MILLETS AND OTHER ANNUAL GRASSES 293 



Hungarian millet silage after hay showed a slight im- 

 provement in milk production. One cow that had been 

 fed on corn silage lost in quantity and quality of milk 

 when changed to Hungarian millet silage, which she ate 

 greedily. 



354. Injurious effects. Foxtail millet has long been 

 regarded as an unsatisfactory feed for horses unless fed 

 sparingly. The experiment at the North Dakota Ex- 

 periment Station in which horses were fed millet hay for 

 a long period led to the conclusion " that millet when used 

 alone as a coarse food is injurious to horses, first in 

 producing an increased action in the kidneys ; second, in 

 causing lameness and swelling of the joints ; third, in 

 producing infusion of the blood into the joints ; fourth, 

 in destroying the texture of the bones, rendering it softer 

 and less tenacious, so that traction causes the ligaments and 

 muscles to be torn loose." 



Millet is both laxative and diuretic in its action, 

 but except in horses never seems to produce injurious 

 effects. It is probable, however, that it is always 

 better to feed in connection with other roughage instead 

 of alone. 



355. Seed-production. Millet produces abundant 

 seed and is usually harvested with a binder, cured in shocks 

 and thrashed with a grain separator. It is commonly cut 

 when the seeds are nearly mature, as later cutting results 

 in some loss from shattering. 



In a comparative test of 5 years at the Ontario Agri- 

 cultural College, Siberian millet averaged 47.5 bushels an 

 acre ; . Hungarian, 45.2 bushels ; German, 38.8 bushels ; 

 Golden Wonder, 18.5 bushels. 



356. Seed. The seeds of different varieties of millet 

 vary considerably in size and in weight per bushel. In 



