The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-05-19
VALUE OF MILLET.
A Profitable Crop Which Can Be Culti-
waited Wherever Corn Will Grow.

A Profitable Crop Which Can Be Guilt"
waited Wherever Corn Will Grow.
Millet is not specially adapted to a
very wide latitude, though it may be
raised wherever the corn plant will
grow. it will not endure frost, nor
make much growth except in good corn
weather. The fact that all the millets
are annual, each crop requiring the
blowing, narrowing and sowing of the
land, is doubtless one of the reasons
why the crop is not grown more exten-
sively. In the more northern portions
# the Union, especially where soil and
climate favor perennial grasses, millet
can not be raised with the same relative
profit as further south, where summers
are hotter and longer and grasses in the
moving fields are frequently burned
out by drouth. In the latitude of South
ern New England and westward to the
Mississippi river I should as soon think
of working dairy farm without grass
as without one or more of the millets as
regular farm crop. Properly grown,
millet hay is equal in value to the best
upland hay.
If farmer finds his meadows are
coming in light he can cut a few acres
in June and then after blowing the land
and working in "a good dressing of ma
nure or fertilizer get a large crop
of millet with which to fill his mows,
Millet delights in warm, mellow, and
somewhat sandy soil, and with our inn
proved plows and disk harrows, light
grass sod can be put into excellent con-
dition. for the crop with very few
days notice. Here, in Southern Massa-
chusetts, repeatedly raised full crops
from seed sown early in July. In
favorable weather the seed terminates
in three days and the crop will be in
bloom and ready to cut in from sixty to
seventy days from sowing. 1t may be
sown any time in June on land that was
too wet for barley or oats earlier in
spring, but in my practice it was al
ways put in as a second crop after bar
ley. oats, rye or grass. believe IN
keeping land at work the whole season,
and millet is an aid to such a practice.
Three varieties of millet are sold by
our seedmen, all bearing considerable
resemblance to each other. That COM
monty called Hungarian grass is the
smallest and bears chiefly dark brown
heads. The seeds are mostly dust-col-
ored. A much larger and later variety
is called Golden or German millet, with
large heavy heads not so smooth as Hun.
garian; seed quite yellow or amber col
ored and more nearly round than Hun.
garian. This variety requires from two
to three weeks more time to grow and
| must be sown soon after the middle Of
June to ensure full crop. l have
grown four tons of cured hay per acre
of this variety and although very coarse
it was eaten with great relish by the
stock. The other variety has beer
longest known in the country and il
usually designated as ''common" millet
! 1t is. in size, between the others named
though more nearly resembling the Col
den in color, shape Of head and in gen
eral appearance. 1t is nearly as earl.
as Hungarian grass.
A bushel of seed is not too much TO
crop of hay to be cut when in bloom
but if the seed is an object, from one tx
two pecks will be enough for an acre
The manure should be cultivated ii
quite shallow and the seed is bes
worked in with a fine-tooth harrow Il
be followed by a heavy roller. Tn
surface should be made as smooth as 70
permanent moving, for the crop ma,
be expected to grow so thick that small
stones and clods will be entirely bidder
from view. 1t requires sharp tools an
strong arms or machines to cut heav
crops of millet, the Golden being PAL
ticularly difficult to cut when the Gro
il very heavy. Also heavy crop i
slow to cure, especially if cut late i
the season, after the days begin t
shorten and the nights are dewy.
prefer cutting in the afternoon whe
free from dew and let it lay one day
wilt without much stirring, then kee
the teddar going day or two in goo
weather and cart to the barn, trampin
| it as hard as possible in the mows.-A
". Chesuer. in New York Tribune,