THE ANNUAL GRASSES 227 



favorable conditions it may be cut for this purpose in from 

 40 to 50 days from the date of seeding. The common and 

 Hungarian varieties are the ones best adapted both for hay 

 and for soiHng. Millet may also be used for pasture, either 

 alone or in combination with other annuals, like cowpeas 

 and soy beans. Massachusetts Station has recommended 

 it for the silo, and their experience shows that it can be 

 preserved in excellent condition in the silo. When grown 

 for its seed, which is used for feeding domestic animals, 

 the yield varies from 15 to 60 bushels per acre. Millet 

 is not usually grown in the regular rotation except in the 

 Northwest. It finds its greatest usefulness as a sub- 

 stitute for corn and hay crops when they fail. It is then 

 found valuable as an emergency hay crop. 



224. Cultural methods. — Millets grow best on rich, 

 fertile soils, but certain varieties, as the common and 

 Hungarian millets, may produce good yields on the soils 

 of medium fertility. They are rapid growers, but, on 

 account of their small seeds, require a well-prepared seed 

 bed. Seeding should be delayed until the soil is well 

 warmed up, usually until just after corn planting. Seed 

 may either be sown with a drill or sown broadcast and 

 harrowed in. For most varieties 3 pecks per acre is con- 

 sidered a full seeding for hay, a thinner rate producing 

 coarser stems which do not make as good a quality of 

 hay. Japanese millet is seeded at the rate of 2 pecks per 

 acre. The quality of the hay depends largely upon the 

 time of cutting. It rapidly deteriorates after the seeds 

 have reached the dough stage, hay cut after that time 

 becoming less palatable and less digestible. The best 

 quality of hay may be had if the crop is cut between the 

 time that the heads begin to appear and before they reach 

 full bloom. The hay is cut and harvested in much the 



