The eastern edge of the Plains region may be considered in two divisions, namely, the north and the south. In the north, brome grass (Bromus iner see page 445) is the most important perennial hay and pasture plant. It takes the place in that section occupied by both timothy and blue-grass farther east. It is usually sown in the spring, either with or without a grain crop, at the rate of about twenty pounds of seed per acre. Home-grown seed is much superior to the imported, largely because imported seed is the refuse from the European seed trade. The first year it yields large quantities of excellent hay. If cut for seed a good crop will pro duce 500 to 700 pounds of seed per acre. Later the grass becomes sod-bound, and unless broken up, and rolled and harrowed into condition again, it no longer yields profitable crops of hay or seed. It is, however, a good pasture grass for a number of years. It is beginning to be grown in rotation in that section much as timothy is grown in the East.
Millet is important in the same region. This is true both of the foxtail millets and of the broom corn millets. Brome grass extends as far south as northern Kansas, hut does not succeed south of central Kansas. The millets, especially the foxtail varieties, extend to central Texas.
The eastern edge of the Plains region is the only section in which millets are of first importance. It will be noticed more later. [See Millet.] Foxtail millets. There are many varieties of this group, the most common being Common millet, or Hungarian-grass, and German millet. Common millet is grown most largely in the Northwest, Ger man millet mostly in the South. The seed of German millet is largely grown in one locality in central Tennessee. Hungarian-grass is grown more or less throughout the country, being frequently found in small areas on dairy-farms in the North, even in N:ew England.
Broom-eora millet. There are several varieties of broom-corn millet grown in the Dakotas. The seed is several times larger than that of the foxtail millets. It is sown after the manner of wheat, mostly for its seed, which is used as feed for all kinds of stock.
Sorghum. The several varieties of sorghum, both saccharine and non-saccharine, find their most important development as farm crops in the Plains region, especially from Nebraska southward. The ordinary sweet sorghums are grown largely for hay and for fodder. These crops are all resistant to drought and are relished by all kinds of stock. In Kansas and southward kafir (Pigs. 577, 578) is largely grown both for grain and fodder. A variety of sorghum closely related to kafir, known variously as milo, dwarf milo and yellow milo, is of special value in the Panhandle region of Texas. [See Kafir and Sorghum.] Alfalfa is the most important hay plant of this region. It will be noticed more par ticularly below.
In this region large quantities of wild prairie grasses are cut for hay. The hay is found on all the western markets, where it usually sells at about half the price of timothy hay.
In this section alfalfa is by far the most impor tant hay and pasture plant. It is grown mostly on irrigated land in the mountain states and to the west.
Timothy and clover, orchard -grass and the cereals, especially wheat and oats, occupy more or less important places in the economy of the farm in this section. In some of the mountain parks an excellent quality of wild hay is secured. In one of these, South Park, Colorado, a species of rush (Anus Baltieus) is extensively cut for hay, and this hay on the Denver market outranks timothy as a feed for horses. In northern Montana, in the Milk river valley, a wild grass, known locally as blue-stem (Agropyron oeeidentale), is grown ex tensively for hay, and it is generally considered as superior to timothy for horses. This same grass prevails more or less generally in Colorado and ti :e Dakotas, and, when present in considerable quan tity in the native hay, adds greatly to its feeding value. It is especially adapted to wet lands and irrigated areas. It is nutritious and palatable, and relished by horses. Slender wheat-grass (Agropyron tenerum), which is a bunch grass, also does well on dry land and is very hardy against cold. It is a promising forage grass in the Dakotas and the Canadian Northwest, where it may be considered a standard grass.
Alfalfa. In this section alfalfa outranks all other grasses and forage plants. It is almost the only hay crop grown on irrigated lands. We may fairly state that aside from maize it is the most valuable forage plant known to man. Many fields are reported that have yielded satisfactory crops for a quarter of a century or more. It succeeds generally on irrigated soils throughout the West and on good non-irrigated prairie soils in the Plains region from the Dakotas to southern Texas. Farther east it is more choice of soils, being diffi cult to grow except on rich alluvial soils or on upland soils heavily charged with lime. It is be coming well established on alluvial lands along the Red river in Louisiana and Arkansas and along the Mississippi river as far north as southeastern Mis souri. It may be grown readily on good prairie soils in Missouri, Iowa, southern Minnesota, south ern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. In central New York it has long been established on a peculiar limestone soil. Perhaps one of the best alfalfa soils in the country is that found in what is known locally as the Cane Brake in Alabama and Missis sippi, a narrow strip of prairie land heavily charged with lime, running across the central part of the state of Alabama and turning northward into northeastern Mississippi. In the localities men tioned, this crop is not difficult to start, though in some sections inoculation with alfalfa bacteria is necessary when the crop is first introduced. When this crop is difficult to grow, it is well to sow the soed from the middle to the latter part of August in the North, from the middle of August to the middle of September in middle latitudes, and either in September or March for the South. The number of cuttings increases southward, being three in a season in the northern states, four in the latitude of southern Missouri, four to six in northern Louisi ana, eight to nine along the Rio Grande river, and eight to eleven in southern California.