648 BOAED OF AGKICULTURE. 



furnishing plenty of green, succulent and nutritious food for all kinds of 

 stocli. It is readily eaten and greatly relished by horses, cattle, hogs, 

 and all other stock on the farm. Its use does not end here, but it is of 

 great value as a fall and winter forage. When the seeds are in the dough 

 state it should be cut and shocked for forage. If heavy and good-sized 

 shocks are desired it is best to cut four or five rovrs, put in small shocks, 

 and after curing four or five days cut the rest and add to it. Put up in 

 this way it will cure out bright and be in fine condition for feeding. Cut 

 early and cured all right, no damage will result from freezing. It will 

 keep as well in the shock as corn fodder. As a forage it is very rich and 

 nutritious. No forage can beat it for fall jand winter feeding. Hogs will 

 eat it as well as cattle, and vnll fatten on it with very little additional 

 grain. The seed is estimated to be worth about 90 per cent, as much as 

 corn. One of the best uses made of the seed is as a feed for poultry. It 

 is especially good for laying hens. The yield of sorghum is enormous. 

 You can hardly believe the amount that can be grown on an acre of good 

 soil. On account of it being a deep feeder it will also do well on thin 

 land. Land that is too poor to grow corn will produce a crop of sorghum 

 and still be left in better condition for surface-feeding crops. It does 

 well in a rotation with such crops. The preparation of the land for 

 planting should be about the same as for corn. The harrow should be 

 u§.ed freely both before and after planting. The main object is to keep 

 the soil clean and free from weeds. The plant is very slow about coming 

 up and makes very slow top growth for awhile, but after it gets well 

 started nothing can keep it down. It will stand a drouth or the ravages 

 of insects better than any other plant I know of. In the absence of a 

 better machine use a curry-comb to thresh the seed. Get the seed as 

 clean as possible and plant with either a corn or wheat drill in rows 

 about 3 feet to 3 feet 6 inches apart. If wanted for forage plant about 

 twice as thick as you would for syrup. It should have on an average 

 about ten or twelve plants to the foot. The drills put it in about right 

 for forage. Do not thin any. Let it all grow. When gi-own thick it is 

 better for forage and is easier digested by the stock. Some sow broadcast 

 and cut it for hay, but it is difficult to cure and hard to prevent molding. 

 Unless wanted for pasture, I think a better way is to plant in drills and 

 cultivate as corn. More and better forage can be grown in this way and 

 it will be easier handled. The seed should not be planted until the ground 

 is quite warm. About corn planting time or soon after is a good rule. 

 It can be planted later and good forage grown, but it will run a risk 

 of being injured by freezing in the fall. Keep the ground free from 

 weeds until the cane comes up and you will have little difficulty in 

 cultivating afterwards. You can very profitably commence feeding about 

 the time the heads begin to form. From this time until it matures (which 

 usually covers a period of four or five weeks) it increases very rapidly 

 in its sugar contents and fat producing elements. Every farmer who 



