. Cyclopedia of farm crops. Farm produce; Agriculture. MILLETS MILLETS. Figs. 693-702. By M. A. Carkton. The millets are cultivated varie- ties of certain small-seeded cereal and forage grasses, which, in a strict sense, belong to the genus Pankum, or to closely allied genera. Because of a resemblance in the seed the name is also applied to other grasses of different genera in this country, while in Europe and Asia even the sorghums are classed as millets. The millets are among the most ancient of food grains. There is historical evidence of their cultivation in China since 2800 They are
. Cyclopedia of farm crops. Farm produce; Agriculture. MILLETS MILLETS. Figs. 693-702. By M. A. Carkton. The millets are cultivated varie- ties of certain small-seeded cereal and forage grasses, which, in a strict sense, belong to the genus Pankum, or to closely allied genera. Because of a resemblance in the seed the name is also applied to other grasses of different genera in this country, while in Europe and Asia even the sorghums are classed as millets. The millets are among the most ancient of food grains. There is historical evidence of their cultivation in China since 2800 They are still of the greatest importance in oriental countries, both as food grains and forage plants. In India the annual acreage for all millets (including ) is com- parable with that of wheat in the United States. The prosos predominate in India, while in Japan the foxtail millets are the most com- mon. In these countries and in China an enor- mous amount of seed is used annually for human food. For many years the proso millets have constituted one of the important crops of Russia, and at present the annual production, over eighty million bushels, is probably greater than in any other country. In this country millet is generally grown as a supplementary or catch-crop. It is also found to be valuable in certain kinds of rotations. It is profit- ably employed in the case of a failure of some other crop, such as corn, or may be substituted for corn where the latter crop is not adapted. Millet may often be grown in place of a summer fallow, giving extra returns without materially lessening the chances for the following crop. It is also ex- cellent for restoring to a good condition land that is foul with weeds. Groups and varieties of miUet. Of the millets that are fairly well known in this country there are three principal groups : the tail millets (Chmtocliloa Italka and var. Germanica), the barnyard millets (Pankiun Urus-galH), and the prosos (Panicum miliaceum). MILLET
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