The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-11
Sorghum for Fodder.

@SAOOA III" W 6hON ~, hOH 10 udTV6Ab IL,
etc. We cannot do better than to make ex-
tracts from an address made before the
Kansas State Board Of Agriculture by T.
NJ. Potter, who seems 10 know whereof he
speaks. Practically 1t will grow on any
soil, but the soil ought to be we'll pulverized.
The plant is very susceptible to the effects
of frost, either while growing in the spring
or when maturing in the fall But plant
any time after frosts cease in the spring
until the ''dry spell" In July renders it i'm
possible to sprout and get a start. There
are two practical plans of seeding, both OF
which are meritorious. One aims at sowing
thickly, broadcast, or with a common wheat
drill, about one and one-haf bushels to
the acre. Sown in this manner it produces
a much smaller plant, and is more like
coarse hay in handling aud seeding.
The other method aims at producing q full
grown plant by drilling the seed in with
corn planter, in hills about eight or twelve
inches anart-three or four seed in hill
and rows the usual width apart of corn
rows, 50 that the crop may be cultivated.
If sown broadcast, cut when the seed is
in full shoot" or pretty well through the
dough" state, with common mower be-
ing careful not to leave it until the woody
fiber forms at the root of the plant, which
will render it extremely hard to cut with
machine. After moving let it lie from
three to five days, owing to conditions IA
vorable or otherwise for curing. Then with
horse rake and two good pitcher put itup
in cocks of about 500 pounds. The raker
soon learns about the size of the square 1t
takes to make a cock, and the first one COM
pleted he goes on to the next, keeping his
cocks IN rows both ways, until in this man
ner be has raked up the field.
In a very few days each one of the sorg-
hum roots will be sending up from one 20
five sprouts, which, If the sowing was in
| fair season, will make a second crop posi-
bly, as good as the first. This NOW and put
| on top Of the first cocks.
Let 1t fully mature, which time can be
| readily understood from the hardening Of
| the seed, and then with a common corn
knife cut an armful and lay it upon the
ground, angling in the row, with the butts
/ upon the stubs just cut aud the tops as low
| In the furrow as possible. Place the next
armtul angling across this pile and the
third armful on theiangle Of the first arm
| full, and SO on until you have pile Of about
| 200 or 800 pounds, aiming all the while at
| keeping the butts toget er and the highest,
| aud the tops as low as possible. Thus with
| but little pains you have all the tops and
| I6aVeS AIlRllR uOWnWdTu duu making d
| good shed roof over the two or three hum
bred pounds of feed almost equal to any
thatohing, and will preserve the pile in good
shape until spring.
Its value as forage plant will probably
| be sufficiently understood by comparing 1t
with other products used for the same purr
pose. Without any practical scientific test,
| observation alone being my guide, says
Mr.. Potter, after an experience of five
IN | haua laarOaH IN I'd
| sorghum equal in quality TO millet or our
tame grasses, and in quantity have usually
raised from two to three times as much per
acre. This wear QS8S) after careful meas
| urement Of the ground and weighing, l
| find that my product averages SIX and six
| tenths tons per acre of cured food from
broadcast or thick seeding. As had none
In drills, helped my neighbor to test his
drilled sorghum, and found that he had
seven and nine-tenths tons per acre from
that which he had planted In hills about
| eight inches apart and the usual width of
corn rows the other way, aud had culti-
| waited the same twice during the season.
Last year my crop was about the same as
| this, and both of these summers were ex
| ceptionally dry with US.
Seeding thickly aims at producing small
stalks so that we cannot only cut it with
| the mowers, but one that will become per-
fectly cured and dry, thus arresting the
chemical changes which are liable to take
| place in a stalk full Of juice rich in sac
charine matter. Our chemists ell us that
large proportion of the weight of sor-
| ghum is water, which holds in solution the
sugar and glucose of the plant Under IA
vorable circu instances a chemical change
| takes place in this sweet juice, turning 1t to
acid, aud thus greatly injuring, il it does
not render entirely worthless for food. that
which before was freighted with nutrition.
In my judgment, says Mr. Potter the un-
| favorable criticism that we hear upon sor-
ghum as food for stock, originates from this
cause The juices Of, the plant in the fully
matured stock do not become dry, aud the
freezing and thawing process which is
likely to occur during the middle and latter
part of winter has tendency to sour them,
with the above described results. This sug-
Rests the reason for piling upon the ground
! instead OF putting up the large-grown sor-
| ghum in shocks like corn. In the pile it is
better protected from the effects of the
weather, including air, frost, rain and
snow. The butts of the stalks, being ex-
posed to air and sun, will very soon dry up
to the first Joint above the cut, shriveling
up. and with the waxy nature Of tie evap-
GRATED juice rendering almost air tight the
balance of the stalk with its nutritious
sweets.
In extreme cold weather this juicy stalk
will freeze and will become a vegetable
icicle which of course will not be desirable
for food while in that condition.
From the above we conclude that both
the methods of raising in drills and that OF
seeding thickly are desirable. Our large
grown and Understanding sorghum we
would feed in the fall and early winter,
keeping that which was perfectly cured for
later use.