The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-15
THE AFRICAN CORN.
Bids Fair 70 Revolutionire
Farming in Kansas
PLANT THAT REs,srs oRourH
In Every Way Superior 10 The Native
Maine Yieida Double - Cattle
Thrive ON II.
Topeka Letter In New York rsnea

Kansas AHF Ek4-> sHc --<A@l%4xy
dry seasons when Ia Al least one-thsrd
OF the state little OF 10 Indian corn reached
any degree u maturity. have caused .
fcca 81 inquiry, not alone from adjacent
states beat as far east ss New York. and
even from distant countries ard isles
The arss kAssr cora reached tais counr
try In ISL and was distributed BY The
government; 20 3 few experimental sta
ttons n the West TIE fast that 10 wao
grown successfully II Asia Minor and
IN portions OF AlFsca, IN not climate ard
dry as-aospheres. suggested 10 for . trial
rs a supplemental far&se plant IN semi.
arid America. The TESTS. WERE sssisfac-
tory. although Of an experimental char.
actsr. ard II was rot until iSt that II at.
tracte3 much attention outside the Kansas
experimental stations. Far two years at
tie or no cora had been raised in the west.
ern part Of Kansas. and the seed raised ~
the stations was all distributed among the
farmers. enabling them to sew and plant
several thousand acres bur no large ind!-
yiiuai effort was undertaken.
That was the beginning OF the present
general agitation and interest in Kafir
corn . substitute for grain In West
ern Kansas. The frst year demonstrated
that the white variety Was little or no
improvement over the old-fashioned Jeru-
salem corn. frequently called rice corn.
The red variety was found to possess
several material points OF advantage over
the white: 81 bore q greater quantity and
larger leaves. the stalk was not NJ large.
but moro juicy and sweeter. the grain
smaller and firmer. possessing the eharac-
ter Of corn
So rapidly ara the good a,oais,es Of Kanlr
corn spresd that IN iSe< the acreage reached
over &D0o. nearly all OF the red variety.
In 1895 the returns to the state depart
ment OF agriculture showed that isa.s -
- - l.
assessors at over q million and half doll
lars. This win he greatly Increased the
coming season. and before the end OF the
century Kansas farmers win DO planting
II by the ten thousand acres. and the prod
uct will reach millions in value while It
VIII be the direct means Of bringing pros
perisy. plenty and happiness TO vast SEQ
tons of the great West where have been
only restitution. encouragement and suf-
fering.
The ordinary e1y,er Of the son in western
Kansas grows kafir corn for both the
grain ard the fodder. In this case he plants
or sows AZ early n the season win permit.
The preparation required for any OF the
sorghum family win answer for Kafsir
corn. The young plant Ia tender. ana
should Re started quickly in order TO keep
II ahead of the weeds. For grain and fod.
der It is best planted with the grain driii.
aPttR AsttHk ttoBiti W 6ftAuk8 tnt I0N8
about twenty-eight inches apart. and seed
ing about one-half hushel per acre. ft
should not be covered as deeply as corn.
but about the depth OF sorghum or broom
corn.
Several large fields were drilled closely
with three recks OF seed per acre the past
season. This was grown for forage. no at.
tention being given 10 the mature seed.
This was cut with the wheat binder bound
into small BUNDLES AZ a, thA HeNl
several DAYS to dry out. II was then han
died In various ways. generally as the OPP
portunitity OF the farmer would suggest.
A few such fields where the stand was not
TO thick were threshed by running through
the ordinary grain separator with half
the teeth removed from the concave. The
seed was put away and the fodder care
fully stacked fer future use. When plant
ed In rows the crop IL generally cut ana
carefully shocked like corn. The heads
are afterward cut from the stalks and
run through the grain separator with half
the teeth removed from both the con-
cave and the cylinder to prevent the
grains from being broken. Tho fodder 10
then fed much as corn fodder In fed.
In Central and Eastern Kansas. where
large quantities were grown last year and
where stiu greater quantities will b plant
ed this spring, the Kafiir corn II put ON
the thinnest land on the place. On thin
Upland 1t has produced thirty-nve 10 forty
five bushels of grain. besides . great crop
of very valuable fodder. In Central KAN
sas fine yields were secured the past year
on the high uplands while the valleys
failed TO mature any part OF a corn crop.
The secret OF this is. when the rains fan
and the hot winds blow, running the corn,
the Kaffir corn simply stands still and
waits for the hot winds to cease and the
refreshing showers to come. when II be-
gins Jast where IT stopped and grows 70
maturity. showing no injury from the un-
favorsble incident. On the same grade Of
soil. planted and treated like corn. Kafnf
corn viii generally yield double the grain
that corn viii. In Kansas n crop OF Kaffir
corn planted May 1 viii mature q heavy
yield OF grain before September IS but II
sown for forage without regard to fnatur-
ity Of seed. II can be cut and stacked EAR
lier. When planted like corn the cutting
can begin az soon As the hnrrying season
II over ana continue TIN frost. ~ the
blades and stalks do not begin to dry up
with the maturity of the seed. but remain
fresh and green until frost comea. But
q freeze viii ruin the fine fodder proper
ties. as with any OF the sorshnms.
There 10 hardly . day now that some
farmer from Kanaas does not top the cattle
and hog market at Kansas City with Ksfir
corn fed stock. Only Q few days ago Frank
SternberR. from Ellsworth county. where
they have not grown . good corn crop for
aome years, shipped several cars OF fat
steers. reaching the Kansas City market
on favorable days. and each day hts stock
brought the top figure. He secured some
of the frs seed sent out and has expert
mented thoroughly. He declares that there
IL no grain equal to II for his purpos~A He
ftrds IL stronger than either corn or oats.
and on that account. when possible. he
mixes with an equal quantity OF corn or
bran. He brushes all Kstnr corn before
feeding 20 stock. He says there Il danger
Of overfsedlnx when led alone. For his s.
year-oia steers this winter be fed four -
Ave quarts Of Esffr corn. crushed. Al .
O'Clock tn the morning. AT noon all the
snapped corn they could clean up and at
{ o'clock IN the afternoon the same psiso
of Kafsr corn a. In the morning. He says
that the eheapnes OF growing. the GER
tainty Of GOOD crop. the che.aoness and
ease Of handling. Nth the highly sssfsssc-
tory results obtained. make II superior 70
anything he can grow.
In the Arkansas valley, where some Of The
hes; cora Ia all Kansas is grown, the e.
tensive stock growers who tried large
quantities last year new declare that they
will no, plant al acre OF Indian corn They
raise the finest cattle. horses ard hogs IN
that valley to be found In all Kansas, ard
their efforts are frteisigsnf Ard their con-
ciussons are she result % sound reasoning
from practical experiences.
The Kafssr corn n also being ground into
meal ard used N bread. and IL H. aid 70
be Of fns quality. While for pancakes n 10
better that the best ground white flint
corn. II has also Jus. been discovered that
4, r-v,suces better ropcorn than ANYTHING
hsresosore used a. there II an entire ab-
s~nce Of that ffnty point always foura n,
II. oia-fsshsoned popcorn II IL cizsraed
tsa, Kafar corn neal 10 too rich and that
for producing the choicest pancakes snall
quantity Of wheat Sour should be Add.
which produces . naucA better pancake
than tsuckwheat-