MILLER 



3807 



MILLET 



ture when the imperfections of humanity will 

 have disappeared, and the highest degree of 

 perfection and happiness will prevail. 



MILLER, CINCINNATUS HEINE (1841-1913), 

 best known as JOAQUIN MILLER, an American 

 poet, in life and verse thoroughly original and 

 unconventional. The name Joaquin, which he 

 adopted, was the name of a Mexican bandit 

 of whom he wrote a defense. He was born in 

 Indiana, but when a small child went with his 

 parents to Oregon. The life of the new coun- 

 try was full of interest for Miller, and at the 

 age of fifteen he ran away from home to live 

 in mining camps and with the Indians in Cali- 

 fornia. He was adopted by a certain tribe and 

 married the daughter of the chief. After the 

 death of his wife, who was killed in an acci- 

 dent, Miller returned to Oregon and studied 

 law. He practiced for a few years and also 

 edited a newspaper, but found his true calling 

 to be that of a poet. 



In 1871 Miller visited England, where he 

 published his first notable collection of poems, 

 entitled Songs of the Sierras. His colorful and 

 musical verses, sometimes lacking in form, but 

 full of a real love of the beautiful West and 

 its romantic spirit, were enthusiastically re- 

 ceived by the British public, and his pictur- 

 esque Western dress, wide-brimmed hat, soft 

 shirt, and trousers tucked into high boots, added 

 to his popularity. His work, at first unappre- 

 ciated in America, has gradually been accorded 

 deserved recognition by his countrymen. 



After his return to the United States, Miller 

 engaged in newspaper work in New York and 

 Washington, D. C. In 1887 the poet returned 

 to California, where he made his home until 

 the time of his death. Following his expressed 

 wish, his friends burned his body and threw 

 the ashes to the winds, on the slopes of the 

 Sierras he had loved so well. 



In addition to his Songs of the Sierras, his 

 writings include Songs of the Sunlands, Songs 

 of the Mexican Seas and a novel, The Danites. 

 The latter has been dramatized with notable 

 success. 



Of Miller's single poems, none is better known 

 than his spirited tribute to Columbus, which 

 begins 



Behind him lay the gray Azores 



Behind the Gates of Hercules, 



Before him not the ghost of shores, 



Before him only shoreless seas. 



The good mate said, "Now must we pray, 



For lo, the very stars are gone ; 



Brave Admiral, speak, what shall I say?" 



"Why say, 'Sail on, sail on and on. 1 " 



MILLET, mil' et, the common name for a 

 number of cereal and forage grasses which 

 have produced valued crops for centuries. In 

 America millets are raised principally for hay, 

 as soiling crops (that is, to be plowed under to 

 enrich the soil), and for the seeds, which are 

 used as poultry food. Almost 1,550,000 tons of 

 millet, valued at about $11,146,000, are cut for 

 forage annually in the United States ; the larg- 

 est crops are raised in Kansas, Texas and Mis- 

 souri. In India about 40,000,000 acres of land 

 are planted with millet for food purposes each 

 year, and in Japan 35,000,000 bushels of millet 



THREE VARIETIES 



(a) Foxtail millet; (6) Hungarian millet; (c) 

 broom-corn millet. 



seed are ground into flour annually. The grain 

 is used for bread in many other parts of Asia, 

 and it is estimated that it supplies food to 

 about one-third of the population of the world. 



American millets may be divided into three 

 groups; these are the foxtail millets, including 

 that most important species, Hungarian millet; 

 the widely-cultivated barnyard millets, which 

 resemble barnyard grass; and the broom-corn 

 millets, the common millets of Europe, a spe- 

 cies which has loose, bushy grain heads. 



Planting. According to location, millets are 

 planted as early as May and as late as August. 

 Most varieties are sensitive to cold, so seeding 

 should be done when the ground is thoroughly 

 warm. Hay crops, two or three tons to the 

 acre, can be obtained from Hungarian millet 

 within fifty to eighty days after planting. Rich, 

 loamy soils are best for all millets, and soil 

 preparation is the same as for other grasses. 

 One-half a bushel of seed to the acre is usually 

 sown broadcast. Millet is practically free from 

 attacks of insects and plant diseases. 



