110 FARM CROPS 



corn planter. Special plates are made for drilling 

 this fine seed. About 3 inches is the proper depth 

 for planting. Cultivation may begin at practically 

 any time after planting, by the use of the harrow 

 lengthwise of the rows. The young plants will not 

 be injured by this treatment, while the weeds will 

 be kept from gaining a start. The first few weeks 

 the young broom corn plants grow very slowly, and 

 it is of prime importance to prevent heavy growth 

 of weeds obtaining a foothold before the plant is 

 big enough to cultivate. Ordinary corn cultivator 

 machinery is used in caring for the crop. 



Careful Harvesting Required. The time for har- 

 vesting is that stage when the fibers of the broom 

 have completed their growth and before the stalk 

 and seed have begun to ripen. When the seed is 

 in what is known as the dead stage, or at the end 

 of the milk stage, it is usually the proper time for 

 cutting. The stalks grow so high that they 

 must be broken before it is possible to cut the 

 brush, which is the valuable part of the crop. 

 This is done by hand work, one man breaking 

 the stalks down as fast as two men can 

 cut the brush. The breaker walks backward be- 

 tween the two rows, bending the stalks at either 

 hand at a height of about 2^ or 3 feet and over- 

 lapping them in such a way as to form a continuous 

 table of green, fibrous stalks. On this table the 

 brushes are placed as they are cut and left until 

 partially dry, before being hauled from the field. 

 The proper length for cutting the brush is 6 to 8 

 inches below the first fibers, so as to leave a stalk 

 of at least 6 inches in length attached to each broom. 

 Anything longer than this will, of course, increase 

 the tonnage and this has been, in some cases, one of 



