St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-06-30
FARMER AND PLANTER.
VALUABLE FORAGE PLANTS.
The 'nnset F-~,,y %.o.s p,e st>s|
Important and valuable Of
the Forage Plants. r.sss-l

SNiietS dIc among the 1ulOftSme 0tDO
valuable grasses cultivated as forage
Plants and fer. bod fof Do htmas
family. These grasses are prominent
hay and feed products wherever the
soil is cultivated and, according 70 Of
fetal reports. finnish onerthirdsuf the
food for the people Of the entire world.
In China, japan and India fully 4Q. 0Oes-
600 acres are annually cultivated to the
various kinds of millet and these
countries alone consume as much as
a6AOly0 00p1nahaAoxnfeAl. --avaay.
year. Seine Of the leading yarieties are
grown in thesy nited Stste lr forage
ana for fattening hogs and poultry
The seed makes an excellent substi-
tute for corn, containing as much fat,
more protein and four tiInes as much
crude cellulose.
There are numerous varieties OF mil
let. some of them having been in use
for centuries throughout the Asiatic
countries. The emperor of China has
religicusly observed the annual cere-
Jnony of sowing milIet, as mark of
respect for the life of his subjects, for
the past several thousand years-ever
since the days of Chinnong, 400 years
before the Christian era. The foxtail
millets, Of which there are 2,70O kinds,
are generally known as German, Rus
sian, Golden Wonder, Hungarian and
common or hog millcts, The seed may
be purchased for bout 81 perabushel.
AS a ,,s,,,I <l,:,~ ,y.S,xx a.. q 1x..xs. x.~S
two pounds of seed will sow. an acre,
either in drill or broadcast. a pmeruSs
experiments show Tat the 6Aerent
varieties will produce from three to
five tons of hay per acre. -
A fertile. mellow soilxt
for ,ntl1e Es4ing.
ndSn ~ I'll 10 J
eRlitsrs. This makeS = 81 catch
eeoQk and one good Aeslting. 1t
- pillow an early cec - be sown
lNloaAylMb weedy fs26s to assist in
eraficassmg the pests. SoA,e Mariners
report disking as suecess4sl ,aethol
of sowing, others use - Si4h hills,
while others sow broS =!
draw their ,nourishments -:
the surface soil hence plGI
food and moistaAX - -
good fertilizer fsf :
tain about seven M t5{: In 6f
phcspheric sod aad potaah .anau41ss
per cent.-of nitrogen pounds per
acre IS a fair dose. Instead, of the
above from $50 to 300 ponds of acid
phosphate, 1a5 to 200 pounds of muri-
ate of potash aud eco poui.ds Of cotton
'eeed meal per acre can be used.
The Russian millet resists drought
wonderfully well and is. suite1 10 dry,
hot climates where the wind DESTROYS
other crops. Itris large and leafy, AMI
may be sown sfter oats OF ptkereeaeal
has been cut. 1t will ripen in from 60
to 80 days. Farmers in the northwest
report putting ~. pounds per day on
fattening hogs with NJ lone. The
Hungarian is an ola, grass that
relished by otl !; y
and the seehie
hogs. All
silos, and an ~utSI1z f II e =
other cref - aaislieQnspS =
Compare1 wfe 4imSf E "a =
in daiTytng. the fb51 iRstt -
somswhat ilfefsr3 rude
pSeetn, - are Iii ~ III ss1ract nat
ter ana dkestjEEsy = that the feed
ing value NDractisdM the same.f
Millets INDY be harvested thes yame
as other grasses. ~ cutting. with a !
machine or scythe. The gsats
should be left in the swath until part
" dry, then put iato cocks and left -
cuse. Many Of athes bet
farmers cut millets with self-binders
and stack the bundles about the same
Is oats II cut before the seed rirens,
about the time it is in the dough, and
mixed with clover. alfalfa. or some rich
leguminous crop, millet makes an ideal
quality of ensilage. The longer it
stands after heading the more inferior
will be- ti,e efDrage When used as a
ia pastures the millets pos
sess more than { ordinary value for
feeding purposes. Such varieties as the
Hungarian and common millet may be
sovvn for pasture with prpft. IA mix
ture of peas, rape or clover and millet
makes fine pastare.s In sections where |
green feed and winter hay is scarce |
there is no single crop which can lie |
matie more profitable than some of the |
varieties of millet.-Joei Shoemaker,
in Farmers Home Journal.--~-~ss "A