290 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



claim it is a cross between German and Hungarian 

 millets. 



Hungarian. This variety possesses a small, compact 

 head with seeds much the same shape as those of common 

 millet. The color of the fruits is mixed, some being yellow, 

 others black or very dark purple, both colors being found 

 in one head. The season of maturity is intermediate 

 between the common and German, but the yield is practi- 

 cally the same as the common, except under dry climatic 

 conditions, when it is apt to be less. It is better suited 

 to the humid than to semi-arid conditions, but is sometimes 

 objectionable on account of its tendency to volunteer. 



Hungarian millet is commonly called Hungarian-grass. 

 It is the German millet of Europe, but not that so-called 

 in America. It was introduced into the United States as 

 early as 1830 and probably much earlier, but did not 

 become prominent until after the seed had been distrib- 

 uted by the Patent Office in 1854. 



Siberian. This variety was introduced from Russia 

 about 1896. It is very similar to common millet, except 

 that it has orange-colored fruits. The season of growth 

 is a few days longer than the common and the yield 

 slightly larger, especially in the semi-arid districts. 



Another strain of it, called the Kursk, was introduced 

 by the U. S. Department of Agriculture in 1899 from 

 Kursk Province, Russia, and has since been improved by 

 selection. This is the best millet for the semi-arid regions 

 from Kansas and Colorado northwards. 



Still other varieties of foxtail millets occur in Japan, 

 Korea and Manchuria, but none of these have attained 

 a place in American agriculture. 



349. Culture. Foxtail millets are mostly sown broad- 

 cast or drilled on specially prepared ground, but in the 



