GREEN FORAGE AND HAY CROPS 111 



tions, as in the case of second-growth sweet sorghum, and must be 

 fed with great care in the green condition (Fig. 14). 



Sudan grass (Andropogon sorgltum var.) has been recently 

 introduced into southern States. It is an annual, drought-resistant 

 plant, closely related to the sorghums. It resembles Johnson grass 

 somewhat in appearance, but, unlike this grass, it has no root- 

 stocks and is not, therefore, likely to become a pest. Sudan grass 

 makes a fair quality of hay, giving two cuttings in a season. The 

 yields obtained will range from two to eight tons per acre, according 

 to climatic and soil conditions. It is well suited for use as a soiling 

 crop and may also prove valuable for the silo. This grass promises 

 to be of special value to southern agriculture and in irrigated regions 

 as a forage to be fed supplementary to alfalfa. 



Millets. The millets are annual forage plants. They are rarely 

 grown for the sake of the seed in this country, as is the case in 

 Asia, where millet seed, is a common grain crop. They include a 

 very large number of different species.- Those grown in this country 

 may be separated into four groups : The foxtail or common millet, 

 broom-corn, barnyard, and pearl millets. The most important of 

 the millets for stock feeding are the German millet and the Hun- 

 garian grass, both of which belong to the group of foxtail millets. 

 Millets are essentially hot-weather grasses and are drought- 

 resistant, which renders them especially valuable hay crops under 

 semi-arid conditions. They are grown chiefly in central western 

 States, like Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri, for the purpose of 

 supplementing the hay crop. Under favorable moisture conditions 

 they will yield -from three to five tons of cured hay per acre. They 

 should be cut as soon as the blossoms appear ; on account of the 

 small, hard seeds and woody stems they make an unsatisfactory 

 feed if the cutting is delayed till a later stage of growth. Cut early 

 and fed in moderate amounts, the millets make a valuable hay for 

 horses, cattle, and sheep. They should not be fed exclusively or for 

 long periods at a time to horses, as they are likely to cause digestive 

 and other troubles in that case. The millets do not differ greatly 

 in chemical composition or feeding value from Indian corn fodder 

 or sorghum, but are not relished by stock to quite the same extent. 



Foxtail is a common weed in grain fields and meadows in many parts of 

 the country. It is especially troublesome in alfalfa fields in the western 

 States. The first crop of alfalfa on old weedy fields is often rendered use- 

 less through the growth of foxtail therein, unless it be cut early, while the 

 beards are still soft and can be eaten without injury. If cut at this time, 



