STOOKING. — MILLET CULTURE. 189 



as that of drying the stalks of Indian corn cut above 

 the ear, as in our common practice of topping. The 

 plant is then riper, less juicy, and cures more readily. 



The method sometimes adopted is to cut and tie 

 into small bundles, after it is somewhat wilted, and 

 stook upon the ground, where it is allowed to stand, 

 subject to all the changes of the weather, with only the 

 protection of the stook itself The stooks consist of 

 bunches of stalks first bound in small bundles, and are 

 made sufficiently large to prevent the wind from blow- 

 ing them over. The arms are thrown around the tops 

 to bring them together as closely as possible, when the 

 tops are broken over or twisted together, or otherwise 

 fastened, in order to make the stook " shed the rain " as 

 well as possible. In this condition they stand out till 

 sufficiently dried to put into the barn. Corn fodder is 

 very excellent for young dairy stock. 



Common Millet (Panicum miliaceum) is another 

 very valuable crop for fodder in soiling, or to cure for 

 winter use, but especially to feed out during our usual 

 periods of drought. Many varieties of millet are culti- 

 vated in this country, the ground being prepared and 

 treated as for oats. If designed to cut for green 

 fodder, half a bushel of seed to the acre should be used, 

 if to ripen seed, twelve quarts, sown broad-cast, about 

 the last of May or early in June. A moist loam or 

 muck is the best adapted to millet ; but I have seen 

 very great crops grown on dry upland. It is very 

 palatable and nutritious for milch cows, both green and 

 when properly cured. The curing should be very 

 much like clover, care being taken not to over-dry it. 

 For fodder, either green or cured, it is cut before 

 ripening. In this state all cattle eat it as readily as 

 green corn, and a less extent will feed them. Millet is 

 worthy of a widely-extended cultivation, particularly on 



