The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-06-22
German MlIlet.

A German with a small produce store at Nashville. Tenn, failed in business and his assets were sold at auction Among his effects were three sacks Of grass seed, one of which was purchased py a farmer in Rutherford another by a farmer in Davidson and the other by < farmer in Williamson county. They all produced a crop of hay the like of which had never before been seen. Inquiry was made In different parts of the coun- try, but no information could be had Tn solution of the problem. The Depart ment of Agriculture at Washington sought in vain throughout other nations but could find nothing to compare with this remarkable product, which for pet ter name was called German Mlilet Since It's introduction it has been exten- sively cultivated in this country, prin- cipally in the South. as 1t does not grow so well in the Western or Eastern States.
 On land suited to its growth there Is no forage crop that gives better returns to the farmer than German Millet. us yield Is immense, producing on gooo soil an average season, from four to seven tons per acre. Two crops can be raised fin one season, or a crop or mlllet can follow wheat or rye and mature crop of hay.
 Three things are essential to a good crop.
 1. The land must be rich aid thor oughly prepared.
 3. Sound seed.
 B. favorable season.
 In preparing the land 1t should De thoroughly plowed and well pulverlzeo The seed sown should be grown specially for seed A bushel to five pecks Of seec should be sown broadcast to the acr' and covered by a light harrow followed by q field roller. River or creek bottoms or low, moist lands are best, The crol should be moved as the plant besins t' flower, when 1t makes hay equal t' Timothy. and which will be eagerly eat en by all kinds of live stock in preter ence to any other hay. Properly stack ed. 1t will keep through the winter pet' ter than any other hay that Is grown
 The late General Harding, proprietor of the celebrated Belle Meaoe Stoct Farm. near Nashville, preferred 1t tf any other hay for his blood stock:
 The seed sown for German Mile should be cultivated specially Tor seee crop, and not gathered from millet so"f broadcast. Only rich land. well pre- pared should be used and the seed sowr in drills about eighteen inches apar and the cultivator run through olter enough to destroy the weeds. Fl1t1 bushels of seed are gathered from ar acre when well prepared.
 The great advantage of German Mil let over other forage crops Is its aouno ant yield and quick growth. as croI will be ready to harvest in from n1ty t' sixty days. On many farms there ar' low, fiat spots that drown out othei crops in wet spells of weather. These can be put down to millet and a goot crop secured when often the ground would grow up In weeds. Every farmer in Alabama should have at least few acres in German Millet.
 WHAT WILL THE HARVEST BE.
 Something of Crop Conditions.
 While we may not be able to tell de finitely just what the yield of all crop. may be, yet we are so far advanced with May crops as to be able to predic very close as to what may be expected or what the harvest may bring us. O course, many crops depend upon favora bie weather suitable for harvesting tn crops.
 I have been at considerable pains i gathering this information, and 1t l gathered from the most reliable source from private correspondence with tn best farmers In all sections of the coun try, and from reports furnished to tn Twentieth Century Farmer, as well a
  the South and also based upon a genera acquaintance of how crops grow am what crops grow in various sections o our country.
 The crop reports that are furnished fo the Twentieth Century farmer are fror the very best farmers of the country men who have no motive whatever fo misrepresenting the true facts and a these reports come direct from the farm CTS they can be fully relied upon as be ing the most correct and the nearest tn true conditions of the crops.
 The Corn Crop.
 Corn Is king in some sections of ou country and always much anxiety is fel concerning this crop The great cor states are Iowa first with Illinois as good second. then comes in Missour Kansas and Nebraska. The corn crop of these States determine largely tn price and supply of corn, and this sec ton is called the great corn belt of ou country Considerable corn is alway grown in Indiana and Ohio, as well as i the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland riy CT bottoms, but this has very little effec on our markets. The North Atlanti States. the Upper Missouri River State and the Pacific Coast States do not pro duce corn enough to effect the marke in fact do not produce enough OrQlnarll for home consumption, while the acreag in the Southern States has been steadl on the increase for some years, yet the do not near grow enough corn to mee the home demand and have to look the great corn belt for their supply
 In veiw of these facts. 1t Is well tha we know something of the condition an prospects of a crop of corn in this ia vored section. The season opened earl in the great corn States, and the cro was planted earlier than for some year and a good stand was generally secured greatest of all the corn States-Iowt In Iowa, Illinois, Kansas. Missouri an i Nebraska the acreage was largely 1T creased this season, owing or brougf about by the heavy demand and hig prices of corn the past, or rather tf l present season.
 While the crop got a good start In th corn belt and a good stand was secure and the early cultivation was timely, yt the excessive rains in the lower Missoui valley as well as In Illinois have great ly retarded all farm work and the cor crop throughout the entire great cor belt Is suffering for want of cultivation In Iowa about three-fourths of the Stat has had entirely too much rain for tn corn crop. while one-fourth of the Stat Is suffering for rain. In nearly all tn States In the corn belt many acres of tn crop have been almost entirely destroye by overfows along the streams How ever. the damage by heavy rains an overfows of streams is never as muc as at first reported, and we can reasons