Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-02-21
Kanir Corn.

4 New Cereal, which is "A Godsend for
the Western Arid Belt, aud which
Can Doubtless he Grown In the East
AIso---Try it for the Valley Fair.
From The Chicago Chronice.l
The question of successful farming in the
semi-arid regions is solved at last. Kafiir
corn, first introduced on the American con-
tinent from the KafIir country in Africa,
less than decade ago, is still an unknown
product to nine-tenths of the people of the
| United States. At first planted here and
there as a curiosity, 1t was found to grow
readily in all locations and under all con-
dtions, and experiment developed the fact
that it would mature a crop in the driest
and hottest seasons on the high western
plains. A more extended planting of the
new grain and a comparison of results OBJ
tanned soon developed the fact that, wheth-
er the season was wet or dry, cool or hot,
| long or short, this new product would
thrive on all kinds of soil with the mini
mum of care and cultivation, and planted
any time between April and the middle of
July, it would mature an absolutely sure
crop of grain and fodder before the frosts
| of autumn.
1t will grow luxuriantly on the sod of
newly broken ground, produce fine crops
either on bottom or upland, is a natural en-
emy of weeds, and will be as clean with
two civilizations as Indian corn will be with
four times as many. 1t is rather slow in
terminating and getting start of growth,
but correspondingly sure, requiring no rains
to sprout it, and when once under way, 1t
grows right along, cloudy weather or bright,
drought or rain, hot winds or northers, all
being the same to it, and seemingly of equal
benefit to its growth.
The stalks look somewhat like a single
shoot of common corn, but shorter, attain
ing a height usually of from ~ to feet,
having pointed leaves of rich green color
| The grain forms in a head at the extreme
| point of the shoot, where the tassel is on
ordinary corn, the heads being from to y
inches in length and six to eight in cir
cumference. When ripe they look like
great red plumes, standing proudly erect.
| The grains are almost round, little larger
than a grain of rice, and much resembling
grain of wheat in interior structure.
There are two varieties, red and white,
the latter being the favorite crop. The
grains taken separately coincide in appear
ance most remarkably with ancient de-
| scriptions of the mamma sent to the child
|
the desert, and, coming as it did to the
people of the western plains this year, when
wheat and all else was so greatly affected
by the drought, it seemed like another sup
ply of mama sent by the god of Israel.
| Though raised as an experiment for sew
eral years, it was not until last year that
it became a prominent crop. When the
spring drouth killed the wheat and oats a
few farmers began to plant Kaffir corn, the
newspapers took up the idea and advised
its use and soon every farmer throughout
the West was planting Kaffir corn, utiliz-
ing the ground where his wheat and oats
had failed, or planting on sod or scattered
patches where his early corn had been
burned out.
The planting was continued until well
along into August, the acreage being in
many sections greater than that ever de
voted to single crop. In Oklahoma alone
nearly $4,000 acres were planted with the
new grain. 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 it 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 still so
new that it was not recognized in the out
side markets.
Experience had already developed the
fact that 1t made an admirable feed either
to winter stock or to fatten them for mar
ket; but with an abundance of 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 a sleek, glossy appearance
Both horses and cattle not only like and
thrive on the grain, but do as well on the
fodder as on the best of hay, and will cal
up the entire stalk, even after it is quite dry.
Cows produce rich milk and more of it thar
when fed on hay or bran.
When it came TO feeding hogs it wa
found that they gained flesh more rapidly
than when fed on common corn, and poul
trymen have found the Kaffir grain an ad
mirable egg producer. The boys and girl
soon discovered that it would pop as wei
as popcorn, the grains popping out large
white and tender, and women in the coun
try found that boiled like rice the grail
was excellent eaten with cream and sugar
that mashed into pulpy mass it made al
admirable pudding, and that it was also
+ first-class substitute for hominy, being pre-
pared much easier than the regular grades
The owner of the Medicine Lodge role
mills at Medicine Lodge, Kan, on expert
ment bent, ran some of the grain throug
his cornmeal grinder and produced mes
pronounced in every way equal to the ord
nary cornmeal. He was not content wit
this, but rugged up a special set of buhr
and produced new product that bids faI
to create revolution in the worlds bread
stuffs- Kaffir flour. A test of the flou
made by a Medicine Lodge housewii
proved that it made bread equal to ths
from wheat flour, the only difference bein
in its dark color.
,. The Medicine Lodge mill at once bega
- making the -four in quantity but could nj
supply the demand. AS the fame of th
new product spread, other mills began
make it, until at the present time half til
mills along the southern Kansas bordt
n and two-thirds of these in Oklahoma al
} turning out Kaffir -four and meal.
e Kaffir corn has come to stay, and II
s American farmer in any part of the natio
/, who fails to appreciate its worth and tab
d advantage of its great opportunities, wi
y surely find himself in the lurch in the rec
oning of the years to come.
e According to the just-issued report of Il
d Kansas board of agriculture, 1874, 19S acr'
o of Kaffir corn were raised in that state I'll
L. past year, producing $50, ,993 tons which
&c valued at 81 ,6S6,3S9.
a This story of the great success wi
:" which this new cereal is grown in the We
G. will be read with interest by all Easte
farmers The treasurer of the New En-