MILLETS. 191 



as possible witn e surface soil, since millet gathers 

 its food near the surface rather than far down in 

 the soil. When commercial fertilizers are used, they 

 should usually contain a relatively high content of 

 nitrogen, and there are instances in which \vhat are 

 termed nitrogenous fertilizers are needed. 



Sowing. Millet is more commonly so wn broad- 

 cast and by hand. But it may be sown by certain 

 kinds of grain drills in common use. The following 

 objections apply to hand sowing : i, The seed is not 

 buried so evenly, hence the germination is less per- 

 fect than when the seed is sown with the drill ; 2, a 

 considerable proportion of the plants start so near 

 the surface that the loss of plants is greater if the 

 harrow is used subsequently ; 3, the plants have also 

 less power to withstand drouth. 



Whether all the drill tubes should be used in 

 sowing millet or only a part of them depends to a 

 considerable extent on the kind of the millet. The 

 small sorts are usually sown with all the tubes in use, 

 but the larger ones are frequently sown in rows far 

 enough apart to admit of easy cultivation. These 

 rows are in some instances made thirty-six inches 

 apart, but more frequently the distance is not more 

 than thirty inches. The small millets, as the Com- 

 mon, the German, the Hungarian, the Golden Won- 

 der and the Broom Corn, are more commonly sown 

 when the crop is not to be cultivated. But the larger 

 kinds, as the Japanese, should be preferred when 

 subsequent cultivation is to be given. The smaller 

 sorts furnish the more palatable food, but the larger 

 ones produce the better yields, and the crops that are 

 cultivated can withstand dry conditions much better 



