The Raymer enterprise., 1912-08-01
FODDER CROP FOR DRY FARM
Milo Is surest Yielding Grain Grown
IN Arid Seetlons-Advlce on How
to Feed to Stock.
(sy PROF. H. NJ. corrRELL., !,

(sy PROF. H. NJ. coTTRELL.)
Milo is the surest yielding grain
crop that Is grown In the dry land sec.
tlon OF eastern Colorado, western
Kansas and Oklahoma, the Pan Han.
die OF Texas and eastern New Mex.
leo.
Inc United States department of ag.
riculture reports the average yield
ior nve years at Amarillo, Tex, and
otner dry land experiment stations at
Az bushels of grain per acre a year.
Farmers In the same section report
Yields OF thirty to ffty.flve bushels an
acre.
A Dushel Of milo will produce from
ten 10 eleven pounds of pork. This
makes the average annual pork pro.
aucuon from the dry lands of the
southwest equal to 400 and upwards
pounds per acre where milo is grown
and fed.
Ten pounds Of milo have the same
leedlng value for horses. beef and
dairy cattle, hogs and sheep as nine
pounds Of corn
Milo is the corn for the plains of
the southwest and should be grown
instead of corn whever the annual
rainfall drops below 25 inches. Farm.
ers in the Pan Handle of Texas say
that 1t never fails to yield crop Of
grain. and that 1t will yield 20 bushels
an acre in years so dry that wheat is
an absolute failure.
Milo should have the same place In
dry land farming that corn has in Iowa
ana illinois. 1t has nearly the COM
position Of corn, like feeding qualities,
and can be used with profit for the
feedlng of every class Of farm animals
to which corn is fed.
Horses doing heavy farm work
should be given three feeds OF Milo
grain day. 1t is usually fed In the
head. one.half more heads being given
than would be given ears of corn.
Most teamsters prefer to feed milo
IN the head. cutting the main stem off
close to the head The main stem Of
the head and the many little stems to
which the seeds are attached force the
horses to do a large amount of chewing
before the grain can be swallowed,
and this mastication grinds the grain
and mikes It with the saliva, increas.
Ing the proportion digested.
The seeds Of milo are small, and
when the threshed grain is fed to the
horses, 1t is chewed very little and
much of the seed passes through un.
digested, Ground milo makes good
horse feed
Horses and mules have stood we'll,
with hard work all summer such as
breaking prairie. with no grain but
milo. Colts and horses not working
may be fed milo fodder Just as 1t is
cured-stalks and heads.
| kafir corn or early amber sorghum,
planted In rows rather thickly and cut
when in bloom. with binder, makes
a good hay for horses whose grain
feed is milo.
When fattening cattle are first put
on feed, they may be given milo fod
der. heads and stalks together. the
crop cut with binder and kept In
the shock until cured.
After thirty days OF such feeding,
the waste becomes too great. and It
will pay to snap the heads from the
stalks and feed them In grain boxes,
the same as ear corn.
For the final feeding. after the
steers have become fairly fat. 1t will
pay to grind the milo
The heads may be ground without
threshing. the small stems to which
the seeds are fastened forming
ground roughage, or the heads may
be threshed and the clear grain
ground.
The best laxative feed to give cattle
being fattened on milo is green cured
alfalfa hay cut to retain most Of the
leaves.