SECONDARY PRODUCTST 3fj 13 



almost all crops, and Broom-corn is found to succeed ad- 

 mirably there. 



SECOND AliY PRODUCTS. 



SEED. Brush of the best quality being the object of 

 the cultivator, all other parts of the plant are subservient 

 to this. To obtain the finest brush, it must be harvested 

 when the plant is in flower, or at most when the seed is 

 but slightly developed. Those who follow the instruc- 

 tions of one writer to harvest when the seed begins to 

 ripen, may get a good crop of seed, but very poor brush. 

 Formerly purchasers were not so exacting as to the qual- 

 ity of the brush, and the value of the seed was taken into 

 account as a part of the returns for the crop, but at pres- 

 ent one who wishes to produce the finest article allows 

 only enough of the crop to mature to furnish seed for 

 planting, as the diminished value of the brush is not 

 compensated for by the value of the seed. Good, plump 

 seed weighs 50 Ibs. to the bushel, but the majority does 

 not exceed 40 Ibs. It contains a great deal of nutriment, 

 and is by some regarded as equal in value with oats to 

 feed to sheep ; ground, either alone or with Indian corn, 

 it is an excellent food for pigs and for milch cows ; chick- 

 ens eat it for a while as a variety, but are not fond of it 

 long at a time. It will not, however, pay to raise seed for 

 either of these purposes. 



The seed from early cut brush hardly deserves the 

 name, as it consists either of mere hulls with no kernel 

 within them, or at most, hulls containing a seed from 

 one-fourth to one-third developed The value of this will 

 depend upon the degree of maturity. That from brush 

 harvested very early and green, is worth no more as food 

 than whatever nutriment may be contained in the hulls. 



This seed, or rather hulls, for it is but little else, as it 

 comes from the stripping machines, has been fed, more 



