NATUEAL HISTORY. 91 



CORN. It is called Guinea corn in the West Indies, Doiirah in 

 Arabia, and Nagara in the north of China. It is sometimes 

 used as a forage plant. 



As already intimated, more than thirty species supposed to 

 belong to this genus are known to have been introduced into 

 France, tliough it is very probable that a more accurate classifi- 

 cation will distribute many of them among the other genera. 



The tall cereal which has long been cultivated in tlie south 

 of Europe and in Barbary, under the general name of sorghum, 

 resembles Indian corn in quality, and is often called small 

 maize. Its stems contain a pretty large per cent, of saccharine 

 matter, and it is useful to cut green as a forage plant. 



Indian millet, when raised on good soil and under favorable 

 circumstances, is said to yield a larger quantity of seed to the 

 acre thaii any other cereal grass known, not excepting even 

 Indian corn. Its nutritive quality is nearly equal to that of 

 wheat. The common millet is the panicum miliaceum. 



Indian Corn, Maize, (zea mais,') is a well known plant of 

 American origin, a true grass, and one of the most beautiful 

 and useful of this great family. Its value as a forage plant has 

 already been alluded to in speaking of the Chinese sugar cane, 

 and need not be dwelt upon here. Subject as we are, to the 

 severest droughts, which parch up and essentially injure our 

 pastures, this plant has been found to be of the utmost impor- 

 tance to cut up green, affording an abundant and nutritious 

 fodder, exceedingly succulent and greatly relished by cattle of 

 all kinds, keeping them in good condition, while without this or 

 some similar substitute our stock woiild inevitably suffer. 



The varieties cultivated for the purpose of fodder should be 

 those with the largest and most succulent leaves. Some of the 

 varieties of sweet corn are usually preferred, but on this point 

 farther and more accurate investigations are greatly needed. 



It is estimated that on an average from six to eight tons of 

 dry fodder may be procured from an acre sown in drills and 

 properly cultivated, and that this would be equal to about four 

 or five tons of good hay. This is a reasonable estimate, as far 

 larger crops are often obtained. 



The particular advantage of raising what are called forage 

 plants, either to cut up green for soiling or to cure for winter 

 use, over our ordinary mowing lands is, that they give on the 



