130 FORAGE CROPS 



young plant is slower than corn to start, and thus 

 difficult to keep clean, especially in moist warm 

 weather, it grows quite as rapidly, if not more so, 

 when well established, and later cultivation is not 

 so important. 



Sorghum is usually grown for the making of 

 hay, and therefore a much thicker stand is wanted 

 and broadcast seeding is practiced. The best 

 method of seeding is to use a press drill, sowing 

 from one and one-half to two bushels per acre, 

 sufficient to have the stand thick, like wheat or 

 rye, if the best hay is to be obtained. 



Harvesting and curing sorghum 



The crop may be cut for forage when two or 

 three feet high, in which case it is possible to get 

 a second crop quite as large as the first. For hay, 

 however, it is better to let the plant reach a more 

 mature stage, so the seeds begin to harden and 

 the plants to turn yellow. At this stage, it will 

 make more and better feed than if cut earlier or 

 later. If the stalks are not more than six feet tall, 

 the method commonly used for hay is to cut with 

 a mower, allow it to wilt, and then, with self- 

 dumping rakes, carry enough together to make 

 small stacks of 800 to 1,200 pounds. By this 

 method, experienced growers find that the least 

 labor is involved, and that the product keeps green 



