FIELD CROPS 



tions of Asia, wliere it is used as food grain as well as forage. 

 It is probable that the original type is a native of southeastern 

 Asia, though some botanists hold the opinion that all the 



varieties have 

 been developed 

 from the common 

 foxtail , Setaria vir- 

 idis-, which grows 

 wild generally 

 throughout the 

 North Temperate 

 zone. The foxtail 

 millets are annual 

 plants with fi- 

 brous roots and 

 slender stems, us- 

 ually growing 

 from 3 to 4 feet 

 high. The inflor- 

 escence is a close 

 spike, from 4 to 

 8 inches long. 

 The spikelets are 

 one-flowered, with 

 bristles at the 

 base, which are 

 usually purplish. 

 The grain threshes free from the chaff and is usually yellow 

 or purple. 



425. Varieties. The principal varieties of foxtail millet 

 are the Common, the Hungarian, and the German. Com- 

 mon millet is the earliest of the three in maturing. The 

 heads are rather loose at the base, but more compact toward 

 the top, about 6 inches long, nodding, green in color, turning 

 to yellowish brown when ripe. The seeds are large, yellow, 



Figure 111. — German millet. 



