Farm and Garden

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 239, 5 March 1910, Page 3

Farm and Garden

SORGHUM FOR DAIRY COWS

This crop may be looked on as one of the most useful for summer forage. It will flourish under such widely different conditions of soil and climate. It possesses an extraordinary capacity to vary in character in response to its environment and soil, and to this we owe an almost endless number of varieties differing chiefly in habit of growth, character of seed, degree of sweetness, and length of season needed to reach maturity. The varieties best suited to Australia are the Planter's Friend, Nuphee, Early Amber, and Sorghum Saccharatum. All the sorghums provide the largest growth on rich, sandy loams. It is a stronger fodder; it provides more nourishment than maize and gives infinitely better results on thin lands. It is generally recognised that where land has become too exhausted to raise maize or cereals, two," or even three, good crops of sorghum can be grown. One advantage it possesses owing to its. deep-rooted system is that it will leave the soil in better condition ior surface-feeding crops. Sorghum is considered an exhausting crop, and probably it is, but evidence is abundant to show that it will grow season after season on comparatively poor land without any signs of impoverishing it. I, may be sown with cow peas, and in such case this addition acts as a restorative to the land. The great advantage of sorghum is that it reaches its highest stage of , development when the highest temperatures prevail, and it is hardier than most of the other summer plants, because it may be grown successfully and continuously up to June. A dry spell in summer does not affect its growth in the same way that it does maize, and even when severe ' drought does check its growth, as soon as moisture arrives it recovers in a surprising manner.

Sowing should only be conducted during warm weather. Owing to their habit of developing a vigorous root system first, the plant above ground at first seems sickly and slow of growth. This is natural. When the roots are fully established then the plant responds with astonishing vigour.

The land should be well cultivated to get rid of early weeds, finely harrowed and pulverised, and the soil reduced to a fine mellow condition to a good depth. There is, as a rule, no need to especially fertilise' the ground; wellrotted farm manure is the best when manure is required. As with maize and millets, drilling in the seed has the advantage of rendering cultivation possible to encourage growth, keep down weeds, and conserve moisture. An occasional stirring with scuffler or cultivator repays with an extra growth. The combination of legumes with sorghums is good practice, such as the Tangier pea or cow peas. The food from this acts as a flesh-former, and further, transmits nitrogen to the soil. Sorghums are best cut green as a soiling crop or for stall-feeding in summer and early autumn. When cutting in large quantities a good maize reaper and binder can be used to advantage. With three horses a machine will cut eight acres of a heavy crop per day, or it may be cut with a scythe blade attached to, an ordinary farm sledge. Where the great value of sorghum appeals to the dairy farmer is in the fact that it is perhaps the best and most payable crop to grow for providing ensilage for winter feeding. As high as 18 to 20 tons per acre has been grown for that purpose, but an average crop will yield 10 tons to the acre. It is claimed, and justly so, for this crop that in summer and early autumn there is no crop which will supersede green grass so well. ' It possesses a special quality in maintaining a high milk flow, and keeping the cow in good dairying conditon. It may also be fed to all classes of our domestic animals, even poultry. Pigs are very fond of it. As a pasture it is particularly useful for sheep and pigs; in fact, if

is often claimed that it fattens better and quicker for pork. Care in every instance must be taken to accustom the animals gradually to eating sorghums in their green stage. From a digestible point of view sorghums compare favourably with maize. Sorghums may be converted into hay with advantage.