GRASS AND HAY 113 



with little ability to withstand drought, succumbing quicker than 

 any of the commonly grown sorts. Some of them, however, have 

 given good results in certain localities, and it is not unlikely that they 

 may ultimately prove to be desirable for general cultivation, or val- 

 uable sorts may be developed from them by selection and crossing. 



True Barnyard Millets. These are undoubtedly the most val- 

 uable varieties of this group for cultivation in this country. The 

 varieties that give best results under cultivation are those with 

 upright habit of growth, a close head, and a tendency to produce a 

 large quantity of leaves. Of the varieties at present grown in the 

 United States, one of the recently imported Japanese sorts is prob- 

 ably the most promising. It is a coarse-growing form with a heavy 

 leafage and compact beardless heads. This variety has been thor- 

 oughly tested at the Massachusetts Experiment Station, and is 

 highly recommended as a forage crop. It matures a crop of hay in 

 about two and one-half months. There are several valuable varieties 

 in various parts of our own country, the most notable being those 

 found in prairie regions of the West and Northwest and the "Ankee" 

 grass of the Southwest. In the artesian-well region of the Dakotaa 

 there are wild forms of barnyard grass that seem particularly well 

 adapted to the conditions that prevail in the vicinity of the flowing 

 wells, especially where the soil has been watered too freely. In many 

 places considerable areas about the ponds and along the ditches are 

 covered each season with a growth from 3 to 6 feet high. Similar 

 areas may be seen elsewhere in the West and Northwest in irrigated 

 regions, and they are yearly becoming more common. In the south- 

 western part of the United States there is a large, thrifty form of this 

 grass, which makes a very fine growth in lowlands and swampy 

 places during the wet season. It is known to the Mohave Indians as 

 "Ankee," and its seed is said to be extensively used by them as food. 



In addition to the above-mentioned inland forms, there are 

 coastal forms growing in brackish marshes and meadows along the 

 seacoast, possessing much value for forage. One of these is quite 

 different in appearance from all other forms of barnyard grass, and 

 is probably specifically distinct. The lower leaf sheaths are very 

 hairy and the heads are conspicuously bearded. The plants attain 

 a height of from 3 to 6 feet. This grass may well be given a trial on 

 saline soil in inland regions. 



Barnyard Millet does not endure drought well, being more sus- 

 ceptible than the common sorts, and it can not be profitably grown 

 on poor soils. On the rich prairies of the West and Northwest heavy 

 yields may be obtained where the supply of moisture is sufficient, as 

 when uncter irrigation. It seems to thrive better on the alkali soil so 

 common in some parts of the West than either Common or German 

 Millet. In some parts of the South, particularly in the lower Missis- 

 sippi Valley, it makes a fine yield of hay, sometimes affording two 

 cuttings a season, and, although an annual, it continues to occupy 

 the land year after year through the great readiness with which it 

 reseeds itself. In these localities it furnishes a large proportion of 

 the volunteer hay crop and is also used for soiling. 



