November, 1908:] 



427 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



MILO AS A DRY-LAND GRAIN CROP. 



Summary. 



Milo is one of the durra group of sor- 

 ghums, closely related to white durra 

 ('■Jerusalem corn") and to brown durra. 

 It is probably of African, perhaps Egyp- 

 tian, origin, and was introduced into the 

 United States between 1880 and 1880. 



Milo is recommended as a short and 

 suitable name for this crop. It is com- 

 monly known as dwarf milo, yellow 

 milo, and milo " maize." The last name 

 confuses it with corn. 



There is only one variety handled by 

 the seed trade. What is sold as ''dwarf " 

 milo is ordinary milo grown on the drier 

 plains, where for lack of moisture it is 

 low in stature. There is a true dwarf 

 milo, but it is not yet generally sold on 

 the market. 



Ordinary milo stools freely at the bise 

 and branches freely above, is tall and 

 rather stout, and is not uniform in 

 height or in time or ripening. The heads 

 are mostly pendent. As a crop it is diffi- 

 cult to handle rapidly and satisfactorily. 



Improved or selected milo has to a 

 large extent been prevented from sucker- 

 ing and branching, is low and rather 

 slender, is uniform in height and ripen- 

 ing, and has its heads mostly erect. It 

 may be handled easily by machinery 

 and is fitted for harvesting with headers. 



Milo is widely grown in Western 

 Texas and adjacent parts of New Mexico, 

 Oklahoma, and Kansas. It is well suited 

 to the entire souihern half of the Plains 

 region below 4,500 feet elevation. It can 

 probably be profitably grown as far 

 north as South Dakota and westward in 

 Colorado and New Mexico to elevations 

 of about 6,000 feet; likewise in the 

 Great Basin region. 



The soil requirements of milo are much 

 the same as those of corn. The land 

 should preferably be fall ploughed and 

 well prepared in spring to hold moisture 

 and destroy weeds. 



In general, milo should be sown about 

 three weeks later thancorn and after all 

 danger from frost is past. Milo may be 

 listed or sown at the surface as local 

 conditions require. The seed is sown by 

 means of special sorghum plates used in 

 either the corn planter or the lister 

 planter. 



The best rate of planting for highest 

 grain yields lies probably between 4 

 and pounds to the acre, depending 

 somewhat on the character of the soil, 



the average rainfall, the length of the 

 season, aud the cultivation given. Four 

 pounds to the acre has given the best 

 results in the Texas Panhandle. The 

 rows should be about 3| feet apart and 

 the stalks 6 to 8 inches apart in the row. 



The cultivation of milo is essentially 

 the same as that for corn. 



Farmers should carefully select their 

 own seed of milo, especially where it is 

 not yet a staple crop. Selection is 

 usually made for(l) earliness, (2) drought 

 resistance, (3) higher yields, (4) unifor- 

 mity, (5) freedom from suckers and 

 branches, and (0) erect heads. The yield 

 and value of the crop can be greatly 

 increased by such means. Select enough 

 for a small seed plat if time lacks for 

 more exteusive work. Interest the farm 

 boys in this work. 



Harvesting is usually done with a 

 corn binder or by cutting the heads by 

 hand. Ordinary milo cannot be headed 

 by machinery because of the pendent 

 heads. Our improved milo with erect 

 heads may be cut with a grain header 

 or with a row header. A good adjust- 

 able kind of row header is much needed. 



Thrashing is done with a grain separ- 

 ator. Slowiugthe cylinder and removing 

 the concaves or part of the concave and 

 cylinder teeth will prevent cracking the 

 seed. 



Yields vary from 25 to 55 bushels of 

 seed to the acre. The yields in the 

 Panhandle of Texas average about 40 

 bushels to the acre. As tilage methods 

 and the crop itself are improved the 

 yields should be increased, 



Milo is used mostly as a feeding grain 

 on the farms. It may be fed as thrashed 

 grain, in the head or in the bundle. The 

 grain is preferably cracked or ground 

 before feeding, except for poultry. The 

 heads may also be ground. Milo is 

 entering more and more into the produc- 

 tion of chops and poultry foods. 



Milo, like other sorghums, may become 

 poisonous in the green state, especially 

 when checked or stunted in growth. 



The principal insect enemies are the 

 chinch bug, aphides or plant lice, fall 

 army worm, and sorghum midge. The 

 last may totally prevent seed production 

 in the Gulf region. 



Milo is entirely free from the kernel 

 smut and the head smut of sorghum. — 

 U. S. Department oj Agriculture, 

 Farmers' Bull., June, 1908 f ; No. 322. 



[The sorghums, though a little culti- 

 vated in the dry zone of Ceylon, are 

 worth more attention. — En.] 



