CORN AND THE SORGHUMS FOR FORAGE 165 



are watery and contain little nutriment. The crop is cured in shocks, 

 the same as Indian corn, but in the case of the juicy-stemmed sorghos, 

 which cure with difficulty, the shocks should be small. In sections 

 with ample rainfall the seed is often broadcasted, and the fine-stemmed 

 plants cut and cured the same as the meadow grasses. In the South 

 where the rainfall is ample and on irrigated lands 2 to 3 cuttings of 

 sorghum may be secured in the season, if the crop is cut before it 

 matures ; in the dry-farming districts it is usually cut but once. 



The various types of grain sorghums have been described in Chap- 

 ter X. The kafirs excel in yield and value of forage, for they are 

 leafy and the stems are more succulent than those of milo, feterita, or 

 kaoliang. Kafir fodder and stover compare favorably in composition 

 and feeding value with that from corn. Feterita ranks next to kafir 

 for forage, while milo, kaoliang, and shallu are less leafy and have 

 more pithy stems. The dwarf types of the grain sorghums are often 

 harvested with a grain header, and stock grazed on the standing 

 stalks. 



The sorghos, with their juicy stalks rich in sugar, are grown chiefly 

 for forage. Early varieties, such as Amber cane, ripen earlier than 

 kafir or milo, and may be grown wherever corn will mature. The 

 palatable leaves, sweet stalks, and freedom from dust make sorgho 

 forage a desirable roughage for stock, especially horses. 



The sorghums for grazing, soilage, and silage.— Especially in the 

 southern states, the sorghums, mainly the sorghos, are widely used as 

 summer pasture for horses, cattle, and swine, since they are available 

 at a time when other crops are exhausted or immature. Owing to the 

 danger from prussic acid poisoning, extreme care must be taken in 

 pasturing second growth or stunted sorghums. By feeding the green 

 crop as soilage it is utilized more completely than when pastured. 

 Tho sorghum may be cut at any time after it reaches a height of 

 2 to 3 feet, a greater yield of nutrients will be secured when it is 

 allowed to head. The early varieties of sorghos are admirable soiling 

 crops for the northern states. 



The sorghums formerly had the reputation of producing much 

 sourer silage than corn. However, numerous experiments have now 

 shown that when sufficiently matured both the sorghos and the grain 

 sorghums make excellent silage. To determine when cane or kafir is 

 ready to ensile twist a stalk with the hands. AVhen it is so mature 

 that only a little juice will run out the proper stage has been reached.^ 

 As with corn, it is preferable to let the crop of cane or kafir stand till 

 after frost, rather than ensile when too green. The bagasse or waste 

 of the sorghum syrup factories should not be wasted, but may be 



5 Reed, Kan. Cir. 28. 



