Grasses and Sorghums 



177 



with a grain drill with all the holes open, or with some of 

 the holes closed to make the rows wide enough apart to 

 permit of cultivation between them, or with a corn-planter. 

 In favorable seasons the heaviest yield of hay and best quality 

 forage are usually secured from broadcasting or drilling in 

 close rows. The crop for hay may be cut with a mower, a 

 binder, or a scythe. When grown for silage, the seeds are 

 planted in wide rows and the plants are usually cut with a 

 corn-harvester. As 

 a soiling crop, sor- 

 ghum is more easily 

 handled when sown 

 in a wide row than 

 in close planting. 

 For pasture, it 

 should be sown or 

 drilled thickly . Sor- 

 ghum is best cut for 

 hay or soiling pur- 

 poses from the time 

 of heading until the 

 seeds are in the 

 dough stage. For 

 sirup the harvesting 

 is done when the 

 seeds are in the late- 

 milk stage. The 

 heads and leaves are removed before the juice is pressed from 

 the stalks, which is done by passing the stalks between heavy 

 rollers, after which the juice is evaporated to the desired 

 consistency. 



104. Non-saccharine sorghums. These sorghums are 

 grown chiefly for the grain, which is contained in the matured 

 heads. The forage value of the stems is not large, except in 

 the kafirs, which have semi- juicy stems with large and abundant 



FIG. 75. Heads of four varieties of kafir. 



