The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-08-10
THE CULTIVATED MILLETS,
Trade Names and Economic Impor-
tance of Different Varieties.


lance of Different Varieties.
There are several different agricui.
tural grasses Of economic Importance
sold in the trade under the general
name of millet; hence there is more or
less confusion.
Foxtail Millets.-To this group be-
long what is generally sold as com
mon millet" and also a number Of 9TH
er varieties, all belonging to the spe-
cies known to botanists as Setaria ital-
lea and which is considered by many
to have been originally derived from
the common weedy green foxtail (Se-
taria viridis). The seed is borne In a
compact cylindrical, often more or less
nodding, cluster at the top of the stalk.
The seed can be distinguished by the
numerous minute transverse wrinkles
There are four groups of varieties-1
Common millet, which is more resist
ant to drought; 2. German millet, also
called Golden millet and Bengal grass
(the commonest variety in the south
the latest of the foXtail millets and
coarser in foliage-some of the so call
ed Japanese millets belong here; s.
Golden Wonder millet. which under
favorable conditions gives the largest
yield of seed, but is susceptible to
drought: 4. Hungarian millet or grass.
more commonly cultivated in the north
west. This has the disadvantage of
volunteering or persisting in the soil
The New Siberian millet is related to
Hungarian grass. but may be distinct
variety. There are Il number of differ
ent varieties Of each of the groups
mentioned
Barnyard Millets.-These have been
long grown in the old world both for
forage and food for man. bat have only
recently received much notice in this
country. They received their name
from the fact that they are derived
from the common and well known
barnyard grass, weed in cultivated
soil. They are characterized by hav
Ing the flowers in branching clusters
like the barnyard grass Panicum crus-
gallD and the seed smooth and about
twice as long as the foXtail millets.
Barnyard millet gives promise of max
Ing a successful forage grass in this
country. Closely allied to this are the
shama millet Panicum colonum) and
sanwa millet Panicum frumentace-
UNI, both grown extensively in India
and other parts of Asia for the seed,
which is used as food by the poorer
classes. They do not give promise of
success in This cOI1utrv
Broom Corn Millets.-These are de-
rived from Panicum milaceum. This
species has been cultivated for cen
turtles in Europe, where it is the com
mon millet." 1t is not extensively
grown in the United States, but is Of
Tered in the trade under the name of
broom corn millet anu hog millet. The
seeds. are borne in loose. dropping clus
tiers, the branches of the cluster belne
long and slender, somewhat resemblin.
the seed cluster Of broom corn. whence
the name. The seeds are from white
to yellow and dark red and, like the
preceding sorts, are fiat on one side
and convex on the other and resemble
the barnyard millet in size and absence
or wrinkles.
Pearl Millet Pennisetum Spicatum
or p. Typhoideum.-Extensively cult
waited in Africa for the seed, which Is
used for food, and occasionally In the
southern United States, where it Is
used for fodder; plants tall and stout:
the seeds borne in dense cylindrical
cluster, but without the bristles cha9
acteristic of the foxtail millets.
Indian Millet Sorghum Vulgare).-
Certain varieties of sorghum or cane
are very extensively grown in Africa
and Asia for the seed, which is used
for food, They also go under the name
of Chinese millet, black millet, African
millet, Guinea corn, etc. At present
these varieties of sorghum are not
grown in the United States on a com.
mercal scale.-A. S. Hitchcock, Kan
sas Station.