Remarks on Guinea Corn, 3 17 



days until frost. In June collect the blades together and 

 cut them all ofF, one or two inches above the crown of 

 the plant, indeed, if the plant be cut near to the ground 

 it will sprout out repeatedly but not leaf so profusely 

 though come to good seed. But this hitherto only re- 

 lates to fodder, and the cutter will be regulated in his 

 cutting, by seeing what part the creatures refuse from 

 being too hard. 



When seed is the object, then in these rows which, 

 are three feet asunder, the plants may be hoed off, 

 leaving small clumps of six or eight stalks about four 

 or five feet distant in quincunx order as it suckers 

 much, it may be occasionally suckered on the common 

 principle : and these plants are good fodder. 



If the seed be sowed for a crop of seed, disregarding 

 use as fodder, the rows may be four or five feet apart 

 and the clumps as far apart in the rows ; sowing 10 or 

 12 seed, in each clump or hillock. If the soil be in 

 good heart, it will probably not require a single hoeing ; 

 the plants stole so much, and abounding with leaves, 

 the earth is almost entirely shaded, and in the more 

 advanced stage, entirely so. 



Like plants in general, it delights in a soil rich, dry 

 and loose. In the West Indies it yields two crops an- 

 nually — both yielding from 60 to 80 bushels of seed. 

 Here* we set but one crop. In the field, the birds are 

 fond of the grain ; and in the barn> the rats. It is ex- 

 cellent for poultry, and where the seed is cleared from 

 its husk, by beating in a mortar ; and boiled and eaten 



^ In Carolina. 



