OCR Text |
Show ADVANTAGE OF SUDAN GRASS Heavy Yielding Summer-Growing Plant of Sorghum Family Three or Four Cuttings Yearly. Sudan grass is a heavy yielding, summer-growing grass of the sorghum family. It iesembles Johnson grass very much, except that it has not the objectionable root stalks and hence is not a pernicious weed, according to Prof. S. F. Morse, superintendent of the agricultural extension service of University of Arizona College of Agriculture Ag-riculture and State Leader, United States department of agriculture. "However, it crosses with the Johnson '. grass freely, and some fear has been expressed that the seeds resulting from such a cross might produce a grass which would be. fully as objectionable objec-tionable a pest as Johnson grass. Under Un-der irrigation, or where the water supply sup-ply is limited, sudan grass will yield three or four cuttings during the summer, sum-mer, giving from three to six ions of dry hay per acre. However, in feeding feed-ing value it is not equal to alfalfa, and it is very probable that the amount of water required to produce a heavy crop, alfalfa would not only give a better feed, but also would be beneficial benefi-cial to the soil instead of somewhat detrimental as is sudan grass. For a given amount of water you will probably prob-ably get a somewhat larger yield of forage per acre from sudan grass, but this is rather offset by the superior qualities of alfalfa, as indicated. On the other hand sudan grass is more alkali and drought resistant than alfalfa. al-falfa. Under dry farming conditions, where a quantity of forage produced with a minimum amount of moisture is the main object sudan grass should prove an excellent crop. As a feed for best results it should be balanced with alfalfa or cowpea hay or cottonseed. Sudan grass must be planted every year; it may be planted after all danger of frost is past, using eight or ten pounds of seed per acre, broadcast or drilled. |