TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

240 lMPROVEMBNT OF TROPIOAL AND SUBTROPIOAL RANGBLANDS
TABLE 8-3 LactaUon Patt_ Acc:ordinc to Animal Type
Animal
Camel
Cow
Goat
Sheep
12
10
Ii
e
Montha b.hreen
G.tationa
·.f puture is extraorcUnarily IOOd
··.f puture is extraorcUnarily bad
Binha per
2 Yean
10-12
1
2-4·,12" 2
2
2·
8 (twina)
e (twina)
Montha
Ladation
18-24
10-15
7-8
7
grains. The wild grain gathered by the slaves and poorer vassals,
consists primarily of Ptuaacum ladum spp. (UAi6an, which can be
further separated into alcuol and ural) and Cencla,., 6iftortUJ (Vlajag)
(see table 3-4 for additional species). Panicum is the m08t
important wild grain because it is more abundant, is the first to
ripen after the rains, requires very little preparation (pounding), and
does not cause digestive upsets. It is harvested at three different
stages in the ripening process: the first, beginning in August or
September, lasts only 10-15 days and involves cutting the heads from
the standing grain. This harvest is especially important if the milk
supply is low. The second follows in mid-September when the grain is
ready to fall; the stalks are bent over a basket and the grains beaten
into it. This "laiban is considered the cleanest and is most preferred.
The final harvest begins in October and lasts until the next rains
in June or July; it consists merely of sweeping up seeds that have
fallen naturally after the dry grass has been cut or eaten by animals
or burned off. Grain gathered in this manner is considered to be
of lowest quality, since it requires considerable preparation before
eating to remove the sand. After harvesting, the,grain is dried and
stored in leather sacks, mud-brick granaries rented in towns, or in
holes in the sand (0.5 m in diameter and 1.5 m deep) lined with matting.
Grain that is stored in this latter fashion is usually conserved
for times of scarcity. When the first harvests come in (September),
these reserves are immediately replenished and whatever old grain
remains is either eaten or sold. The grain is said to suffer little 1088
in quality for at least two or three years. The location of the holes
is secret but they often are placed near the wells frequented by the
group, beside the stands of grain, or on the edge of a village. (Table
3-5 lists the harvest periods of the primary grains.)