SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VIII. 817 



the first week in June in the latitude of Des Moines, earlier south of 

 that, later north. If you have a piece of good land that for any reason 

 you do not desire to put in corn again, or which you can't get in until 

 too late to plant corn, then take this in preference. In all cases pre- 

 pare a good seed bed. Then sow sixty pounds of germinable seed per 

 acre. (It will probably require a hundred pounds of seed that is pur- 

 chased. Test it and find out.) Cover with a light harrow, aiming not 

 to get it any deeper than necessary to secure moisture. Then forget 

 about it. 



North of the latitude of central Iowa use the Early Amber; in the 

 southern part of our territory use the Collier, for the reason that it 

 stands up better than the Early Amber. As we say, forget about it until 

 the heads have turned brown; in other words, until the sorghum head 

 is ripe. Then if you sow broadcast, mow and put in the largest cocks 

 you possibly can, twice as large as you thinK they ought to be. Then 

 forget about it again until you are ready to use it. Don't try to cure 

 it. Don't wait until it gets very dry. Unless you have more help than 

 most farmers have, you may commence within a few hours after the 

 mower. You will be far enough behind before you get through. 



West of the Missouri many farmers drill it in either by using a corn 

 drill or the corn planter and splitting the rows. Sown in that way not 

 more than fifteen or twenty pounds of germinable seed is necessary. 

 They then cut it with the corn binder or grain binder and put it in shock. 

 Others use the grain drill, stopping up part of the holes, so as to have a 

 width sorghum that can be taken in easily with the grain binder, and put 

 it in shock. The objection to putting it in shock in the more humid 

 sections is that it is more likely to mold about the bend. 



Hence we advice broadcast sowing in central and eastern Iowa. The 

 experience of farmers is the best guide in the western part of Iowa and 

 west of the Missouri river. 



We hope that our readers who are interested in this matter will read 

 this article carefully, remembering what we say, and also what we don't 

 say, and then use their own judgment as to the principles laid down, 

 profiting by the experience of their neighbors who have been using this 

 valuable crop. Remember that sorghum is much better feed than 

 timothy for dairy cows and young stock, quite as good as corn fodder; 

 that it is a ration to be given to dairy cows only; when balanced with 

 nitrogenous feed; that it can be used with great advantage in carrying all 

 kinds of young stock through the winter. We are feeding four or five 

 hundred tons of it ourselves this year, and our young cattle prefer good 

 sorghum to inferior alfalfa. 



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