Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-28
seed into the ground. where it will
serlninate promptly.

seed into the ground, where 1t will
germinate promptly.
Outs1ng tho Nillet for Hay.
Mtllet IL cut for hay very similar to
timothy. OF other hay crops. AZ It 10
usually cut late in the fall, the
weather conditions are rather favor
able for making hay, so that It should
be gotten up without any great dim
Guilty.
II the hay is fairly we'll matured
when Il is cut, 1t a possibly'be rak-
ed within q few hours after cutting.
especially II the weather IL very dry,
and left to cure in the windrow or
cock. It should not be stacked until
dry enough SO that 1t will not mould,
or get dusty.
Where the seed crop is desired it
should Of course BIZ allowed to fully
mature before the cutting 1t can al
much more satisfactory to u It with
a grain binder. and shock the bundles
the same as small grain. In fact, 1t
Is . very common practice to cut for
nay In this manner, as 1t is much
easier to handle the bundles than 1t
Is the loose hay.
II It is desirable t o use the hay for
cattle and horses and other stock, and
the best results are desired, 1t should
S~DSN 0AkSA SAAS 0AoSAAAAA481 IA
before the seed has matured to any
extent. :
Millets Of course cMn be stacked and
baled the same as other hay. and II
the seed 10 desired 1t can be thresh-
ed with tho ordinary threshing ma
chine, h same as timothy, or any
other similar crop.
Feeding Value Of Millet.
Mtllet hay is considered inferior to
timothy and other tame grasses, and
this is due largely to the fact that
stock do not SO we'll. and also to the
fact that 1t might be damaged some7
what more by rains than any other
hay. It is also known that millet
should not be fed exclusively to horses
for any great length Of time, as It at
fects the kidneys to q certain extent.
However, millet may be fed to cattle
without any damage. It IL also good
feed for dairy cows. but on account
OF the lack of protein, 1t has a tend
decrease the flow of milk. If fed to
dairy cows a we'll balanced ration Of
concentrates should be fed with 1t,
and this should contain some highly
protein food, such as cottonseed or
linseed meal to balance up the millet,
and good results might be expected.
Millet. Az q Grain Crop.
Fox-tail millet has never been used
to any great extent as a grain crop
in the United States. although in the
older countries of Asia, they have
long been used as a grain crop and
even as human food. The Prose-, or
broom-corn miflet is essential a grain
mtllet. and has been used to a consid-
cradle extent in North and South Da-
kota as a grain crop. Results in
trials of fox-tail mil1ets for hogs and
feeding cattle indicate that it is much
less valuable than corn or barley, be-
Ing some fifteen to twenty per cent
less depending on the quality Of the
mtllet. The millet seed should always
be crushed or ground before feeding,
as it is not m~asticated properly by or
binary stock. However, 1t should
give fairly good results when fed to
sheep. 1t is also valuable as chicken
feed, and is used largely in all bird
seeds.
It's value as a feed is such that it
can be recommended in any case
where there Is q possibility of growing
it. or where It can be grown better
than other crops. and millet is a crop
that at the present time should rec
ommend itself to the farmers Of the
northwest who are looking for every
available crop, that may be utilized to
help increase the production, which IL
so desirable at this time.