250 FORAGE CROPS. 



sippi basin and up to that as yet undetermined north- 

 ward Hmit which will hinder its successful growth. 

 That its growth will be profitable where other and 

 more palatable food crops can be grown is not at 

 all probable. 



The best modes of growing this plant have not 

 yet been fully wrought out, but it is pretty certain 

 that the practice of sowing the seed on well prepared 

 land as soon as the first autumn rains come is a com- 

 mendable one. It will be better probably to sow in 

 rows, that the land may be kept free from intrusive 

 weed growth for a time and from, say, six^to eight 

 or ten feet should be close enough for the rows, since 

 in some instances plants reach out and cover a cir- 

 cumference of sixteen to eighteen feet, but that is 

 very much more than the average diameter of the 

 plant. At the Minnesota University experiment 

 station, seed sown in May produced plants fully 

 three feet in diameter by September ist. The method 

 sometimes practiced of starting the plants in pots 

 and then transplanting them is too laborious for 

 common practice over large areas. As they seed 

 plentifully, the volunteer plants soon fill up the 

 vacant space when at least a portion of the seed is 

 allowed to shatter out. On alkali lands the seed will 

 germinate better when simply pressed into the 

 ground with a heavy roller than when covered, but 

 on other soils it should be covered lightly. 



Much conflict of opinion has been expressed as 

 to the feeding value of Australian saltbush, but the 

 difference relates more to palatability than to nutri- 

 tion. There can be no question as to its valuable 

 nutritive properties, since it stands high in protein. 

 Some growers claim that stock will not eat it, but 



