Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-06-08

PLANTING BROOM CORN,

We have received a series of articles on
the cultivation of Broom corn, and making
brooms, from Abram Stokes, an expert
enced broom-maker, of Ulster Co., n. Y;
and we give his mode of preparing the soil
and planting the seed. He says: "Select
a dry, rich, deep loan, nearly free from
sand gravel and stones, and plow it deep
the deeper the better. A red clover, or
timothy sod is best; because it will usually
be free from weeds. Pulverize the surface
as deep as practicable with cultivator /;
or it may be plowed the second time, by
using plow with sharp point, sharp
coulter, and guage wheel to regulate the
depth. In this way it can be pulverlzed
more thoroughly than with a cultivator
Before blowing the second time, however,
the ground should be allowed to settle after
heavy rain has fallen; or the sods may
be pressed down with roller Plow the
second time the same way as the first, run
ming the plow as deep as practicable, with
out turning up portious of the sod. Har-
row it thoroughly; and mark the ground
one way with small plow for planting IN
drills. 1t is better to have the rows run
north and SOUTH as the sun will shine on
each side more uniformly.
| prefer the tall Broom corn, as it has
been well tested and approved. The dwarf
may succeed as we'll on some kinds of soil,
where it will not grow too slender, which is
a fault of this kind of corn. If brush be
too slender, the brooms bend too easily, and
wear out too soon. When brush grows in
the form of a pinicle of oats, it is worth
less Such brush, however, is seldom pro-
duced except ON thin soil of gravel, or
sand, with clayey subsoil six or eight in
ches beneath the surface.
My manner of planting the seed is, to
carry it in a small pail and drop about one
hundred kernels per rod (or about two in
ches apart). After dropping a few rows,
cover it with harrow having 30 or 40
teeth, by driving the team one on each side
of the drill. If the harrow be not drawn
the second time over the ground, it will not
displace any of the seed. When planting
in this manner, the seed comes up well,
grows more uniformly, and makes better
brush than if planted in hills, as the stalks
are more evenly distributed over the ground.
In about twelve days, the young plants
will be about three inches high. Now is
the time to get the start of weeds by
working among it with horse and plow.
For this purpose the rear end of the mold
board should be broken off just back of the
share to prevent rolling the earth too far
away from the young plants By turning
the earth from the drills, the weeds will be
subdued In about ten days, it should be
plowed again, going twice a row. Then
the plants should be thinned so that there
will be about seventy per lineal rod. All
weeds growing among the plants should be
removed, so as to allow the sun to shine on
the Broom corn. In about ten days more,
it should be plowed again with large
plow having a short, crooked mold board,
going four times between all the rows
Turn two burrows from the rows, and then
turn them toward the plants, working the
soil between the stems as much as practi-
cable with the plow. In ten days longer,
plow it again, going four times between
the rows, as just stated, always turning
the soil toward the corn the last time
through. | always perform most of the
work with the plow, and do as little with
the hand-hoe as possible. ."-American Agri-
cultlrla