Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1899-08-17
The MiIIets

tural department has recently intro
duced some varieties which promise to
create a new interest in the crop. Mr..
Thomas A, Williams, the assistant az
Tostologlst Of the department, has been
making a srecialty Of the study OF
various kinds Of millets, and states
that II is his opinion that this plant
is destined TO be much more largely
grown In the United States than II is
at present,
1T is astonishing" he SAID In talk
ing on tho subject, ito think that
millet feeds about one-thlrd OF the
population Of the globe. About 49,
100000 or 100000 900 acres of millet are
grown annually In India alone. We
have here various varieties In the
United States the foxtall millets are
grown almost exclusively for forage,
They are strong and rapid growers and
draw largely from the surface soil.
The great mass OF strong flbrous roots
have beneficial effect on the physical
condition Of the soil, particularly In
the case Of new land. A crop OF millet
on new breaking aids materially in
Oubdulng the land for the next sue
ceeding crop.
German millet is grown good deal
here. II make q heavy yield OF for
age under favorable conditions. but
does not stand drought so well as the
smaller varieties such as common mil
let and Hungarian. The hay Is coarser
and less valuable than that from the
smaller millet, but when the forage
can BIO fed In the green state, this va
rlety Is an excellent one to grow, on
lcount OF It's heavy yield, Hungarian
millet does not resist drought rs we'll
as the common mlllet, but with favor
.ablo conditions Of soil and moisture, 1t
usually gives q somewhat heavier yield.
A millet has been recently placed on
the market under the name Of new
Siberian mlllet,' which is regarded by
some as but q form OF Hungarian. The
japanese mlllets form another class
They are comparatively large forms,
giving heavy yield Of seed and forage
under favorable conditions, but with
little ability to stand drought--less
than any Of the commonly grown sorts
"Under average conditions, Barn
yard mlllet Is one Of the most produc-
tive OF the annual hay grasses, yield
Ing at the Hatch station from twelve
to eighteen tons OF fresh or four to six
tons OF cured forage per acre. BY
seeding early in May and cutting as
soon as the plants come into blossom,
a second crop may be obtained. When
millet is handled as primary crop,
seeding is generally done during the
latter part OF May or early in June in
the North, and of course correspond
lngly earlier in the South; or, II the
moisture conditions are favorable, 1t
may be delayed as late as Aug. / in
the latter region, the general rule be-
ing to SOW millet as soon as the corn
is planted. Cutting foxtail mlllets for
hay should never be delayed until the
seed has begun to ripen, particularly
II It is to be fed to horses. On the
other hand, 1t Is best not to cut too
early, as the hay is liable to have a
more or less laxative effect upon the
animals eating 1t. However, 1t is bet
ter to cut early than late. The hay
may be safely cut any time during the
period from complete heading out" to
late bloom The use Of millet as an
element In annual pastures may well
receive greater attention from farm
ers In sections where there is gen.
eral shortage Of pasturage. Such vari-
eties as Hungarian and Common mil
let, which 'sprout from the root well,
are best to SOW for pasturage. Some
OF the Korean varieties may prove val
liable for this purpose, There are few
OF the annual grasses better adapted for
use in pastures. Sheep and calves may
be pastured on this crop with excel
lent results. 1t would be well to mix
some other crop, like field peas, with
the millet, or allow the animals to run
on q field Of clover, rape or some such
crop for portion Of the time.
an some sections of the country the
foxtail millets have gained the repu-
tatlon Of being injurious to certain
kinds Of stock, and are therefore re-
garded with suspicion by many farm
ers and stockmen. Like many other
forage plants, these millets become
very harsh and woody with age, and
are then difficult of thorough masti-
cation and hard to digest, Then, too,
at this stage Of growth the boards are
stiff and harsh and not only difficult
to digest, but produce more or less
irritation in the digestive tract Of the
animal and sometimes unite with
other indigestible substances, forming
compact balls in the stomach and ulti-
mately causing death. This difficulty
may be avoided by cutting the hay in
proper season, as recommended, No
more trouble seems to have been eX-
perienced in feeding millets in the
fresh state than with any other sue
culent forage. Most of the injury has
arisen from feeding the hay in large
| nuontttins with little or no other grain