The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-03-15
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AGRICULTURIsTS.
Some Up to Date Hints About CuItiva-
ton of tho Soil and Yields Thersof-
Horticulture, viticuIture and Flori-
culture.
Broom Corn.

Review Will give few of the leading
principles involved in the culture, but
would like to hear from any of it's
readers engaged in this line.
-, THE PLANT.
The plant itself is variety of sor.
ghum and was formerly found only in
the East Indies. There it is grown
both for forage and the making of
brooms, for which object it is the most
useful. It's introduction into the
United States is said to have been due
to the restless Investigations of DIR.
Franklin. On an imported whisx
broom he found little seed and
.'wanted to know" if it would grow.
1t did grow, and produced a plant.
He took the seed from that plant and
planting them got more plants. That
tgas the beginning. Now the raising
Of broom corn and making of brooms
Is an important branch of our economy.
For long time this crop was Guilt
gated only in New England. Later it
spread to the western states, where
the soil seems well fitted for it.
The average yield is put at about 500
pounds per acre.
PREPARATION OF SOIL.
Soil is an important factor, and that
soil best adapted to Indian corn will
be found most suitable for broom corn.
1t should be well drained and mellow,
and not so wet as to subject it to early
frosts in the fall or late frosts in the
spring. Wet, soggy lands will not do.
Even if the upper soil is right the sub
soil may be SO hard and retentive of
water that it will need draining to do
E. the work needed of it. Low lands
along rivers are well adapted for the
crop, provided they slope enough to al
low of good drainage. Some of these
lands with gravel subsoil have
natural drainage. But we do not wish
to indicate that the crop is very par
ticular as to the kind of soil allotted to
it. 1t will, generally speaking, grow
ON land where Indian corn will grow.
MANURING.
It goes without saying that on most
lands this crop should be MANFRED.
Best results can not be obtained with
out giving the plant all the food it can
utilize. The most available manure is
that raised on the farm, and when
farmer runs short of this kind
of fertilizer he should endeavor
to keep more stock, if only
to give him cheap fertilizer.
The manures made in the barn yard,
pig sly and sheep pen should be well
rotted, and if possible the weed seeds
should be absent, for of course the land
needs to be kept free from weeds for
this as well as other crops. Some use
commercial fertilizers, such as guano,
while ashes, plaster and lime are APP
piled in some cases where the land is
deficient in calcareous matter. But it
should be remembered that lime and
plaster are not manures in themselves,
and are only to be used in certain
Gases Manure is generally applied
broadcast, and sometimes an additional
amount is put in the hills or drills.
PLANTING.
Two methods of cultivating are in
vogue, in hills and drills. Probably
Heither has mnch advantage over the
other. Those that advocate hills say it
Is easier to keep the fields clean, as the
cultivator can be run both ways. The
rows are usually from three and one
tialf to four feet apart, and when the
planting Is in hills, they are two and
one half or three feet apart, but this
depends much on the variety grown.
This question can not be settled by any
invariable rule, everything depending
on the richness of the soil, moisture and
1,,wr IF nrnvvfh
The richer the ground the further
apart should be the rows or hills.
Care must be taken to get good seed,
as immature seed will give but poor
results, even if it grows at oil. Even
With good seed many will fail to ger
inmate. Therefore liberal supply of
seed should be used and after the
plants are up they should be thinned
but: in the case of hill culture only
ave or six should be left to the hill.
On the other hand care must be taken
not to sow too many seeds, rs the
young plants will then be in danger
of overcrowding and being stunted be-
fore being thinned out. Some plant
ers put from fifteen to twenty seeds in
the hill, having them quite well sep
arated even then. The usual allow
snce of seed per acre is about two
quarts. This is of course If the seed
Is good. When much of 1t is obviously
poor an increased amount will have
TO be used. More seed is usually used
IN drill planting than in hill
y planting. The time for planting
& about the same as Indian corn,
sometimes little later, at least not
till the soil is warm and dry. Ma
shine planting is quite generally
escorted to, though some even now
olant by hand. If the area is small
here may be little objection to this
method. Cover seed to depth Of one
nch, unless the soil is unusually light
Ind dry, in which case it should be
planted deeper. Put in the seed as
,oon as the ground is ready, that the
moisture in the newly turned soil may
hasten termination. 1t is claimed