The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1876-06-22
fpr the farmer.
wowINSs, HARVESTING. AND CLEAN
SA ING BROOM CORN.


II Won have had no experience with broom
corn n will not be likely TO pay" the hrst year.
Sa..a ,aouires n good deal of experience. we
world. therefore, advise you to begin on a Hou-
arota scale and feel your way Inc eAUehsire
culture of the crop requires machinery at consid-
CRADLE cost in a small way, you may perform
lbs operations by hand without much invest
,-ant To begin. Won want suitable soil. As
General rnIe land which will produce good corn
will raise broom corn, but TO succeed perfectly,
III. very best should be selected, having per-
feet Understandings, and tree from stones, as
tbeee impede the constant cultivation which
shonld he given. Most lands require enrichiug
1ritb aid WeIl-pulverized manure, free from foul
seeds On river fats (Which are usually the best
OF all if the drainage is perfect) this crop has
been raised year after year with only the enrich,
ing of the annual overflow. Whatever the land
nav be which is selected, it must be remember
ed that success can only follow the very best
culture-slip-shod management will certainly
result in failure. The soil should therefore be
entirely cleared of weeds by repeated blowing
and narrowing the previous Autumn, if il needs
it; and be made clean and mellow the following
Spring by the use of the pillow, gang-plow. two
horse cultiyator, harrow, or such other imple-
ments as may perform the work. A heavy soil
is not the best, but moderate loan will answer
well, even II 1t becomes eloddy to some extent,
in which case the roller may be used for crush
ing the clOds, if dry enough, before narrowing.
The general management in planting and rails
isg the crop is much like that of common corn,
except that broom corn is planted two or three
times as thick. If the ground is not entirely
clear of weeds, it is best to plant in hills to faci
itate cultivation, about two and q half or three
feet each way, or else with hills twenty inches
apart, in rows three feet apart. But on good
clean land, drills are more rapidly planted, and
yield heavier and better crop. The seed may be
put in with an ordinary wheat drill, stopping up
all the holes but two, so TO place the rows
three feet apart. The seed should never be put
in more than two inches deep; an inch or an inch
and a half is better, if the surface is fine and
even, and the soil moist. The plants come up
slowly, and remain small for long time; hence
the absolute necessity of clean land, that they
may not be smothered in their early growth, ana
the expense of hand labor incurred. This crop
will not endure so much cold as Indian corn, and
should therefore be planted hardly so early but
at the same time it is important that 1t be adj
vanced SO much as to clear Autumn trosts Some
experience is therefore required to adjust the
time. The plants should be thinned to about
two and half or three inches apart.
The cultivation should be commenced at the
earliest practicable PERIOD so as to destroy any
weeds the moment they are up, and to keep the
surface constantly mellow, until the corn is sew
eral feet high, or too large to allow the passage
of a horse.
When the seeds are in the milk state, the brush
is broken back, the operator walking backward
and bringing two rows together, leaving an open
space between the next two rows. 1t is then
cut, lalu IN DuncneS, drawn In, assorted, and
cleaned of the seed. On small scale, the seed
may be removed with a comb, made for the pur-
pose, by hand. For large crop, it is cleaned
rapidly by means of two spiked rollers, driven
by two horses. These rollers run in opposite di-
rections, and do not therefore draw the brush
through Gas in a threshing machine), which
makes the work very easy for the attendant.
The brush, when cleaned, is placed on horizon
tai poles under shed to dry, each layer being
not more than three inches thick, and about
l1AA = IL.
structures may be made of rails, the brush being
laid on pairs Of rails, placed horizontally, form
ing building IL feet square. By placing the
larger rails on one side, this side gradually be-
comes higher than the other ready for a sloping
broad roof, when finished. Three four weeks
are commonly required to dry it thoroughly.
Broom corn yields as an average of good crops
about five OF six hundred pounds of brush per
acre-sometimes seven or eight hundred. The
price has been very fuctuating for some years
past. At the close of the war it was sometimes
as high as eighteen cents per pound, and so ma
ny went into the business that it went down,
and was sold in some places at less than one
tenth of this sum-six OF eight cents may be ia
ken as the average on the long run. At the
North, the seed ripens only about half the time
in Virginia it may be relied on to ripen every
year. and if carefully secured and dried on barn
floor, it is valuable part of the CROP often yield
ing 80 or 40 bushels per acre. and being equal TO
oats for feeding ungrOund to sheep; mixed
with corn, it may be ground for cattle.
The variety known as the evergreen would be
the most profitable in Virginia-the seed may be
had of B. K Bliss & Son, of New York, and at
other large agricultural establishments, for six
or seven dollars per bushel. One bushel will
plant ten acres.
On the whole, broom corn has proved about as
profitable as Indian corn-yielding usually more
per acre, and requiring better soil and more la
Dor. 1t should not be undertaken on a large
scale, unless the cultivator expects to continue
in it, for the machinery and appliances cost
ly for extensive culture. Where it is grown
largely, drills are made on purpose for planting
the seed, putting in and covering three rows at
a time Another machine is made for removing
the seed costing about seventy dollars. A hay
press will answer for baling the brush the bales
should be about 300 pOunds.-COuHtry Gentleman.