OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS CROPS. 163 



valuable plant that we have for silage. For this purpose it is, of 

 course, grown in drills or rows, in the same way that corn is 

 grown. It does not make quite as good grade of silage as corn, 

 but it makes so much more to the acre that it is preferable. We 

 frequently get two cuttings to the season, but if we get only one, 

 the yield is so much more than the corn that any difference 

 in nutritive value is overcome. Some farmers practice mixing 

 sorghum and corn, but I do not think this is desirable in the 

 South. Cow pea vines and sorghum would make a most excellent 

 mixture for silage purposes, except the pea vines have a disad- 

 vantage of - being difficult to handle; but the sorghum being rich 

 in carbohydrates and the pea vines rich in protein matter, the 

 mixture, as you will readily see, is an exceedingly good one. 



"I receive letters sometimes from parties who seem to have 

 a doubt as to whether silage can be made successfully in this 

 climate, but there is no part of Texas in which it is not an entire 

 success, and silos ought to be constructed and used much more 

 widely than they are in this State. Sorghum silage is eaten 

 readily by horses and mules of the farm, as well as by cattle, 

 and it can be made to form an important part of the ration of 

 the farm work stock, as well as the stock intended for the butcher, 

 including hogs." 



Texas Station Bulletin No. 11 says that the crops most de- 

 sirable for the silo in Texas are corn, sorghum, cow peas, alfalfa 

 and ribbon cane tops. Indian corn is the crop most generally 

 used for the silo in that state. Sorghum, kafir and milo are also 

 used extensively. Prof. Burns says that these four crops are 

 sometimes planted in rows together, the result being a mixed 

 silage of high quality. Kafir and milo are chiefly used in the 

 semi-arid sections of the state where Indian corn does not thrive 

 well. "All crops planted especially for the silo should be grown 

 a little more thickly than when planted to harvest in the ordinary 

 way, and they should become very well matured before being cut. 

 Experience indicates that the best results are secured from 

 corn and sorghum just as the grain begins to harden. The 

 other crops will make a good ensilage at the same time they 

 would be cut for hay. Combinations of corn and cow peas or 

 sorghum and cow peas planted at the same time and in the same 

 row make splendid ensilage and supply a nearly balanced ration 

 with which very little grain is needed." 



