152 



FORAGE CROPS GRASSES 



Fio. 97. Tall meadow oat grass. 

 (Productive Farm Crops.) 



grasses are used in the arid and semi- 

 arid sections of the middle west. In 

 the southern and southeastern states 

 efforts are made to find satisfactory 

 substitutes for timothy. Johnson grass 

 is grown in the western portion of this 

 area, but has the objection of being a 

 very bad weed where cultivated crops 

 are grown. Bermuda grass in the gulf 

 states yields well enough to be suit- 

 able for hay. In other sections of the 

 South annual crops are more fre- 

 quently grown. Redtop and fescue 

 are well suited to the interior states 

 of the South. 



In southern states it is even more 

 important than elsewhere to grow a 

 mixture of grasses for hay. Timothy 

 orchard grass, 'redtop, Italian rye grass, 

 tall meadow oat grass (Fig. 97), fescue, 

 and others may be mixed together and 

 will make a better stand of hay than 

 any one alone. If alfalfa or clover be 

 mixed with some or all of these grasses 

 a better crop is produced (Fig. 98). 



Fodder Crops. Corn is the lead- 

 ing coarse fodder crop of America. 

 By careful selection of varieties or 

 strains its adaptation has been widely 

 extended northward. In the drier cli- 

 mates of the West kafir corn is some- 

 times substituted for it, or used to 

 supplement it. True sorghums are 

 used in dry, warm climates. Kafir is a 

 non-saccharine sorghum (Figs. 99-100). 

 Milo-maize and durra are also of this 

 type. 



Most fodder crops are grown for 

 seed, as well as for forage. These 

 may all be used to advantage in a 

 silo. They are run through a cutter 



