652 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



should be allowed to ripen seed. It is important that broom corn 

 grown for seed should not be planted near sorghum, since the close 

 botanic relation of these plants permit them to cross readily, thus 

 reducing the value of either crop grown from crossed seed. 



If the seed are fresh and nine out of ten germinate, two or three 

 quarts are sufficient to plant an acre, if a suitable seed drill is used. 

 If the seed are dropped by hand, as is frequently the case with small 

 growers, they are not properly distributed, there is an unavoidable 

 waste of seed, irregular development in the resulting crop, and in- 

 creased difficulties in cultivating the young plants. 



Of the two classes of broom corn grown, the dwarf and the 

 standard, the dwarf grows from 4 1 / to 6 feet tall and the standard 

 from 8 to 12 feet, with longer and stronger brush than the former. 

 These differences make it necessary that the two classes be in some 

 respects treated differently, as will be discussed in appropriate place. 



Planting. In no case should planting begin until the soil has 

 become thoroughly warm, since broom corn is more susceptible to 

 cold than Indian corn, and equally as susceptible as sorghum and 

 millet. If planted too early the seed are not only liable to rot in the 

 soil or germinate poorly, but the plants that do appear will be weak 

 and the stand and growth irregular. When the young plants first 

 come up they are slender and delicate, growing very slowly the first 

 two or three weeks. This early slowness of growth is more marked 

 with early planting and cool weather than with later planting in 

 warm weather. One of the most necessary and profitable operations 

 in the growing of any crop consists in the thorough preparation of 

 the soil before the crop is planted, and this is particularly true of 

 broom corn. Two or three cultivations at intervals of ten or fifteen 

 days before planting will go a great way towards the destruction of 

 the growths of young weeds that successively spring up as the 

 weather becomes sufficiently warm for their germination. Each 

 shower at this season of the year will start a new crop of weeds and 

 as soon after rain falls as the ground is dry enough for cultivation 

 the weeder, harrow, cultivator, disc or some such surface working 

 and weed destroying implement should go over the field with as 

 much care and thoroughness as if the crop was already growing. 

 This preparation cultivation not only destroys the first few crops 

 of weeds but gives to the soil a physical character that will manifest 

 itself in the quick germination of the seed into strong and rapidly 

 growing young plants, facilitating their future cultivation and 

 growth. 



Broom corn rows are usually about 3^ feet apart, though the 

 dwarf forms may be given 4 or 6 inches less space. The distance the 

 plants should stand in the row depends upon the fertility of the land 

 and as to whether the dwarf or standard varieties are grown. They 

 should be thicker on fertile land, about four plants to the foot for the 

 standard and about six for the dwarf should be the distance for 

 plants to occupy in the row for soil of medium fertility. On more 

 fertile soil the stand may be thicker, and thinner on less fertile soil. 

 If the crop is to be cultivated with the hoe the seed are planted in 



