288 Practical Farming 



greatly in character, though all the varieties belong to one 

 species. Recently a variety has been introduced from 

 Japan that has been found to make heavier crops than 

 the older sort, and we have had seed heads sent us from 

 Korea that were as large as a large ear of corn. It is 

 hkely that these Asiatic varieties will generally supersede 

 the older varieties. It makes a heavy crop of hay, but if 

 the hay is to be fed to horses, it should be cut as soon as in 

 bloom, for if the seed are allowed to ripen the hay will be 

 dangerous to horses because of the indigestible nature of 

 the seed. The hay, too, is of less value if the seed ripen. 



This rank-growing grass has been boomed 

 Pennese um j^^ ^j^-^ (,Q^J^^J.y ^^ various times as a forage 

 Spicatum •' ° 



plant under the names of pearl millet, cat- 

 tail millet, and Egyptian millet, and of late an effort has 

 been made to push the seed on the market under the old 

 obsolete botanical name of Pencillaria. It makes an 

 immense growth or green forage on rich and moist land, 

 but as a hay crop has not a great value, being hard to 

 cure and making a very heavy draft on the fertility of the 

 soil. For the average farmer the annual legumes, like cow 

 peas and soja beans, are far superior to any of the millets. 



Sorghum vulgare includes not only the 

 saccharine sorghums from which syrup is 

 made, but a great many others not of a saccharine nature 

 and known variously as Millo maize, Kaffir com, Dourra, 

 and broom com. The variety known as Kaffir corn is 

 now largely grown in the Western States both for forage 

 and for seed. The seed has a feeding value similar to 

 that of Indian corn, and the whole sorghum family have 

 a capacity for resisting droughty conditions better than 



