| Show SORGHUM CROP ON DRY FARM best results have been secured by use of ol fresh seed loses its it vitality very quick by 11 ir PATTERSON assistant Asi stant agronomist rono mist montana experiment sta tion I 1 two types of sorghum do well la in regions of light precipitation the sweet or saccharine sorghum Is perhaps grown more for its sugar con tent than for forage purposes while the Is known primarily as a fodder under the latter group are milo mile maize and corn the method of preparing the seed bed for sorghum does not differ ma t serially ter teri lally ally from that for corn it if the land is to be plowed in the spring it must be turned over to a depth ot of about six or seven inches the land should then be disked and harrowed once or twice when the seed may be sown it if it is desirable to secure a crol of seed we usually drill the seed in at the late of six to seven pounds per pe acre some farmers seem to have secured better results by drilling sorghum with the corn planter placing the rows about three and a halt hatt feet apart and the seeds from foul four to 0 o eight inches apart in the row A large amount of seed Is used when the grain Is and it la Is 0 customary to put in about 15 pound pounds per acre this amount will vary 1 with the character of the soil and reason it if there Is any danger ol 01 any of the seeds rotting allowance for thin should be made and a larger amount per acre put on also it U some of the seeds do sot not germinate it will mean that more seed must be used sorghum Is not sown until quite late in the season or until the soil niev has warmed up quite thoroughly the plant is very tender and it if the soil happens to be very wet and cold the seed will not germonte ger minte and the young plant will not grow the best results have always been secured by the use of fresh seed it loses its vitality very quickly and it old seed Is used good results are not always obtained it if the sorghum Is drilled the subsequent care will be the same as that for corn but it it Is it receives but little care until time for harvest however harvesting immediately after seeding and just as the grass comes through the soil will keep down weeds and also aid la in loaming a mulch which will help to conserve moisture it a forage crop Is to be secured the gain should be cut before the full blooming period Is reached and only one crop secured in a season the crop it if cut with a binder la to handled in much the same way as small grain to secure a crop of seed do not harvest until the grain la is in the milk or hard dough stage the plant is used almost exclusively to secure the crop of seed the bua buz dies are placed in shocks and allowed to dry when they are threshed with the common threshing machine it Is not customary to allow the entire bundle to pass through the thresher but to thrust the heads into the colln fler der and then remove the other pop lions this will not break up the stalks and as a result a some ome cooj goo fodder may be secured |
