The Grasses Including Indian Corn. 169 



229. Millet, Setaria Italica and Panicum, spp. — The millets, which 

 are annual grasses, are of many races and varieties mixed in hopeless 

 confusion. German millet and Hungarian grass are the varieties 

 commonly grown for hay in the northern states. Sown in early 

 summer, frequently as catch crops, they thrive remarkably in hot 

 and even dry weather, reaching the harvest period late in August or 

 September. For millet hay of fine quality heavy seeding should 

 be practiced. Millet grass designed for hay should be cut as soon 

 as the blossoms appear, to prevent the formation of the hard, indi- 

 gestible seeds. Thickly-seeded, early-cured millet hay is useful for 

 cattle and sheep feeding. (501, 764) Since millet hay is sometimes 

 injurious to horses, it should be fed sparingly and under close super- 

 vision. (433) 



230. The cereals as grasses. — At the North, fall-sown rye and wheat 

 and spring-sown barley and oats furnish quick, excellent, short-time 

 pasture or soilage, or, if harvested when nearly mature, dust-free, 

 palatable hay. Barley is the best cereal grass for late summer seed- 

 ing, since the young plants do not rust as readily in early fall as 

 do the others. Sown in August at the North, and still later at the 

 South, barley will grow to nearly or quite full height before cold 

 weather, and wdll furnish much nutritious pasture or green forage 

 for soilage. At the Alabama (Canebrake) Station^ a fall-seeded 

 barley field yielded over 11 tons of green forage per acre by the 

 following March. It was found in southern Kansas that fall-sown 

 wheat pastured by cows during mild weather in winter gave a grass 

 flavor to winter butter. The bad flavor which green rye imparts to 

 milk may usually be avoided by grazing the cows thereon for but 

 two or three hours immediately after milking. In the northern 

 states the cereal grain plants are not as extensively used for hay 

 and pasture as they should be. 



A field sown to rye, wheat, oats, or barley for temporary pasture 

 may be changed to a permanent one by sowing clover and grass 

 seed thereon early in spring in the usual manner. The grass and 

 clover plants will then soon begin growth under shelter of the young 

 grain plants. Stock should be turned into such pastures to graze 

 on the cereal plants regardless of the young grasses and clovers, 

 but the animals should be kept off the field immediately after 

 rains while the ground is soft. The cattle will tramp out some of tlie 

 tiny grass plants, but will do no permanent harm. The young 

 grass and clover plants will grow rapidly, and as the cereal plants 



'Bill. 9. 



