FORAGE CROPS. 383 



" earliest of it before the last is matured, and the frequent depre- 

 " dations of birds, which are very fond of it, millet is more profit- 

 " ably cut when the first seeds have begun to ripen, and harvested 

 " for fodder. It is cured like hay, and in good land yields from two 

 " and a half to four tons per acre. All cattle relish it, and 

 "experience has shown it to be fully equal to good hay. 



" Millet requires a dry, rich, and well-pulverized soil. It will 

 " grow on thin soil, but best repays on the most fertile. It should 

 " be sown broadcast or in drills from the first of May to the first 

 " of July. If for hay and sown broadcast, forty quarts per acre 

 " will be required ; if sown in drills for the grain, eight quarts of 

 " seed will suffice. It will ripen in sixty to seventy-five days 

 " with favorable weather. When designed for fodder, the nearer 

 " it can approach to ripening without waste in harvesting, the 

 *' more valuable will be the crop." 



It is possible that Mr. Allen is mistaken in this latter state- 

 ment. It seems to be a well-established fact that all plants of 

 this character are in their best condition for hay at about the 

 period of blossoming. 



Flint says:* "It is very valuable and nutritious for milch cows, 

 " both green and when properly cured. The curing should be very 

 " much like clover, care being taken not to overdry it. For fodder, 

 " either green or cured, it is cut before ripening. In this state all 

 " cattle will eat it as readily as green corn, and a less extent wiTL 

 " feed them. Millet is worthy of a widely-extended cultivation, 

 "particularly o"h dairy farms." 



If millet has any marked advantage which should bring it into 

 common use, it lies in its ability to 

 from the thinness of the soil or the heat of the sun, 



* Milch Cows and Dairy Farming. Boston : Tilton & Co. 

 25 



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