THE MILLETS 107 



well supplied with stable manure cow-peas should un- 

 doubtedly be grown in preference to millet — at least, in 

 the East, where drouth is not likely to interfere with 

 their growth. It is possible that the cow-pea may, in 

 time, displace millet as a catch crop in the Eastern 

 States, but we do not yet know enough about this crop 

 in the North to state what its possibilities are in that 

 sedlion. 



Millet has the reputation of being hard on the soil. 

 Like sorghum, it is a heavy yielder, and makes large 

 drafts on soil moisture and available plant food. It is 

 also a coarse feeder, and for this reason it is particu- 

 larly adapted to new land. In the West it is a favor- 

 ite crop on newly broken prairie sod. It is also par- 

 ticularly adapted to newly cleared land in timbered 

 sedlions. It likes a loose, porous soil, such as is found 

 in new fields; on old land it prefers sandy soil to clay, 

 because of its greater porosity. Yet it is not partial 

 to poor land. A rich, porous soil, when put into fine 

 tilth, is the ideal seed-bed for this crop. To get the 

 best results the land should be thoroughly fined and 

 not too much compacted before sowing millet-seed. 

 Many farmers rebreak the land just before sowing this 

 crop. Unlike wheat or alfalfa, it does not like a solid 

 seed-bed. On a soil inclined to be heavy, after a mil- 

 let crop is harvested care should be used not to plow 

 the land when too dry, or it will break up cloddy. Mil- 

 let is one of the best crops for taking the " new ' ' out 

 of the soil. If old soil is not well handled millet will 

 take the life out of it. If the soil is abundantly sup- 

 plied with barn-yard manure millet will not hurt it, 

 and few crops will give a larger yield of good hay in 



