The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-18

Your readers have doubtless heard of
the oroomcorn farms of Illinois, which
orlng their owners such handsome profits.
The fact that broom corn may be grown
more generally in the state would seem
10 warrant few hints regarding it's Gull
lure and handling, says the Country Cen
tleman. 1t recently was my privilege TO
Visit, In Central Illinois, a broomcorn farm
consisting of 1O5 acres. The crop was be-
ing harvested at the time l saw the farm
and l was thus able to get from the
owner considerable Information regarding
the process, being shown by practical IL
lustrations right in the field.
The corn was planted from the middle
OF May until the middle of June, there
being two paintings made, one of about so
acres in May and another of about that
area in June. The reason for this is that
the crop was too large,vif matured at
the same time, for the grower with small.
facilities to handle. The difference in the
planting, Of course, made a similar diff
ference in the time for harvesting, which
was done ninety days after planting. A
bushel (forty-ive pounds of seed will
drill eighteen acres.
An ordinary two-hoFse corn planter or
check-rower is used for drilling the seed,
plates being used to distribute the same
uniformly. After the corn, terminates and
appears above the surface it is given a
narrowing. which is followed by two Gull
tivatings with common cultivators, small
tongues or shovels being used These
plowings are given about ten days apart.
The grower thought he would have OBJ
tanned more satisfactory results had be
piowed the crop three times; but from the
looks of the field, think the two plowiugs
kept down weeds pretty WELL In the opin-
ion of several broomcorn growers with
whom I have talked it is well to give
the crop good tillage. thus insuring a Wig
orous growth Of the many weak ard
small stalks found among the larger and
stronger ones, that made severe competi-
ton for plant food and moisture
The crop is ready to harvest when the
seed turns reddish brown. No time should
be lost, but the crop should be harvested
with dispatch and placed in the drying
sheds as SON thereafter as possible. TIE
harvesting proceeds about as follows Two
rows of the corn are broken, or, rather.
bent down together, forming a sort of ia
BILE One man does this work while an
other with a sharp knife follows, cutting
off the brush" or broom part OF The
stalks and placing them with the butts
one way upon the table formed as de-
scribed. The breaking down of the corn
is done because the cutter could not
otherwise very easily get at the brush.
After cutting. a wagon follows and on
II the brush is loaded, two men doing this
work. The wagon box is made especial
ly for the purpose, being so arranged as
to work on rollers on the running gear
of the wagon. This admits of rolling the
bed packard until the rear end strikes
the ground. whereupon the load is re-
moved In its compact form-a sort OF cord
or square pile. From the pile 1t is intro
duced into thresher, which takes out the
seed. leaving the brush ready for storing
in the drying sheds, The brush is cut
so that the stems are about six inches
hong, making the entire length about two
feet. When threshed the brush goes into
the sheds, and undergoes a drying pro-
cess for ten days when it is ready for
baling.
BY means of baler made particularly
for broom corn, forty-five or fifty bales
of 300 pounds each. may, by force Of five
men, be baled daily. The baler is worked
by horse or mule. The thresher Is run
by an engine-a gasoline engine would
do the work nicely. The seed threshed
from the brush is used by many as chick
en- feed. but 1t has little general utility.
The vast lot of fodder remaining in the
fields after the crop has been harvested,
makes splendid forage for all kinds of live
stock, aud where there is a second growth,
which is very generally true of early
harvested fields, the succulent food af-
forded is a very good one. If 1t is not
utilized for forage. and it is desirable to
use the land the next year for the same
crOD the fodder NAV he dragged down