BROOMCORN CULTURE 263 



leafy than kafir and the stalks are less palatable, so that 

 milo stover is less valuable than that from kafir. 



BROOMCORN 



326. Culture. Broomcorn is not a grain crop nor can it 

 be included with any other important class of crops, but it is 

 so closely related to the grain sorghums that it can best be 

 discussed with them. The methods of growing the crop 

 are not different from those employed in the production of 

 corn and the grain sorghums. Broomcorn is of two general 

 types, the standard and the dwarf. Standard broomcorn 

 grows from 8 to 10 feet high and produces a long, slender, 

 rather flexible brush; dwarf broomcorn grows from 4 to 6 

 feet high and usually produces a shorter, stiffer brush. The 

 crop is grown principally in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and 

 Oklahoma; the standard type is more largely grown in 

 central Illinois than elsewhere. It requires a fertile soil 

 and plenty of moisture, while dwarf broomcorn produces 

 brush of the best quality on light sandy land. Dwarf broom- 

 corn resists drouth better than the standard, and is grown 

 most extensively in Kansas and Oklahoma. The usual 

 width between rows of the standard is 3}^ feet, with the 

 plants 3 inches apart in the row; dwarf broomcorn is planted 

 in rows 3 feet apart with the plants 2 inches apart in the row. 

 From 3 to 5 pounds of seed are planted to the acre. 



327. Harvesting. Dwarf broomcorn is harvested by 

 pulling the heads from the stalks by hand when they are in 

 bloom, as the brush is of inferior quality when the seeds 

 mature. The brush is then thrown into wagons and hauled 

 to the thrasher. Standard broomcorn is harvested by 

 " tabling" before the heads are removed from the stalks. 

 In tabling, the stalks are bent over about 2}/2 feet from the 

 ground, two rows being bent together so that the heads of 



