298 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



Colorado-grass. It has shown a marked tendency to 

 volunteer in cultivated fields after the manner of crab- 

 grass, not only in Texas, but also in Alabama and other 

 Southern States where it has been introduced. 



The hay of Texas millet bears an excellent reputation, 

 and as it is practically always a volunteer crop, it is highly 

 esteemed. The seed habits are good, and more or less 

 seed is handled by Texas seedsmen. As a crop to be 

 planted, however, it cannot compete with the foxtail 

 millets, as it does not yield so heavily. In the southern 

 half of the Gulf States it is probably worth while to estab- 

 lish it generally so that it will make a portion, at least, of 

 the volunteer grasses that hold their own in cultivated 

 land. It rarely does well, however, except on loams and 

 clays, so there is little use to plant it on sandy lands. 



CEREALS FOR HAY 



364. All of the common small grains, namely, wheat, 

 spelt, emmer, rye, oats and barley, may be and are 

 utilized more or less for hay production, either alone or 

 grown in mixtures with such legumes as crimson clover, 

 vetches and field peas. The production of hay from 

 such crops is most important in regions where the rainfall 

 is comparatively light. Thus wheat is very commonly cut 

 for hay in the Columbia Basin region of Washington, 

 Oregon and Idaho ; barley in the same region, but more 

 so in California. Rye and oats are more or less utilized 

 for this purpose in all regions where these cereals are grown. 

 According to the Thirteenth United States Census, the total 

 area of small grains thus cut for hay aggregates 4,324,878 

 acres, with an average yield of 1.24 tons an acre. This 

 total acreage is slightly greater than that of alfalfa and 

 nearly four times as large as that of the millets. Such 



