The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-02-03

| Of Rain for n Year.
ToPEKA, KAN, December 25-Egyptian corn,
or Pampas rice, more commonly spoken of as
! rice-corn, has been grown TO some extent in Kan
for the last ten years-the farmers at first de
voting only small patches of ground to its culti-
walton, and gradually increasing the breadth,
/ without, however, making any particular 0bser-
walton of its productive qualities, or its economic
value. The crop was generally assigned place
| in the farm-garden and, of the amount raised,
| what was not reserved for seed the following
| year, usually fed to the chickens, it being
noticed that they preferred il above any other
food. In fact, many raised it especially for
poultry.
| n thrifty Englishman, decided to cultivate the
| article upon a more extended SCALE and soon be-
came convinced that it was destined to be
DESIRABLE CROP IN MANY PARTICULARS,
the yield being large, and the corn entirely salts
factory, for stock-feeding purposes So, in 1879;
an increased acreage was planted, and the ex
| pertinent tried in various other Counties Of the
State with almost uniform success. These sew
eral trials demonstrated it to be not only use
| full, but profitable crop for Kansas. and espe-
| cially for the western Counties of the State,
where drought prevails during summer and rain
cannot be depended upon for the cultivation of
Indian corn, or ordinary agricultural pursuits
Reports concerning this grain were re-
ceived at the State Board of Agriculture from
twenty-thres Counties, in Is79-all Of the cor
tic. 1t grew rank, yielded abundantly and with
little labor, and perfected its seed, despite the
dry weather. The following extracts from let
tiers written by the regular correspondents of the
State Agricultural Board-all of them practical
farI1ers-shOw the extent and nature of tine
crop, mode of cultivating, and the effect Of
drought upon ii, compared with other crops:
S. w. BoyntOn, writing from Kinsley, Ed
wards County, says: Las spring, | planted
all the rice-corn could get in the local market
DllnfPl a ham enr .tla
by-fonr feet, on forty acres of soda light
sandy soil; gophers destroyed about half of it,
1t received no further attention until harvest
when it was cut up like ordinary field-corn-the
heads cut off and threshed in machine,
YIELDING ALTOGETHER OVER 300 BUSHELS
Millet, Irish and sweet potatoes, melons, pump
kins and squashes, planted by the side Of this
corn, failed, almost entirely, account of the
extrome drought. Under similar circumstances
Indian corn would not have produced 'nub-
bin After cutting, new rank growth sprang
up from the roots, and, if the season had given
us an average rainfall, / could have harvested
two good crops from the same planting. Should
il receive the same cultivation as common corn
believe it would produce fifty bushels per acre.
have fed the Egyptian corn to all kinds of
stock, and believe it TO be as good as Indian
corn. For table use, boiled and eaten with
milk, or ground, and made into bread, it is, in
my Judgment, far superior to the common corn"
L. Bartlett, of kinsley, says: ..Plauted eight
only once; season so dry that other crops totally
failed; harvested a little over twenty bushels
per acre. Use it for horse and hog feed, and
consider it better than Indian corn. 1t stands
drought equal to sorghum
Charles E. Willets, also of Kinsley, writes:
"Rice-con was planted June 10; treated in all
respects as Indian corn. Was very dry when
planted, yet 1t came up in due time, without
rain. Fed the heads to stock, all eating it with
avidity The past season was excessively dry,
ne anrn Int all Il l.
mneh better than any other grain. If mixed
with an equal part of wheat flour, il makes most
excellent bread. consider it
TIE MOST VALUABLE GRAIN
yet introduced for a dry climate
J. w. Edwards, of 0fferle, states in his report:
II planted four acres, in May, on fresh-broken
sod. Part came up soon after planting but
most of it did not come up until the last of June.
The weather was very hot during August and
september; but, when other crops began to
wlther and die, to my surprise the Egyptian
corn seemed to grow all the more RAPIDLY, and
continued TO until the last of September, when
harvested good crop / have fed it to horses.
hogs cows and Chickens and all seem to relish
1t and to thrive as well as on Indian corn. Nv
opinion is, it will prove valuable crop to the
western part of the State and to all places that
are subject TO drought. The hot winds did not
affect it,"
In Pawnee County, says one report ga great
deal was raised. On well-cultivated ground. il
tnresned out forty bushels on sod, aud poorly |
cultivated ground, ten to twenty bushels 1t |
stood drought effectually, and made a fair crop
where Indian corn was burned upD Another |
writes: Nearly every farmer had small field |
OF Egyptian corn. 1t yielded about twenty-five /
bushels per acre, and stood the drought much |
better than any other grain" Still another
writes: 81 have raised Egyptian corn for the |
past three years 1t is an excellent feed for all |
kinds of stock, being much better and cheaper |
than oats. 1t is very prolific, hardy as sorghum,
and stands the drought season well.-
The Hon. ID. II. Waite writes from Larnetl:
Il have raised the Egyptian rice-corn tor two |
years past. II is quite prolific, and is best sown
in drills, with corn-planter-not too thick.
DROUGHT DOES NOT SEEM TO AFFEcrIr
rs 1T holds its color when Indian corn willis. |
The stalks are worthless for fodder although
cattle eat IL some before it ears. / consider il a
valuable crop for the western part of Kansas"
From Rocks County, on the frontier a cores
pondent writes: "About the 10th of May, |
planted three acres of Egyptian corn, on newly
broken sod; October Is, gathered the crop, and
ihreshed out thirty-fiye bushels. Have had sew.
,ral bushels ground into n meal-finding it to be
Of excellent quality, and in many respects su-
perior to other corn. 1t supplies the place of
hominy perfectly; is an excellent food for all
kinds of stock. Think it will stand three times
he drought that Indian corn will and it is, be-
7ond doubt, less liable to ravages by grasshop-
lers and wOrns."-Specidl Correspondence Of the
Chicago Tribune