162 CROPS FOR SEMI-ARID REGIONS. 



other sections where similar moisture and temperature conditions 

 prevail. 



Kansas. — The conditions covered by Prof. Reed of the Kansas 

 Experiment Station are, therefore, representative of many other 

 regions: 



"There Is a prevailing opinion among many farmers and 

 users of silos that the sweet sorghum is unfit for silage, that on 

 account of the high sugar content there will be a large amount 

 of acid foriiled, and the silage will be too sour to feed. It is true 

 that ithis plant does contain a large amount of sugar, and the 

 silage'jwill become very sour if the crop is put up too green. In 

 most cases where unsatisfactory results have been obtained by 

 ensiloing sweet sorghum, it has been due to the fact that the 

 crop was put in too green. Last year the Kansas Experiment 

 Station obtained twelve and one-half tons of sowed cane per 

 acre as against five tons of corn that was listed. These crops 

 were put into the silo at the proper time, and they both made 

 good feed. Quite contrary to the general opinion and experience 

 it was found that the acid content of the sweet sorghum silage 

 was less than that of the corn silage at all times. This silage 

 was fed to dairy cows and they did not show any preference 

 between the two kinds of silage. The excellent quality of the 

 sweet sorghum silage was accounted for from the fact that it 

 was put up at the right time. 



"Sorghum crops should be almost mature when they are 

 cut for silage. If cut too early the stalk will contain entirely too 

 much juice. At the time the seed hardens, the stalk of the sweet 

 sorghum and kaflr plant will be well filled with sap, yet will not 

 contain an excess so as to cause the silage to sour in the silo." 



Even the most stunted kafir can be saved with the silo. At 

 the Kansas Station, kaflr that was so stunted in tts growth by 

 reason of drought that it yielded only a, ton to the acre, with no 

 grain whatever, was made into silage and was eaten readily by 

 the stock. It served to furnish a succulent feed, where otherwise 

 all of their feed would have been of a dry nature. 



Oklahoma. — James A. Wilson, director of the Oklahoma Sta- 

 tion, writes that "for ensilage purposes we have used sorghum 

 cane considerably during the past few years. The non-saccharine 

 sorghums, such as kaflr and milo, make very excellent silage. We 



