Il6 FARM GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



than the earliest of the foxtail millets; hence, they can 

 be sown later. In fadt, the millets generally should 

 be sown later than most other crops, as the seed does 

 not germinate readily till the soil is thoroughly warm. 

 Because of their very short season, the broom-corn 

 millets are especially adapted to the Far North. They 

 are also more drouth -resistant than the foxtail millets. 

 In recent years, at least, one variety has gained promi- 

 nence in the Dakotas and adjacent States under the 

 name ' ' Hog Millet. ' ' Red I^ump is another promising 

 variety introduced by the Department of Agriculture 

 a few years ago. Another good variety has more re- 

 cently been distributed by the Department under its Rus- 

 sian name of " Proso." These varieties do not yield 

 a large amount of forage, and they are not much grown 

 for hay, but they yield a great abundance of seed, 

 which is valuable for feed. Their worst fault is their 

 tendency to scatter the seed. The top of the panicle 

 ripens first, and the seed from this portion frequently 

 falls out before the lower part of the head is ripe. 

 "When grown for poultry it is not necessary to harvest 

 the seed if the field is near enough to the farmstead 

 for the poultry to range on it. 



Japanese Millets. — These are varieties of the 

 species Panicum cnis-galli. The best-known represen- 

 tative of the species is the barn-yard grass (Fig. 23), 

 a common weed on moist, rich soils in every sedlion 

 of the country. In Arizona and southern California 

 certain Indian tribes are said to make use of the 

 seed of this grass for food. In parts of the West and 

 South volunteer growths of barn-yard grass are fre- 

 quently cut for hay. It yields a large amount of coarse 



