FOOD FROM CEREALS AND OTHER SEEDS 257 



it were, and mainly in limited areas and in states more or 

 less centrally located west of the' Mississippi river. As a 

 rule these have not proved equal to Kafir corn in yields of 

 seed, but to this there are some exceptions. Nor has the 

 fodder as a rule proved equal to that obtained from 

 Kafir corn or sorghum. Where corn grows in fine form, 

 it would seem safe to say that it can be more profitably 

 grown to furnish food for live stock than any of these. 



The seed of each of the non-saccharine sorghums has 

 about the same feeding value as that of Kafir corn. This 

 means that none of them are quite equal to corn for general 

 feeding, although they may exceed it in some special line or 

 lines of the same. It means also that they are better 

 adapted relatively for fattening than for promoting growth 

 in young animals. As in the case of Kafir corn, these 

 should ordinarily be ground when fed to cattle and swine, 

 but may usually be fed with more advantage to sheep, 

 horses and fowls by feeding them while yet on the un- 

 threshed heads, or at least in the unground form. 



Corn or maize. Indian corn or maize is unquestion- 

 ably the most important single food plant grown in the 

 United States to provide sustenance for domestic animals. 

 In localities where it can be successfully grown, it usuallv 

 furnishes more nutrients per acre than can be obtained from 

 any other plant for the labor involved, and this holds true 

 of it even in many instances where it is not considered prof- 

 itable to grow it primarily to produce grain. It is not so 

 exhaustive to the soil as many other plants and no other 

 crop can be used to better purpose as an aid in cleaning the 

 land, when the labor involved is considered. 



While corn can be grown with more or less profit in 

 every state in the Union, the greatest corn growing states 

 are those embraced in the Mississippi basin. Although in 

 some of its varieties it may be matured in 90 days from the 

 date of planting, it is not usually grown to a very large ex- 

 tent primarily for the grain, unless in areas that are free 



