600 



FARMERS' REGISTER— BROOM CORN. 



the rapid propagation of leo;ions of these active 

 operatives. Accordingly, every means was used 

 to encourage the gTowth and increase of the fleas. 

 Fresh swarms were combed out of some neigh- 

 boring dogs, and .added to the domestic supply of 

 Towzer, who at the same time v.as confined to a 

 bed of damp and filthy straw, still more to protect 

 and increase the vermin ; Avhilehis usual food was 

 reduced, at first, to less than half his former al- 

 lowance, that he might be compelled to make full 

 use of his new customers, and afterwards gradual- 

 ly still more diminished, as his flea-food was sup- 

 posed to increase. What was before mere sport 

 for Towzer, now became a matter of most disa- 

 greeable necessity. He daily devoured fleas by 

 thousands, as well as the small share of bread still 

 given to him, and as much more as he could man- 

 age to steal, but yet became leaner every day. 



Though the shej)herd was disappointed in not 

 seeing him become fat, he found, by actual mea- 

 surement, (and he was a man who deemed one fact 

 worth a thousand theories,) that, since this treat- 

 ment commenced, the puppy had grown three 

 quarters of an incii in height, which he imputed 

 entirely to his flea-diet; and thence was sure, that, 

 to make him fat, as well as tall, nothing was want- 

 ing but more fleas. Not content with forcing 

 Towzer to submit to his plan, he aimed to convince 

 liis reason — (for brutes could reason as well as 

 speak in ancient times)— he represented to him 

 " the great convenience of a home market for his 

 products, and of obtaining his articles of primary 

 necessity at home, instead of being dependent on 

 foreign supplies, to be sought by the very hazard- 

 ous and uncertain practice of hunting the fields for 

 rabbits — that it was kind and parental treatuient 

 to confine him at home, and compel him to culti- 

 vate his own resources — that, if the continual biting 

 of his domestic customers was unpleasant, it was 

 only because he had not been long enough accus- 

 tomed to them, and that any discontented feeling- 

 ought to be repressed by considering how patriotic 

 it was for him to support the animals of his own 

 home — and, finally, that Towzer had been grov/- 

 ing, and of course thriving, under this blood-suck- 

 ing system, ever since he had been six months 

 old." 



A nimble old buck-flea, who at the same time 

 had been enjoying this fine speech and the opening 

 of a new vein, now came to strengthen the argu- 

 ment. "And, besides," he squeaked in Towzer's 

 ear, "do you not remember, you ungrateful pup- 

 py, that we have stuck to you through all your 

 difficulties? When you were first deprived of 

 your mother's milk, and were too young to pro- 

 cure meat, we fleas furnished you our fat bodies 

 for your food, (whenever you could catch us) con- 

 tent with having obtained previously only a few 

 drops of your blood — and so we have continued, 

 and will continue, to aid and serve j'ou, ungrateful 

 as you are, as long as there is a drop of blood under 

 your mangy skin." 



Towzer, by way of reply to this last speaker, 

 made a sudden scratch, which dislodged him, and 

 then an ineffectual snap at him as he jumped to a 

 new hiding-place. It was useless, and perhaps 

 dangerous, to dispute the matter with the shep- 

 herd, whose closing arguments might be the whip 

 and chain. In a short time the dog died — and his 

 master always remained convinced that his death 

 was caused by his fleas not being sufficiently nu- 



merous. "They should have been protected," he 

 said, "until they had increased ten-fold, and then 

 it is perfectly obvious that Towzer would have had 

 ten times as many fleas (o eat, and of course would 

 have been in an eminently flourishing condition." 

 Virginia, July, 1831. u. 



Enoor.i conx — Sorghum saccharatum, i.. 



From Goodsell's Farmer. 



This plant is a native of India, and was intro- 

 duced into this country about fifty years since. 



Under the general name of sorghum, are ar- 

 ranged several species, most of which are cultiva- 

 ted lor their farinaceous seeds, which have at dif- 

 ferent times and by different nations been used as 

 bread stuffs, as the S. vulgare or Indian millet, and 

 S. rubens, wliich is sometimes called Egyptian 

 wheat. 



The S. saccharatum, or broom corn, is cultiva- 

 ted mostly for the sake of the long panicles, or 

 seed stems, which are manufactured into brooms, 

 and for which purpose we know of no plant, that 

 can be cultivated in this climate that would be 

 equally as valuable. 



For many years past broom corn has been ex- 

 tensively cultivated as a field crop in New Jersey, 

 Connecticut, Massachusetts, and some other parts 

 of the United States and has been made a very 

 profitable branch of agriculture. 



In order to render this a profitable crop it should 

 be planted upon such soils, and in such climates as 

 are found favorable for Indian corn. Wherever 

 the gourd seed corn perfects itself, it is safe to cal- 

 culate that broom corn will succeed. 



Although the seeds of the broom corn may be 

 ripened much further north, than the larger ivinds 

 oi Indian corn succeed to advantage, yet the nmi- 

 cles or brush will not be so long or valuable as 

 that which is grown in a warmer climate. 



The cultivation of broom corn does not differ 

 materially from tliat of Indian corn, as it may be 

 planted either in hills, or in drills, both of which 

 are practised in the same district to the option of 

 the grov/er. 



The produce of brush varies in different parts of 

 the country, and in the same district in different 

 seasons, but a fair crop may be put at from five to 

 seven hundred pounds per acre. 



Although tiie brush or panicle is the main ob- 

 ject of cultivation, yet the seeds are turned to some 

 account when large crops are grown. The quan- 

 ity of seed produced per acre, may be calculated at 

 from twenty-five to thirty-five bushels, which is 

 pronounced by some to be equal to the same quan- 

 tity of oats for hogs or cattle. 



The price of brush varies in different seasons 

 from five to ten cents per pound. Allowing five 

 hundred pounds as the produce of an acre, and se- 

 ven cents per pound as price, the produce would 

 be thirty -five dollars per acre. The seed is 

 thought by many to be worth as much as the cost 

 of cultivation. 



From the universal use of corn brooms in this 

 country, and also in Upper and Lower Canadas, 

 where the climate is too cool for the cultivation of 

 the plant, there is little danger of the market being 

 overstocked, and farmers in suitable localities, 

 may with safety calculate on the crop as one that 

 will at all times yield a fair remuneration for the? 

 cultivator. 



