112 DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 



composition or feeding value from Indian corn fodder or sorghum, 

 but are not relished by stock to quite the same extent. 8 



Foxtail is a common weed in grain fields and meadows in many parts of 

 the country. It is especially troublesome in alfalfa fields in the western 

 States. The first crop of alfalfa on old weedy fields is often rendered use- 

 less through the growth of foxtail therein, unless it be cut early, while the 

 beards are still soft and can be eaten without injury. If cut at this time, 

 foxtail makes a fine and nutritious hay that compares favorably in feed- 

 ing value with a good quality of oat hay. 



Foxtail hay should not be fed to lambing ewes, according to the 

 Nevada Station, and must be fed with care to other classes of stock as 

 well, unless cut at an early stage of growth, before the beards are stiff. 



Teosinte is an annual forage plant, closely related to Indian corn. 

 It is believed to be the ancestor of our corn, and has similar habits of growth. 

 It is not grown as a forage plant outside of the southern States, as it needs a 

 long season of hot weather, abundant moisture, and a rich soil in order to do 

 well; under such conditions it is a remarkably vigorous grower, the stalks 

 reaching 10 to 12 feet in height, with an abundant supply of leaves and slen- 

 der stems, which continue to grow until killed by frost. The Louisiana station 

 reports a yield of over 50 tons of green forage per acre of this crop on rich 

 alluvial soils. Harvests of 18 to 30 tons per acre are not uncommon, accord- 

 ing to Spillman. Teosinte makes one of the best soiling plants in the South 

 on account of the immense yields of green; forage which it produces. Its 

 leaves are similar to those of sweet sorghum, but much larger, and the stalks 

 contain 8 to 10 per cent of sugar. 9 If cut when from four to five feet high, it 

 makes an excellent fodder and will produce a second cutting fully as large as 

 the first. If left until September or October, it furnishes good material for 

 silage and yields more heavily than either Indian corn or sorghum. 



These remarks apply to conditions in the Gulf States only ; the value of 

 teosinte outside of this region is doubtful. In green condition it is very 

 watery, containing only about 10 per cent of dry matter, with a similar 

 percentage of digestible protein as green corn ( 0.9 per cent ) . and less than 

 one-half as much digestible carbohydrates and fat as corn. 



Japanese cane is another Southern forage plant that has come into some 

 prominence of late years. It is a variety of sugar cane, well adapted to the 

 climate and soil of the Gulf States. It will do well in any section in which 

 the velvet bean will mature seed, i.e., a territory within 200 to 250 miles 

 north of the Gulf of Mexico. It is used as a silage crop, for winter pasture, 

 or stored as dry forage. The Florida station found it one of the cheapest and 

 most economical forage crops that a farmer in that State can grow for 

 silage. 10 The chief value of the plant lies in its high content of carbohy- 

 drates, particularly sugar. Like sorghum, it should be left to mature 

 before cutting, whether intended for silage or for dry forage. 



QUESTIONS 



1. State the relation of grain to fodder secured by different methods of 



planting Indian corn. 



2. What proportion of nutrients is found in the ear corn and the corn 



stover by the ordinary method of growing Indian corn? 



3. Describe the value of Indian corn, grain hay, sorghum, and millets for 



feeding farm animals. 



4. Discuss several forage crops of minor importance. 



5. What millets are grown for forage in this country? State their main char- 



acteristics and necessary precautions in using them for stock feeding. 



8 .Farmers' Buls. 101, 168, 288. 9 Farmers' Bui. 509. 



"Bulletins 105 and 129; Texas Bui. 195. 



