174 



DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 



becomes available. In this respect they differ greatly from Indian 

 corn, which will not yield satisfactorily when once checked in its 

 growth. This quality makes the grain sorghums especially valuable 

 under the conditions in the semi-arid western and southwestern 

 States. They bid fair to become of great agricultural importance 

 in these sections of the country. The areas sown to grain sorghums 

 in Kansas (Fig. 35), Oklahoma, and Texas have increased in a 

 marked manner during the last ten years, and they are apparently 

 replacing Indian corn to some extent in these States. 11 



The grain of <tihe non-saccharine sorghums resembles Indian corn 

 in chemical composition ; it contains a higher percentage of starch 

 than corn, but less protein and fat, and may be considered not quite 

 equal to corn in feeding value or palatability. The grain should be 



FIG. 35. Diagram showing increase in area sown to grain sorghums in Kansas during the 

 decade 1904-13. (Ball.) 



threshed and ground for feeding to fattening cattle, while it may 

 be fed threshed or in the head to working horses and sheep, and 

 preferably " 'heads and all " to idle horses, colts, dairy cattle, and 

 young stock ; a head of Kafir corn is considered of similar feeding 

 value as an ear of Indian corn. Ground grain is fed with skim milk 

 to calves, and moistened with water or skim milk to hogs. As it is 

 quite carbonaceous (N. R., milo 1:9.7, Egyptian corn 1:8.9), it 

 makes a good supplemental feed for hogs fed skim milk or alfalfa, 

 either hay or pasture. 



Rice. As in the case of many other seeds, rice is too valuable 

 as a human food to allow of its general use for feeding farm stock ; it 

 is only used for this purpose to a limited extent in rice-growing sec- 

 tions in unhulled form, as rough rice (so-called paddy rice). 

 The hull or husk of the rice kernel is rough and brittle, and 



11 U. S. Dept. Agr. Yearbook, 1913, p. 221; Kan. Bui. 93, 198; Texas 

 Press Bui. 2; Okla. Bui. 89 and 102; S. D- Bui. 156, 158, 160; Farmers' 

 Bui. 322, 448, 686, 724. 



