The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1910-08-23
DRY FARMING CROPS
Most Popular for Forage Of Sor-
qhum Tribe Is Amber Cane.
Safest Drought Resisting Plant and
Does Well on Sod and Provides
Heavy Yield Of Good Fodder
for Dairy Stock.

After the corn Is all planted. there
Is still plenty of time to start crops OF
cane. milo maize. kafir corn or millet.
The most popular of the sorghum
tribe is amber cane, or plain cane, as
they call 1t on the plains.
1t is the safest drought resisting
crop we have: some Of my friends
who have the drying out habit tell me
1t is the last thing to fire In dry sea-
son. writes e. r. Parsons, in Ranch
and Range 1t does well on sod, II
we'll worked up. will grow on weak.
sandy land where nothing else will.
and provides heavy yield of good
fodder for dairy stock.
1t can be sown broadcast and cut
like hay. making fine calf feed. but
the most satisfactory way is to drill 1t
In rows about three feet apart, plant
Ing from ton to twenty pounds to the
acre according to whether you wish
better by stock when the stalks are
fine, but some farmers prefer a heavy
grain tassel which necessitates thin
ner planting and a larger stalk.
The grain is mostly starch. not any
different in composition from corn.
and is supposed to increase the yield
of cream more than milk. When
planted thickly and cut young. stock
will consume stalk and all. Cultiva-
ton is a valuable aid to the making
of good crop, it will stand hard land
and poorly plowed land much better
than corn. 1t can be narrowed when
small and planted any time before
July, but we rather favor about the
10th of June.
For grain crop there is nothing
like milo maize In this line; it can be
raised the same way as cane; it
makes fine fodder with more grain
than the former. Professor Cottrel
calls our attention to the fact that this
grain is just as good If not better than
corn for chickens and hogs, also for
stock feeding. The professor knows
for all these feed values are accurate
ly tested and determined in the col
lege laboratories. He recommends it
unreservedly for the plains region.
have tested 1t on my ranch at
5000 feet, but 1t does not grow as tall
or make as much grain as it does in
the plains east of Denver. Kafir corn
Is also a good forage plant, and can
be raised on the plains by the same
methods as cane. but the foothills are
not hot enough to promote heavy
yield.
There are several varieties of mil
let. but the old German millet still
seems the most popular. 1t can be
planted even in the foothills country
as late as the Fourth of July. We
look on millet, however, more as 9
catch crop than anything else if the
rains come right it makes good crop
otherwise not. 1t Is easily damaged
by hail. 1t makes a very rich forage
for cows and must be fed sparingly
and In conjunction with some Other
hay or fodder. 1t should not be
planted too thickly. rs pounds to the
acre is about right on the dry farm
it can be narrowed when about two
inches high.
The right time to cut these crops Is
a matter of much dispute among farm
ers and table of feed value by az
agricultural chemist showing the ad
vantages of early or late harvesting is
not always of much value to the farm
er, for the reason that it usually
leaves out the most important factor
of all. that of digestibility.
1t matters little whether in ripenins
our crops develop. for instance. more
sugar and less starch, for they
are both the same thing-carboh by
Understanding foods. but it mat
tiers great deal as the plants go OF
ripening when a portion OF the starci
becomes converted into cellulose OF
plant-fiber. for although cellulose is iso
merle with starch and may appear in {
table Of food values as carbohydrate
yet being utterly indigestible 1t has M
food value whatever. Sawdust. which
might be termed dry cellulose, is o
almost the same chemical composition
as corn chop, the carbon is all there
If we could only extract it in a di
| gestible form. The difference is no
in composition. but simply in thu
transition of the atoms or ions in tn,
molecule
Farmers differ. very much In thei
opinions as to when a crop of any
thing should be cut for feed A maj
may wait week or so to obtain lii
tie more protein in his alfalfa.
storm may come end ruin the who'll
crop, so that. after all. the weathe
Is the principal thing to consider; bu
with late crops the weather make
less difference. Rye for hay is usua
ly cut too late. If we try to get ha
and grain from the same crop we &c
neither; the same may be said {
compliant either for corn. one in
hill, or for fodder, as many as 20
like. but don't expect to raise bot
| in one crOp