The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1896-01-07
cow FROM KAFFzR LAND.


Rocky mountains, and may prove
highly important to the whole arid
region of the United States. It is
called Kafir corn, because it had its
origin in the Kafir country of South
Africa, and will grow well in localities
where wheat and ordinary corn would
die of drought. Last year great quanti-
dry regions of Western Kansas and
Oklahoma, and though the season was
an unusually dry one, the crops were
good. We should be glad to hear of ex-
perIments with this corn in Eastern
Oregon, Eastern Washington and Idaho,
and suggest that our agricultural COL
leges seek information on the subject
from the bureau of agriculture at Wash
ington, and take measures for obt r.
ment and distribution OF parcels of {
seed corn. We append an article from
the st. Louis Globe Democrat, which
gives many details on this interesting
subject, viz:
The question of successful farming in
the semi-arid regions of the great West
is solved at last. Kaffir corn, first in-
troduced on the Anne icen continent
from the Kaffir country, IN Africa, less
than decade since, is still an unknown
product to niue-tenths of the people of
the United States.
At first planted here and there as a
curiosity, it was found to grow readily
in all localities and under al! conditions,
and experiments developed the fact
that it would mature a crop in the dri-
est and hottest seasons on the high
western plains. A more extended
planting of the new grain and COM
parison of results obtained soon devel-
oped the fact that whether the season
was wet or dry, cool or hot, lon- or
short, this new product would thrive on
all kinds of soils with the minimum of
care and cultivation, and planted any
time between the first of April and the
middle of July it would mature an alb
solutely sure crop of graf and fodder
before the frosts of autumn.
The stalk looks somewhat like sim
gle shoot of common corn, but shorter,
attaining height usually of from four
and half to six feet, and having point
ed leaves of a rich green color. The
grain forms in head at the extreme
point of the shoot, where the tassel is
on ordinary corn, the heads being from
seven to twelve inches in length and six
to eight in circumference, and when ripe
look like great white or red plums.
The grains are almost round, little
larger than grain of rice and much re-
sembling a grain of wheat in interior
structure.
There are two varieties, red and white,
the latter being the favorite crop.
Though raised as an experiment here
and there throughout the West for sew
eral years, it was not until the present
year that it became prominent crop.
When the draught of last spring killed
the wheat and oats and seemed almost
certain to ruin the corn, the few who
had had experience with the the new
grain began to advise their neighbors to
plant Kafir corn, as it would grow all
right in dry weather, and they could
thus at least raise feed for their stock.
The newspapers took up the advice and
soon farmers were planting Kafir corn,
utilizing the ground where wheat and
cats had failed and planting on sod or
scattered patches, where tearly corn had
been burned out.
The planting was continued until well
along in August, the acreage being in
many sections greater than that ever de-
voted to a single crop. In Oklahoma
alone nearly $4,000 acres were planted
with the new crop. And every grain of
it planted grew and thrived to maturity,
and before the summer was over the
farmers began to wonder what they
would do with 1t all. They knew it was
good feed for stock, but there was not
stock enough in the territory to consume
it, and the product WAS yet SO new that
it was not ognized in the outside
markets.
Experience had already developed the
fact that it made most admirable feed,
either to winter stock or fatten them for
market, but with an abundance of the
grain on hand, Oklahoma farmers soon
discovered that it was better for horses
than either corn or oats; making them
fat and stout, and giving them sleek,
glossy appearance.
When it came to feeding hogs, it was