MILLET. 



305 



by division of the roots or by seed, aud will grow in any common 

 soil. Tlie native West Indian species are P. fascisculatiim and 

 oryzoides. Millet receives some attention in New South "Wales. 

 In 1844 there were 100 acres of land under cultivation with it, 

 and the amount grown in some years in this colony has been 

 about 3,500 bushels. 



In the United States millet is chiefly gTOwn for making hay, 

 being found a good substitute for clover and the ordinary grasses. 

 It is a plant which will flourish weU on rather thin soils, and it 

 grows so fast that when it is up and well set it is seldom much 

 affected by drought. It is commonly sown there in June, but 

 the time of sowing will vary with the latitude. Half a bushel of 

 seed to the acre is the usual quantity, sown broadcast and har- 

 rowed in. For the finest quantity of hay, it is thought advisable 

 to sow an additional quantity of three or four quarts of seed. 

 The ordinary yield of crops may be put at from a ton to a ton and 

 a half of hay to the acre. It should be cut as soon as it is out of 

 blossom ; if it stands later, the stems are liable to become too 

 hard to make good hay. The variety known as German millet 

 is that most common in jN'orth America. It grows ordinarily to 

 the height of about three feet, with compact heads from six to 

 nine inches in length, bearing yellow seed. There are some sub- 

 varieties of this, as the white and purple-seeded. 



The Italian millet, Setaria italica, is larger than the preceding, 

 reaching the height of four feet in tolerable soil, and its leaves are 

 correspondingly larger aud thicker. The heads are sometmies a 

 foot or more in length, and are less compact than the Grerman, being 

 composed of several spikes slightly branching from the main stem. 

 It is said to derive its specific name from being cultivated in Italy, 

 though its native habitat is India. It ia claimed by some that 

 this variety will yield more seed than any other, and the seed is 

 rather larger, but the stalk is coarser, and would probably be less 

 relished by stock. 



If the greatest amount of seed is desired from the crop, it is 

 best to sow it in drills, two to two-and-a-half feet apart, using a 

 seed drill for the purpose. This admits of the use of a small 

 harrow or cultivator between the rows, while the plants are small, 

 which keeps out the weeds. The crop will ripen more uniformly 

 in this way than broadcast, and enables the cultivator to cut 

 it when there will be the least waste. The seed shatters out 

 very easily when it is ripe, and when the crop ripens unequally it 

 cannot be cut w^ithout loss, because either a portion of it will be 

 immature, or, if left till it is all ripe, the seed of the earliest falls 

 out. It should be closely watched, and cut in just about the same 

 stage that it is proper to cut wheat, while the grain may be 

 crushed between the fingers. It may be cut with a grain cradle, 

 and, when dry, bound and shocked like grain ; but it should be 

 threshed out as soon as practicable, on account of its being usually 

 much attacked by birds, many kinds of which are very fond of the 

 seed. In particular localities they assail the crop in such uum- 



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