The age-herald., 1902-04-27
ACRICUL LTURAL DEPARTMENT =. :. :.

many good and valuable plants. Let me say If you plant all your land to cotton corn and vegetables and depend on your poor, soggy, crawfish, wet lands for hay, failure is sure to be the result.
 How to Plant
 Growars of sorghum are hardly agreed as to the best methods of planting Some advocate the sowing of the seed broad cast, while others claim that best results are obtained from sowing in drills and cultivating the crop frequently. have closely watched both methods and favor very much the plan of sowing in drills and cultivating. This plan has very many advantages over the broadcast system, Where the seed are sown broadcast we are helpless In assisting the crop to get start and then it frequently happens that after sowing there will come heavy rains and bake the soil so heavy that the crop is damaged for the whole season. But if sown i'll drills, as soon after these hard rains as the soil is dry the crop can be cultivated and the hard surface loosened up Then, again, where planted in drills and cultivated the crop will resist drouth much better. I saw this fully demon strated in the drouth district last sum- mer. Wherever I found a field of sorghum which had been planted in drills and cul- tivated regularly the crop was worth
  The foliage was much greener, the stalks larger and the yield greater in every re- spect. I know that it would be nice if we could just SOW crop and let it go un- til harvest. and have no labor or trouble in oultivating the crop. This Is an easy way to farm, but the question is-is 1t the best paying system of farming? I repare the soil as If for corn by blowing and har- rowing until the ground is made perfectly fine, then mark off in rows three feet wide and SOW in drills. Sow rather thick not less than one bushel per acre. Gull tivate several times, or until the cane has made good growth enough to shade the land and protect itself. By this method the cane will soon care for itself against all weeds as it grows very rapidly and will often grow from ten to twelve feet high, thus producing an enormous crop. The matter of harvesting comes next and here also comes a very important consideration-when and how to harvest. Growers differ on this question as to when Is the best time to harvest the cane. Cane should not be cut too early or in too green a stage before 1t has had ample time for storing up a good supply of sac charine matter, for herein lies Its princi- pie value as a feed. About the time the seed are in the dough state is good time to cut and here comes in another very strong argument in favor of growing the cane in drills instead of sowing broad cast, for when sown in drills and culti- vated the crop will be more uniform and ripen more evenly. When sown broadcast some of the crop will be ready to harvest and other parts not even headed; and where cane is cut before 1t heads out 1t is almost worthless as feed, for there IS no substance or food value in 1t. So, talk Ing everything into careful consideration, we are led to the conclusion that the drill nF tc nd best time to harvest Is when the seed Is in the dough or just passing this stage and are beginning to harden up Then, again. I do not agree with the idea that cane should not be allowed to make large stalks.
 The large cane is by far the best and is perhaps more evenly managed. The claim that stock will not so readily eat the large cane Is a great mistake for they will readily eat every particle of the cane no matter how large, provided the cane has been properly cured. This Is especially true of cattle. These are all valuable points to be considered in the growing and curing this valuable forage plant, and when the management of the crop is fully understood more and larger crops will be grown.
 Curing the Crop.
 Here comes In the most difficult part of the whole matter of growing and saw ing sorghum hay To cut the cane down and leave it exposed to the dew, rains and hot scorching sun Is a great mistake. The plan of cutting, and binding and shocking right up, the same as wheat or oats is by far better than leaving expos ed to the weather. Binders are made es- pecially for this work and are now used almost entirely in the West.
 The progressive Western farmers all cut and put up their cane this way, and find that it will cure much better in the shock than where left to rot or bleach out, exposed to rain, dew and sun. The shock should not be made too large and the bundles should be set out at the bot tom so that the air may have free cir culation through the shocks. Cane man. aged this way will come out bright and in the best of condition, one ton being worth fully twice much as that cured in the sun, especially if the cane gets wet from dew or rain. In the West the shocks are left standing in the field until they are wanted for feed or until such time as the farmer can find an idle time to haul them in. While the cane re- mains in perfect condition In the shocks in the West, yet, owing to our greater rainfall in the south during the winter months, 1t might be best to haul the cane in and store in some dry shed before our rainy season sets in. But the old plan of curing hay in the sunshine must be changed to suit present conditions. Last acason I passed by d fine field of sor- zhum cane a field which had been put in with much care, and the crop was fine and the yield simply enormous. l kept n close watch on this field to see what would be the outcome.
 Finally the harvest time came, and the cane was cut with the old Idea of spread ing. turning and curing in the sun. One night while the cane was yet spread oyer the ground there came one of our heavy rains which swept the entire crop or the ground and next morning the crop was lodged down against the railroad. The crop was on @ low piece or land' tnrougs which the water ran at time oi heaFy rains Now, If this crop of cane nao been shocked up on the high side of the land as fast as cut, the crop would not have been lost But as 1t was the entire crop was clear loss and that, too, after 80 much expense and labor expended In pre- pairing the land and sowing the seed. However much the reader may differ with me In this matter, he can not but admit that this mans cane would have been better off shocked up ir good shocks on the dry side of the land than it was lying in the mud and water lodged against the railroad Should the reader have any doubts as to the results of this plan of
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