The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-01-31
broom Corn I'm Nebraska.

My informant spent fully a month
among the broomscorn raisers in the
field, cutting, threshing, shelving, belt
ing, etc. The crop was nearly all grown
on sod broken in May and early June
The seed was planted in drills, two
rows at a time, with horse power,
by machine that cut through the sod,
dropping a seed about every eight inches.
After the seed was planted no farther
attention was paid to the crop until the
time came for harvest-about the middle
of September. The cutting force was
three men to each two rows; one bend
ing the hills over and across each other,
forming the table; two cutting and lay
ing on the table. Each days cutting
was invariably shelved under cover for
the night. In this instance the sheds
were made by digging into the side of
bank, the bank forming one side, q sod
wall forming the other side, and the two
ends were left open, admitting a current
of air. The corn was placed in layers,
one above the other, to the top of the
shed, without being stripped of the seed.
When sufficiently cured the seed was
stripped of by a cylinder filed with
spikes, run by horse power. The cylin-
der was long enough to admit OF two
men holding one brush at time. The
The gangs of cutters averaged about an
acre per day. The utmost care was ex-
ercised from the time the corn was cut
until cured and baled for market ready
for sale. The sheds were carefully exam
ined to see that there was no heating.
The straw, cured under cover, came out
as green in color and fine in quality as
any broom maker could wish. Buyers,
even from New York, were on the ground
and through the sheds long before the
crop was all cured. The competition for
| this particular crop was brisk, and at
last accounts the bids ran up to $50 per
| ton on the farm where the crop was
grown.
! When it is remembered that as a gen.
eral thing raw prairie sod is permitted
to lie over year before any crop is taken
off, and that crop of % tons was grown
on $50 acres of raw land, it may be in
ferred that, counting the cost Of break.
ing, planting and harvesting, and deduct
ing this from the proceeds of the crop, il
is certainly paying one. / regret in
this instance that l cannot give exact
figures, but give the estimate in round
numbers:
Breaking $50 acres, 81 80 per acre...$ S2i
Planting " days, man and team 49,. 81
Seed, bushels at two dollars. /.
Cutting and shedding, 10 men IL days. 10
Threshing, men u days................... z
Marketing ......... 3
Boarding hands,. ...... 10
Cost of baling machine ..................... 8
! Cylinder and power cOst.......,........... 4
, Total outlay. ......... $S3
Sales 20 tons at eighty-five dollars......$2,1 II
Deducting cost. ............................ IS
Net gain ......... ,29
: Even had this net gain been one hal
: the above estimate, considering every
) thing and remembering that the RAJ
; prairie sold is in better condition ate
: growing this crop than it would hav
r been bad no crop been grown, and tina
3 the machinery is worth at least half il
/ original cost. there is still large margi
t of clear profit even in a speculative poin
9 of view. This single instance shows VIVA
q careful men can do. It shows that i
e farming, as in any other business, it pay
a to give an undivided attention to th
r crops grown, and to make the most po
:, sible out of every inch of plewed grounC
r even in its raw state. Everyone grow
ing this or any other crop may NJ
b realize as high approximate figures II
e grown crops. Yet enough has been sal
It 10 encourage renewed efforts, especial
e on the part of some of our western ia
/ mers.--C0r. County Gentleman.