164 CROPS FOR SEMI-ARID REGIONS. 



New Mexico. Prof. Simpson of the New Mexico Station writes 

 regarding silage crops in that state as follows: "Just as corn is 

 used for the leading crop in the Corn Belt states, nonsaccharine 

 sorghums, as kafir corn and milo, are used in this country. They 

 are much more successfully grown here than corn, as they with- 

 stand the drought better and are not bothered by the worms. 

 Kafir corn and milo silage has been proven to be very good in 

 feeding value; and especially is this true in New Mexico, as the 

 larger part of the feeds which must be used with silage are of 

 a nitrogenous character. Alfalfa is our leading hay crop, and 

 bran, cottonseed meal, wheat, oats, kafir and milo are the prin- 

 cipal grains used in feeding. Of course, we have practically two 

 conditions in New Mexico that are absolutely opposite; the irri- 

 gated sections and the dry-farming sections. In the irrigated 

 valleys kafir corn and milo grown for silage make a very heavy 

 yield and will undoubtedly stand first for silage crops. In the 

 dry-farming sections the same two crops prevail, as more suc- 

 cess comes from them than any other crops. I have been over a 

 great deal of the dry-farming country in the last two weeks 

 (October, 1912), and in most sections they have a very good 

 crop of kafir and milo this year. The tonnage will be heavy 

 wherever it is used for silage. However, I am afraid that there 

 is going to be a great deal wasted feed in those sections, because 

 of the fact that they have few silos. Some of the people are 

 putting their crops in silos, but others are simply growing it as 

 fodder. If we could get a large percentage of the crops raised 

 in the dry-farming sections this year into silos and fed to stock, 

 especially dairy cattle, I conscientiously believe that it would 

 mean a great advantage in the settling up and improving of the 

 country. Most of the silos in the dry-farming country are noth- 

 ing more than underground types, but they serve the purpose very 

 well where the person has no money to put up another kind. 



"We have a great variety of crops, both in the irrigated and 

 the dry-farming section, which make fairly good silage, and by 

 utilizing them a great saving will be accomplished. Of course, 

 there is no advantage in putting alfalfa into the silo, if it can 

 be made into first-class hay. However, oftentimes when it is 

 time for the second or third cut, our rains are so persistent that 

 it is impossible to get it into first-class hay. This can still be 

 made into good feed by making into silage, and the farmers will 



