Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1893-03-31
Co., S. D., P. o. Groton. l have

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succession,. and in 1892 had as good
wheat on land which for the three
years before the wheat crop had
grown millet as on adjacent land
which never had raised millet. In
1891, I had corn stubble and millet
stubble side by side and raised
twenty-eight bushels of No. / hard
on both pieces, and there had been
two crops Of millet on the millet piece
before the wheat.
We use millet crushed in a roller
mill for fattening hogs and cattle.
We prefer it for feeding to poultry
and mich COWS.
This last season-1892-1 broke for
ty acres Of new prairie and sowed it
to millet. We harvested 1000 BUSH
els of seed, which weighed GO pounds
to the measured bushel, which have
sold by the carload in the Groton
market at so cents for 4S pounds
straight.
| This spring we shall stubble in this
40 last mentioned to wheat, looking
with confidence from past experience
for good crop.
The past season of 1892 we had so
bushels of oats and 40 bushels of bar
ley to the acre, on land which before
had raised two crops of millet seed,
and these oats and barley were sown
in the stubble just as it had been left
by the binder the year before. For
reference inquire of the banks or
business men in GrotOn.
Respectfully, S. NJ. GIBBS.
GRoToN, March Is, 1s93.-You ask
for my opinion of millet as farm
crop. In reply will say l believe
[from my owngrowiug of itfor forage.
and others for forage aud grain
food it is the "saving clause" in the
possibility of successfully raising
cattle, sheep and hogs, in northern
South Dakota. In the season o. 81
millet ground yielded ls bushels of
wheat per acre, corn ground l6, sum-
mer fallow IA, fall plowing 10, and
one quarter of unplowed wheat stub
BILE ground IA. The different plots
were cut, stacked and threshed separ-
ately, purposely to note the difference.
The different plots. excepting the
plowed were sown within eight days
time Of each other all by the same
l3-foot press drill, ] bushel per acre
seed. l drove the drill myself. The
millet and corn ground were un-
plowed. The corn ground was clean
ON weeds. In the season of 80 the
plots were not kept separate. but oats
and wheat sown across the plowed
millet and corn ground plots of '9l
and unplowed millet, corn, barley
and potato ground was all alike to
look at and would average as good or
better than where had never had
millet or corn. l never raised miliet
until go, having been prejudiced
against it by hear-say testimony that
it was ruinous to the land and hurt
full to stock. Both have been dis
proven in my experience if proper
caution is used in feeding. Shall SOW
about s0acres of it this season-40
each Of broom corn and German.
Have wintercd 1O5 breeding ewes
without grain on about 10 tons of
millet hay and what wheat straw
they wished. E. j. MATnER.
RIVERSIDE, March 16, ls03.-I saw
your article copied from the Ameri-
can Swineherd giving correspondence
in fattening hogs on millet seed, and
while can from my own experience
endorse all you say in regard to the
fattcning qualities of the seed think
the crop has other merits we'll worth
mentioning besides raising for the
seed alone. have raised from 20 to
10 acres of millet each year for the
past eight years, mostly for the hay.
which Is the best / ever saw for
milch cows us it keeps them in good
condition and makes superior quail
ity of butter, and / have always
fed it to my horses with good
results. / also find it an excellent
crop to alternate with wheat. 1t
cleans the ground thoroughly of
weeds and 4 always ret a befter cron