The Ordway new era., 1912-08-01
FODDER CROP FOR DRY FARM
Milo 10 surest Yielding Grain Grown
In Arid seetIons-Advlee on How
to Feed to Stock.
(By PROF. H. NJ corrRELL.)

By PROF. H. N. coTTRELL)
Milo Is the surest yielding grain
crop that Is grown In the dry land sec
tion OF eastern Colorado. western
Kansas and Oklahoma. the Pan Han
die OF Texas and eastern New Mex
leo.
The United States department Of az.
rlculture reports the average yield
for dve years at Amarillo. Tex. and
other dry land experiment stations at
40 bushels Of grain per acre a year.
Farmers In the same section report
yields Of thirty to fifty.hve bushels an
acre.
A bushel Of milo will produce from
ten to eleven pounds OF pork. This
makes the average annual pork pro-
duction from the dry lands Of the
southwest equal to 400 and upwards
pounds per acre whore milo 10 grown
and fed.
Ten pounds Of milo have the same
feeding value for horses. beef and
dairy cattle. hogs and sheep a. nine
pounds of corn.
Milo 10 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 It never fails to yield . crop Of
grain. and that 1t will yield 20 bushels
an acre In years 30 dry that wheat 10
an absolute failure.
Milo should have the Same place In
dry land farming that corn has In Iowa
and Illinois. It has nearly the COM
position Of corn. like feeding qualities.
and can be used with pront for the
feeding 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. It 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 of
close to the head. Tho main stem Of
the head and the many little stems to
which the seeds are attached force the
horses to do large amount Of chewing
before the grain can be swallowed.
and this mastication grinds the grain
and mixes 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. It Is chewed very little and
much of the seed passes through un-
digested. Ground milo makes a good
horse feed.
Horses and mules have stood well.
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 It is
and heads.
Kafir corn or early amber sorghum.
planted in rows rather thickly and cut. |
when In bloom. with binder. makes
\ 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 1t
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
the small stems to which
the seeds are fastened forming a
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.