EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS 261 



of Kaffir corn lies in the fact that it will produce a crop on less rain than 

 is required for corn, and that it is not affected so disastrously by hot 

 winds. It is therefore especially adapted to the semi-arid west, where corn 

 succeeds only once in five or six years because of hot winds and drouth." 

 In 1895, a season of most intense drouth in Michigran, a plot of Kaffir 

 corn on the college farm, on a poor sandy ridge, withstood the drouth 

 better and produced a much larger growth of fodder than an adjoining 

 piece of field corn. During the past season, which was one of abundant 

 rainfall, half an acre of Kaffir corn was grown on good heavy soil in a 

 series of half acre plots devoted to various forage crops. Adjoining the 

 Kaffir com on one side was a plot of early amber sorghum and on the 

 other side a plot of Salzer's fodder corn, a large, rather late variety of 

 white dent. The yields from these three plots, weighed green as soon as 

 cut, were as follows: 



Dent corn 15,354 pounds. 



Kaffir corn 17,180 pounds. 



Sorghum . 19,838 pounds. 



The Kaffir corn was the latest of the three and was allowed to stand 

 until there was danger of its being killed by frost. It was cut September 

 22, the Dent corn and sorghum having been cut September 2. The three 

 crops were at about the same stage of maturity when cut, none of the 

 seeds having fully matured. The soil on which these crops were grown 

 was a little the best on the sorghum plot and poorest where the Dent corn 

 was grown. All three crops were planted thinly in drills, the same dis- 

 tance apart, and made an excellent growth, 



Kaffir corn is one of the sorghums which is not adapted to making 

 sugar. The seed is produced in a rather loose head at the top of the stalk. 

 The plant matures too late to be a safe crop for most parts of Michigan, 

 but for rather poor light soils in the southern counties it may prove of 

 some value. 



CRIMSON CLOVER. 



As stated in a press bulletin issued in May, crimson clover sown in 

 1895 came through the following winter better than usual. The present 

 season has also been exceptionally favorable for this crop. Spring sown 

 crimson clover, which heretofore has usually been a failure, or nearly so, 

 has this year made an excellent crop. One field of half an acre, sown 

 with oats, came on after the oats were cut and by the middle of Septem- 

 ber had a thick, uniform stand two feet high and was in full blossom. 

 This piece was cut for green feed Oct. 23 and Nov. 12, yielding 5,134 

 pounds, as it was drawn from the field. In a few spots the plants were 

 dead or dying when cut. Another similar piece was sown without grain 

 and grew rapidly from the start. It was cut June 24, while still very 

 green and succulent, yielding 1,870 pounds when green and 418 pouads 

 when cured. After this cutting it came on and produced a second crop 

 upon which sheep were pastured for about six weeks during August and 

 September. After the sheep were removed it made another small growth 

 and entered the winter in promising condition. 



In March last there was begun the experiment of sowing a tenth acre 



