The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1885-08-21
German Iillet SEED.

Ed. SplIt OF the Farm:
WII you or some Of your CORES
pondents please state through your
paper, the manner Of harvesting and
threshing German millet seed? At
what stage should It be cut? Can it
be cut and lied with the binder? Will
1t need any sun before threshmg?
VIII it keep al right in sacks after
threshing? j. II. Y
Dixon Springs, Tenn, Aug. A, '85.
NilIet for seed is in good condition
10 cut wien the seeds are all yellow
and the contents moderately consist
cut, Just past the dough state. This
can be usc,rtuined by cutting open II
few seed. Ii the contents Of the seed
are watery or milky, it ls not ripe,
and viii he eut at great loos. The
stem is still green, but n few Blades
are turning yellow. If postponed
until dead ripe, considerable loss
viii resalt from shattered grams.
1t cannot be cut and tied with
self-binder to advantage; or rather it
can be cut in thar way but the loss Of
seed would be very considerable from
shattenng aud tie great volume Of
straw. When the entire stalk Is cut
with the head, the seed stick in the
straw, 20 the turn out is porceptibly
less. This is caused by The still beard
Oh Tie leaves and stem, and the hook
on tie end of each seed. Therefore
thc less straw is Gu: the better for the
turn out Some gather the head,
breaking it off close aP. but AZ this is
"A tedious process, he general plan is
to cut with the reap-hook. Gather ii
bunch IN the left arm and with the
hook fetch quick stroke from the
body. outwar !, and il Is easily cut Is
should be cut twelve or eighteen in
ches long, jus; long enough to allow
it to be tied into bundles. ay down
the cut bunch in thc row aud a man
follows tying it into bundles The
usual material to tie with is crab or
crop grass, which can be found aim St
invariably in tue field along the rows
4 that is not at hand, use long straws
Of iuillct. The shocker follows the
tyer and it should be put in shocks
Of Ten or dozen bundles, without
cover, ana with the seed well exposed
to the sun This should be accom-
pl.sIed as soon as possible after cu,-
ting, for the longer it lays, tho worse
IT shauers. Some growers use tho
sclf-b!nler, howevc' :, regardless of the
loss, contending thns the Ioss is no' g
than compensated by the gain in time
and labor. II may be -.
i. should rsnaI2 tIus exposed. 10
the SIN until thoroughly dry, which
can be asccrlained by biting few
grains that are glDIeY cover II il
.aag : ia tiie Ieetn il is dry, but Il it
simply mashes, It Is not. Let 1t hs
thoroughly dry b. IRE tLre.hins, as it
i eas.cr 70 Dry in tic shock than ia
bag. or. i lfearred, az 90 mapr,
+ the 1ui.let may &c stored under cover
until some une during winter CT
-pint; or il tae price is low. two.
year.
ii perfectly dry, il viii kcsp indef-
l4iieiy ia sacI.s it the rats viii per-
mir. II -tsred III the ciiy WAREHOUSES
j the Joss from rata Is ii serious thing,
as many ~ thirty, AMI even i,tY bush
I e.s b,ing lpst ia "a large lot. ll.is
should be rovidei against, as It begets
a bad feellug against the merchant
which IS as unjust as the loss is una
/ yo.deble. L can be prevented by
putting the sac.s on swinging shel, -
oaly-s spiri of tho Farm.