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Show Promises Big Returns So many inquiries have been made to Prof. K. N. Parkinson, instructor in agriculture at the Grand County High School, regarding re-garding Sudan grass, the new forage plant, that he has furnished furn-ished The Times with a full description des-cription of the grass, which we are glad to publish. Following is the article: "The new forage plant that will solve your hay problems. "The U. S. department of agriculture introduces this new gorage plant into . the United States in 1909, the ' seed being brought from Soudan, Egypt. It was there known as "Garawi" Grass but has been named "Sudan" "Su-dan" Grass in this country. "Sudan is a tall, annual grass, reaching a height of from seven to nine feet when planted in rows and allowed to mature for a seed crop; broadcasted and cut 'in the bloom' for hay, about four feet. It dies each year like sorghum and millet and must be seeded each spring,lso can never become a pest, it stools very freely, throwing out many stems from one crown. It is easily cured and handled as a hay crop. The seed is retained re-tained well, there being very little loss from scattering. Stock of all kinds eat it readily and will leave any other hay for it. No baneful effects follow feeding feed-ing it to work stock. The food value is second only to alfalfa. "Here Sudan grass is easily injured by frost and therefore should not be planted until all danger of frost is past. For a combined hay and seed crop, it is recommended that the crop be planted in cultivated rows, thirty-six inches apart, using about two pounds of seed per acre. This will bring good results in sections having a rainfall rain-fall of from fifteen to twenty inches in-ches per annum. With double this precipitation, or where ir-; ir-; rigated, plant in rows eighteen : inches apart, using from four tc ! six pounds of seed per acre, ' Any common planter may be used for this planting, regulatec to drop a few seed to the hill anc ; the hills not less than eighteer inches apart. ', "Broadcast seeding for a haj ; crop, using wheat, alfalfa oi similar seeder, requires fron twelve to twenty pounds of seec per acre. The cuttings after th( first will produce a better qualit; of hay with "the minimum o seed used for the reason that th plants will have more room t stool and throw out stems am shoots. "A rather firm seed is best The ground should be plowe and harrowed down well befor planting. "A seed crop should be cu with a row or grain binder an thrathed in the same way a tvrain while the hay crop is hand led in a manner similar to tha of anv other such crop. "The yield of seed varies fror 500 to 1,000 pounds per acre When cut for hay it yields a immense tonnage of exceller feeding quality. The price c seed is usually about 20 cem per pound, or $1.75 for 10 lba.-Grand lba.-Grand Valley Times. 1 |