The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-04-15
RAISE BROOM CORN
What Plant Is and How Handled
Properly.
From Two to Three Months of Good
Growing Weather Is Needed to
Produce Profitable Crop
Climate and Soil.

Broom corn belongs to the same
species of plant as do common sorgh-
ums used for making strip. kafir and
Jerusalem corn and cane. grown for
forage and grain. 1t differs from all
other plants of the same species in
having panicles or seed heads with
much longer. straighter and stronger
branches or straws. This difference.
wherein lies the value of the plant.
has been produced by the selection OF
seed from plants possessing these
characters to great degree, writes
II. K. Lindsey. president of the Amer
lean Warehouse Company. in Farmers
Star and Live Stock. 1t is for the
seed heads. or brush" as they are
called, which are used in the manu-
facture of brooms. that the plant is
cultivated.
Broom corn is divided into two
groups, known as standard and dwarf.
The standard type grows to height
of 10 to Is feet, while the dwarf variety.
grows from five to six feet high.
There are many varietal names used
by sellers of broom corn seed. but
many of these are simply new names
applied to old strains of broom corn
and really do not represent varieties
that have been sufficiently improved
to deserve special designation.
The plant is sub-tropical and does
best In warm, sunny climate where
there is sufficient rain during the early
part of the growing season to produce
strong, rapid growth However, in
order that the crop may be harvested
at the proper time and in good condi-
ton and the brush dried rapidly so
that it will retain it's fresh, green
color, it is necessary that warm, dry
weather prevail at harvest time.
From two to three months of good
growing weather is all that is needed
to produce a crop. Many localities in
the west have produced crop of
broom corn in dry years when prac-
tically all other crops were burned up.
Any soil that will produce corn or
cotton is sufficiently fertile for broom
corn. For the best grades of fine,
tough dwarf broom corn, light sandy
soils have been found preferable,
while the heavier black soils are more
suitable for standard broom corn.
Although broom corn will make
fair record. even in the face of ;in.
favorable conditions, and it is there.
fore able to bring returns where many
crops fail, at the same time the yield
could be raised very much per acre by
better cultivation. J.
Liberal tillage brings the soil. into
good physical form; it facilitates the
storage and conservation OF moisture;
it admits air to the soil, and thus
gives encouragement to the life proc
esses which are SO essential to the lib
Grafton of plant food. Proper blowing,
narrowing and pulverizing the surface
OF the ground in preparation for seed
ing will give better results in raising
crop of broom corn, the same as it
would for any other kind of crop.
Broom corn. like other plants in the
same group. makes its most rapid
growth in warm weather. Seeding
should not be started until the soil
has become quite warm, as the plant
makes rather slow progress the first
two or three weeks, after which time
1t grows rapidly. Where the acreage
is extensive it is best to plant vari-
GUS fields at intervals of week or ten
days, so that all of the fields will not
blossom at the same time and ali
hn !, nef0 s,>
condition.
The late planting of which this crop
permits sometimes make it desirable
for replacing wheat, corn, oats or 9TH
er crops that for some reason or other
have failed to start sufficiently we'll
There are two methods of planting
which may be followed. namely: Sur
face planting and listing. Either OF
these methods If carefully followed
will give good results. In sections
where listing is practiced the soil
should receive some previous prepare
ton, and the listed rows need not be
more than three or four inches deep
This is plenty deep enough to secure
all the advantages of this system. and
there will be little danger of covering
the young plants at the time OF first
cultivation.
AS soon as the young plants are two
or three inches high cultivation should
commence. Narrow shoveled cultiva-
tors with tenders to keep the soil off
the plants are used until the plants at
tain a height of about foot, after
which they grow rapidly and will
thrive with the same cultivation as
does Indian corn. Many find it advis-
able to harrow lengthwise with the
rows with sharp-toothed harrow just
as the plants are coming up. With a
wide harrow and plenty of horse pow
ser this operation is quickly accom-
plished.
The broom corn will probably be
large enough to permit the use of the
regular corn cultivator Is days or
three weeks after planting.