The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-05-12
More About the Chufa.

MoDlIe Reglstef.l
A lady writes to the Southern
Plantation that last year she OBJ
tanned a pint of chufas, paying
seventy-five cents for them, and
that she divided them with two
friends, each taking a third of a
pint. She planted her portion IN
moderately rich soil, hoed twice
to keep down weeds and grass, and
Notwithstanding the drouth pecu-
liar to the season, she gathered as
the product of her third of pint
over one bushel. of tubers. She
learned before the season was over
that she could draw slips from the
hills and transplant the same as
one would transplant potato
edraws.'' Had she known this in
time she thinks she might have
successfully seeded an acre of
ground from her third of a pint.
She gives it as. her opinion that,
with proper culture, in good
ground, the chuta may be made to
Weld from $50 to 200 bushels to
the acre.
A writer in the Memphis South
ern Farmer declared. some months
ago, that one acre of chufas would
fatten more hogs than ten acres
in corn. In the next issue a
writer, commenting upon it, seem
ed to doubt it, and to consider the
'Gtale a clincher," to use his own
expression. On seeing this a
third correspondent came to the
rescue, and asserted that he knew,
from his own experience, that one
acre OF land capable of not max
ing over thirty bushels of corn,
would, planted to chufas, fatten
more hogs than the corn that
could be raised on forty acres OF
such corn land.
OF course we do not pretend to
know all about these things, and
therefore we neither endorse nor
condemn. For several years we
have grown the chufa on our
place, but having given it no par
ticular attention, about all we can
say for it is that it is certainly a
fine feed and an enormous yielder.
We have been q little backward
about telling what we knew con-
corning its yield, for we didn't
want any one to doubt the relia-
bility Of the Registers agricultur-
al department-even the truth is
not safe to tell at all times. you
know. Last year a gentleman
left at our Office quart of chufas
that, as he assured US, was the
single cop of single tuber. We
| believe every word he advanced
with reference to the matter, but
thought it best to say very little.
At the last Alabama State Grange
Fair we saw at least a quart OF
chufas, all hanging upon a single
bunch just as they had grown,
still We said nothing to the read
ers of the Register about it. But
constant dripping will eventually
wear away a stone, they say, and
in like manner this constant agi-
tation of the question of the
great WELD of the chufa has to
some extent put away our fears OF
being considered unreliable; and
to-day are let out. And we do il
by hereby telling you that We have
just shipped for exhibition at the
centennial two quarts of chufas
raised on ordinary pine land, last
year, by Mr.. G. c. Kaufman, oil
our city, from two hills. each plant
ed with a single tuber.
On the culture of chufa, ''F. B.
TIA correspondent of the Flor
ida Agriculturist, has this to say
On fair sandy land it will yield
100 bushels of nuts per acre,
which are preferred by hogs and
poultry to any thing else. 1t
should be planted at the time OF
plan ting corn. First bed up your
land as for cotton-rows three
feet apart. Having soaked your
seed twenty-four hours, plant pre-
cisely as you would cotton, with
this exception: Put one nut in 9
place eight inches apart, instead
of sowing thick as you would cot
ton seed. When the plants appear
above the ground, run around
them with sweep, and hoe careful
| ly. Afterwards keep down crab
grass and weeds with sweep, run
ming a little further from the chu
fas every time, as they are spread
ing now. In a few weeks they
will spread entirely across thu
rows, and in August you will have
100 bushels per acre OF the fines
hog feed, and your land covered
with grass knee-high and upward
giving a rich return Of vegetable
matter to the soil. AS regards
! the determination of the plant
no one need have any fears OF
that score; the pigs will attend tc
that. It is as easily exte.minated
as corn. The trouble is to save
! seed enough for next years plant
| ing, as the children are so fond o
u the nuts as 90 make it q difficult
~na4kaw