SORGHUM. 



39 



pastured, used for green food, plowed under, or har- 

 vested. Sometimes it comes after clover is plowed 

 under or made into hay ; or early sown rape that has 

 been eaten down. It may also be made to follow 

 certain early garden crops, and crops intended for 

 producing hay or grain, but which, through lack of 

 promise, have been pastured off. The chief objec- 

 tion to growing sorghum as a catch crop arises from 

 the want of sufficient time, between the plowing of 

 the land and the sowing of the seed, to give ample 

 opportunity for sprouting the weed seeds that lie on 

 or near the surface of the soil. Since corn may be 

 harrowed to a much greater extent than sorghum 

 without injury to the plants, it has higher adaptation 

 than .sorghum for being grown as a catch crop; on 

 the other hand, sorghum will grow under conditions 

 so dry as to bring distress upon the corn crop. 



Preparing flic Soil. — Land in the best condition 

 for being planted '\\'ith sorghum is clean on and near 

 the .surface, is possessed of a fine tilth and is firm and 

 moist. When sorghum is the only crop that is to 

 be grown on the land for the season, it is usually 

 not difficult to so cultivate the soil that it will be in 

 the condition above described when the crop is to be 

 sown. Usually it is preferable to plow the land in 

 the autumn. There will then be time to sprout the 

 weed seeds on and near the surface, and in turn to 

 destro)^ them before the seed is planted. This can 

 be accomplished by the occasional use of the harrow, 

 and in some instances it may be necessary also to 

 use some form of cultivation. The precise nature 

 of the implement to be used will be measurably 

 dependent upon the character of the soil. While the 



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