duras seed mi
b,v with mine. said, wait and see
yourselves"
Last season (lSSh | planted one 4
of about quarter Of an acre, ana
TINS tanned thercfrom two hundred and 81
eight pounds of pulled fodder and
Ut busheis--cuualing 10 bushels to an At
in of cleaned prime seed, and 1t mature
about five and half months.
Is " planted another patch with the PR
milo turcly ripcncd secd--planted it after
/. ting oats in June. matured its sce'
''N"' about four and half months.
the seed attained nearly three times the
l. of the original seed. expect to ~
u" experiments with the prematurely r.
= ,.,A l,,l ,,,,1 no | ksNt