HARVESTING. 21 



as being especially suitable for cultivating the crop ; as 

 these are probably no better than many others, we do not 

 enumerate them. The intelligent farmer who knows 

 that the success of his crop depends on keeping down 

 weeds, will accomplish this end by employing those 

 methods and implements with which he is most familiar. 



THINKING. If the planting has been so regular in the 

 drills that the stalks stand 2 to 3 inches apart, no thin- 

 ning will be required, but if thicker than this, the sur- 

 plus must be pulled out. If planted in hills, only fiye or 

 six plants should remain, the others being removed at 

 the first hoeing. S1-J1.R ,-\ 



HARVESTING. ft ft j y ^ R ^ f 



WHEN TO HARVEST. The quality, arid cqnse^eiytly, , 

 the value, of the brush depends in a great measure" upon l 

 the time at which it is harvested. A delay of a week 

 may make a difference of one-half, or even more, in the 

 price in the market ; yet important as it is, there is no 

 one point upon which those who have written on Broom- 

 corn differ more than as to the proper time to harvest, it 

 being stated at all the way from blossoming time up to 

 that when the seeds are ripe. 



The buyers demand brush of a light green color, and 

 though yellow or reddish brush may be really as good, it 

 brings so much less in price that every care is taken to 

 secure the desired green color. Some varieties are supe- 

 rior to others in this respect, but even with these, much 

 depends upon the time of cutting and manner of curing. 



The most successful growers say that the cutting 

 should commence as soon as the " blossoms " begin to 

 fall. After the flower has been fertilized and the seed 

 " set," the anthers, or male organs and male flowers, fall 

 away, and this is called the dropping of the " blossom." 

 At this time the seed has just begun to form, and is in a 



