The Green Forest tribune., 1917-02-09

strongly developed central stem should be removed before it flowers and cross-fertiliZes the desirable brush. If this work is well done the first year, much less time will be required in the second and succeeding years.
 Sowing broom corn begins in the southeastern part of Texas as early as April 1. In the southeastern part of Oklahoma 1t begins about April 15. In western Oklahoma, the Panhandle of Texas, and southwestern Kansas sowing begins about May 10 and con- tinues for about two weeks. Usually the crop is sown about two weeks later than the average date for plant ing corn in any given locality.
 Experiments made at the Woodward field station, Woodward, Okla, show that one plant every six or eight inches in the row is about right where the rows are three and one-half feet apart. This will be true of other localities with similar conditions. Thinner stands may be necessary under very dry conditions. Two pounds of good seed are sufficient to SOW an acre in dry sections. On moist, rich soils, the crop should be soWn at a heavier rate than on poor soils or in dry sections. Thin stands on rich soils tend to pro- duce long, coarse brush. Too thick stands on poor soils or in dry sections produce short brush, or in extreme cases fail to produce brush at all.
 Cultivation should begin early and be repeated as needed while the plants are small, as they make slow growth and are easily choked by weeds. When the crop is surface sown, spike tooth harrow is an efficient tool for the first and second cultivation. Later cultivations are made with an or dinary corn cultivator.
 Harvesting.
 To obtain brush of the best variety harvesting should be done early. It may be at any time from the beginning of blooming until the seed is in the early dough stage. The exact time depends very largely upon the develop ment of the fiber. The strength of the fiber increases until the natural pea green color extends from the tip to the base and from the outside to the center of the head. After this time the brush becomes more brittle as the ripening progresses. If harvesting takes place before the green color has developed throughout the base of the brush, the result is weak base and poor quality.
 When the crop is grown for seed the brush is not harvested until after the seed is fully mature. Ripe brush, however, is of little value for making broOms. If ripe brush is not discol- ored by wet weather but has the natural yellow color of mature brush it commands about half the price of good brush. It should be cared for and baled the same as the good brush.
 If the broom corn is to be she'd cured, it is first threshed If the rick curing method is to be followed, how ever, the seed are not removed until after curing since the seedless heads would pack too closely in the ricks and induce molding. The value of the brush is frequently determined in the process of curing. This is because col or and condition govern, to large extent the price of broom corn. In order that the brush may retain it's fresh green color, it must be cured rapidly and not exposed to strong light. Shed-curing is the preferable method. A shed 10 feet high 16 feet wide, and 24 feet long will contain ample space for the usual yield for Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas, from 35 acres of the dwarf variety. The brush is placed on ricks in such shed.
 Preparation for Market
 After curing, the care with which broom-corn brush is graded, baled, and stored will largely determine its mar ket value. A common source of loss to the broom-corn grower is the preva- lent practice of baling the crop with out grading. The grower will be re paid for the time and labor of grading his brush and baling each grade sepa- rately. Crooked heads. heads with twisted or kinky fiber, and those con- taining large center stem are of poor quality and should be separated from the good brush. Grading can be done conveniently either when the brush is being taken from the field or after it is threshed and just before the baling is done. The graded brush should be carefully baled with butts outward at each end, heads Tapping in the middle.
 If the bales are not sold directly after baling they should be stored in dry, dark place for protection against the weather and sunlight. Otherwise the outside of the bales will be wealth CT stained or bleached by the sun and will not command as high a price as if kept in good condition.