Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-04-14
farm aud 9OitsfhOld.
Broom Corn.
Specific Directions for its
Successful Cultivation.

To the Editor of the Springfield CRobertson
county, Recorder:
/ have been, and am still, so
frequently asked for information
in relation to the best manner of
growing, curing and preparing
broom corn for. market, that !
have been induced to promise nu.
merous persons TO lay briefly be-
fore the readers Of our very pop
ular county paper, the Springfield
Recorder, some information on
the subject. The planting season
is now near at hand, and | esteem
it a proper period to fulfill ny
promise. / Was the first to conf
mence its cultivation in the coun-
ty-have- handled much that /
did not cultivate-and therefore
the people suppose that, il any
thing is gained by experience, !
ought to know some thing about it.
PLANNING.
AS in ell other crops the ground
should be deeply. and well plowed,
and particularly so for this crop,
as the roots do not spread lateral
ly like those Of Indian corn, but
have a greater downward tenden-
cy, deriving their principal nCur-
ishment from greater depth In
the soil. Hence like cotton, it
doesnot appear 10 grow off vigor-
opsly after first coming up, nor
will it do SO until the roots have
permeated well downward. Hav-
ing plowed your ground, now
make a couple of slide runners
ont of two pieces of plank, fasten-
ing them by means of cross-ties.
just three feet from each other
Nail seat upon this slide SO that
YOU can sit and drive one horse.
Now set a good harrow at work,
and after well narrowing as much
ground as you can plant in one
day, hitch horse or mule to your
slide by fastening one trace chain
to each runner, as only this mode
of hitching will enable you to
make nice straight rows. These
runners will make a sufficient
opening in the well prepared soil
to receive the drilled seed after
which tits only necessary to hitch
your horse to two prepared blocks,
with handle to each, and JUS! as
widely separated by cross-ties, as
the slide which preceded them.
If care is taken to keep these
blocks exactly in the tracks of the
slide, the seed will be sufficiently
covered. While any clods which
may roll into the burrows will be
pulVerised, and the soil will be
we'll packed on the seed, which is
always necessary to produce vigor-
Gus and quick termination. Be
sides, by this method much labor
is saved, by 'furrowing out and
covering two rowsat a time. Yet
these directions as to planting the
crop will only be advantageous TO
such persons as have no wheat
drill as with this useful machine
the seed may be drilled and COW
cred at one operation, simply by
closing all the tubes except two,
which may be loca ted sufficiently
distant from each other to drop
two rows at time.
CULTIVATION.
Having planted crop, no more
attention is necessary to its well
being, until tits some four or five
inches high, when it should be
plowed, either with a shovel or
small turning pillow, running as
close to the drill as possible, in or
der to loosen the earth about the
Young corn, as we'll as destroy
grass and weeds, which will now
be seen making some show along
the drill. Follow this blowing
with the hoe, thinning out the