The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-09-15
(By II. n. VINALLO

Inc name or mlllet Is applied TO
number of cultivated annual grasses,
some of which are used largely as
forage crops and others as cereals (;
most of them, however, are used either
for forage or for grain, according to
the needs of the growers. In the
United States all except the broom
corn millet are used almost exclusively
for forage purposes, but In Africa, In
dia, China, Korea, Japan and Russia
the millets are grown extensively for
human food. In China the broom
corn and fOxtail millets are most COM
mon, and the grain, after being
cleaned and hulled, is crushed and
cooked as a pOrridge, much as certain
breakfast foods are used in America.
In India pearl millet, which is grown
there under the native name of bajra,
is the most important millet. Korea
and japan produce considerable prose-
and foxtail millet, and the latter
country also devOtes Il considerable
acreage TO barnyard millet. which is
grown there almost entirely for its
seed; but the millet crop is of minor
Importance in these countries, as it is
in Europe. where it is NOT cultivated
extensively except in the Mediterra-
mean region and in Russia. Much
prose- or broom-cOrn millet is pro-
duced in Russia, especially in the
southeastern provinces.
One of Oldest Crops.
Millet is one of the oldest of cult
waited crops. Its planting has been
mentioned in Chinese records as being
part Of religious ceremony carried
out by the Chinese emperor as early
as 2700 b. c. Probably native in
southern Asia. its culture spread from |
there westward to Europe at an early
date. In 1S49 distribution of millet |
seed was made by the United States |
patent Office. and in 1888 millet had |
become a rather important crop in |
the central states. where ii was found !
better adapted than along the Atlantic |
coast. BY 1899 over "a per cent of
the total acreage of millet was found
in the nOrth-central states. Kansas,
with 349,906 acres, led all the states,
and produced an average of 10 tons
of millet hay per acre, against an
average of 1.6 tons per acre for the
whole United States. According to
the thirteenth census, Kansas was still
first in millet production, the leading
states ranking in the following order:
Missouri, Texas, Nebraska,
North Dakota, Tennessee and Okla
hOma.
To succeed well. millet must have
son. 1t does not grow well at high
attitudes or in other localities where
cool weather prevails during the sum-
mer months. Notwithstanding this
preference for warm weather, millet
Is grown successfully in our most nor
thern states, especially those in the
Great Plains region, because in those
states the summers, though short, are
hot. Millet, as it natures quickly,
can be planted and harvested during
these summer months. The long days
in this latitude provide
,
period of time is required for matur-
ng the crop. The longer seasoned va
-ieties, like German and Turkestan,
an be grown successfully only in the
central and southern states.
Needs Abundant Rainfall.
Millet does best in localities which ,
nave a fairly abundant rainfall. Many
writer's have referred to the millets as
crops, and they do
nave a low water requirement, but
hey lack the ability to recover after !
icing injured by period of drought.
This ability to recover from drought
injury is very pronounced in the sor-
,hums, but the millets succeed in To-
alities subject to drought almost en- t
irely through their ability to escape t
f their short growing season. Millet b
$ usually one of the first crops to C
how the effect of a drought, mainly {
ecause of it's shallow root system. |,
A rich, loose, loamy soil is best for f
INLET. Plenty of humus is advan- h
,geOus, and for this reason millet is Il
ften planted on newly turned grass |,
cd. 1t is a good crop for such situa- s
ions also, because 1t seems to aid i'm /:
the sod. Good drainage a
essential. o
Grown as Catch Crop. il
Millet is grown chiefly as a catch h
rop and is not important as a con- |,
tituent in regular cropping system.
lost farmers use it to overcome an G
xpected shortage in their hay supply N
r to occupy a field which would other @
Use be idle on account of the failure O
{ regular crop or because climatic h
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