The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-09-22
FORMER ILLINOIS MAN
TELLS Of ITS ADVANTAGES
Go0d Dry Weather Crop Which
WNI Bring Ninety Dollars
a Ton

of agriculture and Tor many years a
broomcorn grower near Mattoon. ILL.,,
is urging Oklahoma farmers To plant
more broomcorn. He says IN the
boards Agricultural bulletin just IS
sned
Having had an experience Of 10
Years raising brocmoorn IN the state
Of Illinois, and knowing something OF
the business from the field 70 me
factory, | deem It advisable 10 sug.
gest 10 the farmers Of Oklanoma thal
the raising Of broomcorn would be a
desirable branch OF agriculture for
them TO investigate
Since living IN Oklahoma aud see
ing the favorable climatic conditions
aud soil for raising broomcorn ! can
hardly believe that at the time | liv.
ed IN Illinois two counties OF that
state produced 50 per cent OF an the
hroomcorn in the United States. and
III is not surprising to me that okla.
homa Is now producing more broom.
corn than any state IN the Union Still
IN my opinion. Oklahoma Is not pro.
slucing enough broomcorn.
The portions OF Oklahoma now be.
ing farmed largely to cotton could
work woll In rotation OF broomcorn
Eroomcorn planted early will be ready
10 pull In July. at n lime when the
farmer Is not busy with The tllllng OF
the crops.
Compares Favorable With Cotton.
"As a money crop, broomcorn will
compare. .Alayorably with cotton With
good seed and COOL culture ~ should
produce q ton to three or three and
one.half acres Of ground. selling for
500 per ton. one year, with another
Astihe tillage compares with cotton
or corn IN cost, aud as II costs about
| SI0a ton 10 ihresn and bale you cail
readily see that there Is rs good n,ollt
In growing broomcorn as there Is IN
cotton.
Good seed OF the dwarf variety
should be planted In Oklahoma. rs We
ih4ye tco much wind to undertake u
/ grow The tall or standard yafltIes
| with safety. II should be planted
abotit CO seeds to the rod. This
should give stand Of from 40 TO it
stalks to the rod. Cultivate about
the same as corn or kaffir corn, keep
ing II clean and II win do TO pull IN
July rs stated above.
"ljroomcorn IL 4 great dronth ro
slstlng plant and should Invariably be
one Of the crop9 grown by the farm
efs In the dry portions OF our state.
Near Ryan. In jefferson county
some farmers are growing broomcorr
this year for the first time. | was
dlrectcd by the board OF agriculture
to visit them for the purpose OF In
ng and baling. made the trip In
July and while everything else was
talmcst dead. corn total failure. cot
ton willing every day, ard other plant
doing no good. the broomcorn was IL
fine condition, ready to harvest and
made good crop OF brush, such Q
crop AZ would readily command 500 d
ton on the market
As dwarf broomcorn can be har
J vested In July In Oklahoma, the land
upon which IL was grown can be used
tU good advantage by the farmer until
Iirci. A temporary wire fence can be
lbuilt around the land on which The
lbroomcorn was grown aud il viii pro
vide the best pasture for all kinds o
stock nntil frost. thus getting rid d
the surplus growth and at the same
1tlme providing good pasture, This /,
not one OF the least advantages II
/ growing bro1nicofn Any farmer who
futllizes one of these pastures once wil
I never DO without II again
Z have reqac-tei one OF tae gentle
fnfcn who cultivated and made good
crop OF b.1omeoin iu Jefferson countl
no Keep q careful account Of tile ex
lDense oi handling II tnis year, com
4 pare Il gtli ether EXPENSES OF grow
/ ing other crops on Ills farm. and send
70 the board OF agriculture for pub
Z lication. This we will cmbody in I
bulletin later on. From the state
men made me by this man, am sure
! Il Will induce other farmers in Okla
homa to grow hroamcoi.
9As the grcN'ng Of cotton neeessl
tates the keeping Of children out o.
school because TIE picking does no
ctiamcnees until the opening of tn,
lschools II the fall, this evil can be re
duced one-half By growing one-hali
4 tho money crop q bro inc0rn, thur
doubling the schg1 life OF the child
| ren' iIL cotton 9f'cti0fF Of our attlse5 I
4 lor h0rnihcr <e1eenl this gonfl seen
To lnslfs I'M DlamIns II bfoomeorn
I y VIII ebc g1ad 10 answer any ia
ldDififs relative TO details not mention