Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
SOME QUICK CROPS
FORAGE PLANTS FOR FARMERS
h. WHO HAVE SUFFERED
Ela FROM THE FLOOD.
Iowa Farmers Want Quick Matur-
! ing Crops Adapted to the Iowa Gil
mate Which Can be Used This Year
| as a Forage Plant,

many farmers in the vicinity of Ottum-
wa from preparing and planting all
tnelr land intended for corn. In some
places floods have ruined the grow
ing crops and it will be the middle of
June before the land can be worked.
Ihere are many requests for informa-
tlon regarding quick growing and early
maturing plants which can be used
instead of the customary corr for for
age. The following information along
Just those lines from one of the bulle-
tins issued by the state agricultural
school at Ames will be of great value
to the farmers who have suffered by
the floods.
The circular is as follows:
II possible to obtain the seed q ninety
day corn, like farmers reliance, pride of
the north, or early Lopgfellow Dent, can
he planted as late as June Goth. with rea-
sonable assurance of reaching maturity be-
fore the close of the growing season. Moth
ing can fully take the place of corn.
Where farmers cannot obtain these early
maturing varieties of corn, we wish to call
their attention to the following forage crops
flat can be matured in the growing season
that yet remains.
Corn Hay.
"For corn hay for This season, select the
earliest maturing variety Of corn YOU can
obtain in your locality. 1t can be sown
broadcast, planted or drilled. Plant the
hills as close together as you can with
your corn planter, or If you use a corn drill
place in drill rows 36 TO 40 inches apart and
kernelsFtwo to four inches apart in the
rows, using from twenty to twenty-i five
pounds of seed to the acre. For roughage
this corn hay is most excellent and it will
probably give more rough feed of good
n trp Nnr a rrn 1@,, ,, n..
get in any other way this late in the sea-
son.
iBy using a corn harvester the crop is har-
vested quite easily. If sowed very thick a
grain binder can very often be used. Corn
can not be readily or easily cured if moved
and harvested as we do hay. When bound
and placed in shocks that are not too large
1t usually cures out quite well.
Sweet Corn For Fodder.
by planting sweet corn in rows similar to
the plan just mentioned or drilling in rows
}twenty-four TO thirty inches apart, a very
fine quality of fodder can be obtained
which is greatly relished by all kinds of
farm stock. Stowell's Evergreen has in the
few experiments tried, yielded the largest
amount of forage per acre. There are ear
Nlier maturing varieties, such as Peep-o-day
and County Gentleman that may be pre-
ferred even though they have a lower per-
SSAS A+ipiidSC QHu SiNc u hSultE Sleiu. eIE
Kafir Corn.
"This is a warm weather plant' we'll
adapted for dry regions and usually requires
from tifteepSto eighteen weeks to mature a
crop. 1t is questionable whether, u crop
could he matured in Iowa, planted at this
time. Kafif corn is n valuable forage crop
however evenaif 1t does NOT mature a crop
of grain, and when it ripens usually yields
from thirty to fifty bushels of grain per
acre. A small area of Kair corn should be
tried as an experiment.
"Stock soon tire of Kafr corn when fed
alone. The feed lacks fat, is deficient in
protein and has an excess of starch. Fed
alone it is eonstipatipg. to all farm animals.
1t has to be fed with laxative feeds to OBJ
tain the best results.
Sorghum.
Sorghum is well known to Iowa farmers
rs q forage crop. The early amber. espe-
cialiyStheg Minnesota early amber variety,
has proven quick maturing and is the one
best adapted for this wears planting.
"Ifethe ground Is in good, clean, condi-
ton now, the seed can be sown broadcast.
It. may also be drilled in with a grain drill,
the same as wheat, planted with a one
horse drill or a two horse corn-planter with
drill plates. Care needs to be taken to
prevent a coarse growth, and thick seeding
tends to prevent this. Drilled in rows three
to three and a half feet apart. fifteen to
sixteen pounds, broadcast or with a grain
drill twenty-five to twenty-five pounds to
the acre.
Sorghum can be harvested in many
ways. If planted in rows three to three
and one-half feet apart it may be cut with
a corn binder or shocked. When broad
casted or drilled in close rows, If not too
coarse, it is often cut with a mower, cured
and stacked as hay, or it can be left in
small cocks in the field with little or no