Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-05-06
VALUE OF MIlLET.
A Profitable Crop Which Can Be Culti-
waited Wherever Corn Will Grow.

waited Wherever Corn Will Grow.
Nillet 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 extern
s.vely. In the more northern portions
f the Union, espec ally where soil and
climate favor perenn al 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 | should as soon think
of working dairy farm without grass
! as without one or more of the millets as
regular farm crop Properly grown.
mliet 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
and working in 4 good dressing of ma
nure or fertilizer get a large crop
of millet with which to ill his mows.
Millet delights in warm. mellow. and
somewhat sandy soil, and with Our i'm
proved plows and disk harrows. light
grass sod can be put into excellent cons
dition for the crop with a very few
DAYS notice. Here, in Southern Massa-
chusetts, l repeatedly raised full crops
from seed sewn 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
| lev. oats. rye or grass. [ believe in
keeping land at work the whole season,
and millet is an aid to such 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 a 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
CT haP
longest known in the country and is
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 gem
erai appearance 1t is nearly as early
as Hungarian grass.
A buShel of seed IS not too much foI
crop of hay to be cut when in bloom,
but if the seed is an object. from one to
two pecks will be enough for an acre.
The manure should be cultivated in
quite shallow and the seed is best
worked in with a fine-tooth harrow to
be followed by a heavy roller The
surface should be made as smooth as for
permanent moving. for the crop may
be expected to grow so thick that small
stones and clods will be entirely hidden
from view. 1t requires sharp tools and
strong arms or machines to cut heavy
crops of millet. the Golden being par
ticularly difficult to cut when the crop
is very heavy. Also heavy crop Is
slow to cure. especially if cut late in
the season. after the days begin to
shorten and the nights are dewy.. L
prefer cutting in the afternoon when
free from dew and let it lay one day to
wilt without much stirring. then keep
the teddar going day or two in good
weather and cart TO the barn. tramping
it as hard as possible in the mo~s-A-
". Cheerer. IN NeU York Tribune.