Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-03-30
MILLET'S THE THING!
Further Particulars Concerning
the Cultivation and Uses
of Broom Corn Millet.
That 1t Injuries the Soil Is Denied
by Correspondents OF the
Aberdeen Sun.

Riverside Farm, Groton, Mich q, 80.
Editors Aberdeen SUN Yours OF
March 5th asking for further infor-
nation in regard to the cultivation
and feeding of broom corn millet !
found awaiting answer on my return
from the east. This millet is called
broom corn millet because the head
branches out the same as broom corn.
To grow a crop Of this grain take a
piece of your foulest and poorest land
for wheat lit is not necessary that
IL should be foul land but if miliet is
sown on the foul lard it will clean 1T
and improve it for crops the following
season. and let it remain without
blowing until June when the weeds
have started: then pillow and fit the
same as for other crops. and seed n
half bushel per acre. Do not cover
too deep.
If the ground is moist, any time
from the first of June until the
twentieth is the season for seeding.
1t will be ready to harvest in about
sixty days. When the seed is of a
bright yellow and while the straw is
perfectly green, cut with binder and
bind and shock as other grain; let 1t
thoroughly cure in the shock. Then
il can be stacked or threshed at once.
One can thresh about 1900 bushels
per day. The yield is from twenty to
sixty bushels per acre according to
season.
For feeding, the seed should be
ground and for hogs it should be
soaked for twelve hours: a longer
time would do no harm, for other
stock it need not be soaked. l can
assure my farmer friends that it is
equally as good for feeding and
fattening other stock as hogs and the
straw after being threshed makes
good forage. l have had a great
many inquiries in regard to where
the seed can be procured and at what
price. | have made arrangements
with other parties so / Ear furnish
good seed if ordered at once in no
less than two bushels in sacks free on
board cars at Groton for seventy-tive
cents per bushel. Yours Truly,
+. III. SMITH.
f. III Smiths success with millet
as a substitute for corn in the fat
tening of hogs has been given wide
advertising in this state and those
adjoining, and has created wide
spread interest not only among
farmers but among business and pro-
fessional men as well. ID. w. Oaks,
a resident Of Ninnehaha county, is
the only person known to have found
serious fault with this important
discovery, and the point he makes, as
given by the Sioux Falls Press, is
that continued millet growing is
ruinous TO the soil. It's fattening
properties he is inclined to admit.
The Press reported him as saying in
part:
Three crops Of millet will pauperize
any piece of land on top of ground.
You will be unable to raise white
beans on the richest kind of land
after harvesting the third crop of
millet from it. One crop Of millet is
all that any land will stand. Now, /
can't see any use for raising millet
when ] can grow at least from ten to
fifteen bushels OF corn per acre,
and corn improves land instead of
killing it. That millet racket is all
rot. 1t may be great feed for hogs
but it's certain death to the land,
and / trust none Of my granger
friends will take the Aberdeen mans
advice.
Mr.. Smith and others who have
had experience in this locality dis
agree with Mr.. Oaks, and furnish
THE SUN with the following:
GRoToN, March 10th, 1881 saw an
article in the Sioux Falls Press in
regard to 'the millet racket" as the
gentleman Of Sioux Falls sees fit to
call my experiments. About all the
argument against the f~attening
qualities of this grain is concentrated
in the word rot" that may carry a
good deal of force and argument in
the corn belt OF South Dakota. I do
not see why it should distress the
gentleman so to know that / have
found a grain that is fully equal to
corn for ~fattening stock without he
belongs to the corn belt association
and that ! am about to spoil his
thunder. In regard to millet being
death to the land / consider millet
stubble ground second to none for
following with wheat. But the
experience OF other farmers which
has been forwarded to me will satisfy
the gentleman Of the corn belt that
we have a richer soil than he knew
OF being above ground unless he is
mt nncfnd In .l..x -