DHOURA CORN. 337 



On rocky, clayey land, that will scarcely sprout foxtail, I 

 have seen the most luxuriant crops. It will continue to 

 grow until frost, and after the first head matures it throws 

 out suckers from other joints, and makes smaller heads. 

 This is expedited by going over it and culling out as fast as 

 it ripens. Stock of all kinds are fond of it, and will 

 greedily eat it. It is almost equal to Indian corn as a fat- 

 tening food for hogs. 



The ground is plowed as well as possible, and then 

 thrown into low ridges, or even better no ridges at all ; the 

 seeds are then drilled three feet apart, with a seed drill. 

 If sown by hand, the rows are made with a bull-tongue 

 plow and covered with a harrow. A peck of seeds is enough 

 for an acre, unless they are weevil eaten, when more should 

 be used. They should be covered very lightly, not more 

 than an inch and a half deep. When they come up they 

 should be thinned out by chopping across the row, leaving 

 the plants eighteen inches apart, then one or two good 

 plo wings are all the crop requires. There need be no fear 

 of weeds or grass after it once starts out to grow, as its 

 enormous foliage, and thickly clustering suckers choke out 

 everything else on the ground. It grows very rapidly, and 

 will soon be ready for harvesting. There are various ways 

 for doing this, according to the fancy of the farmer. Some 

 cut of the seed heads as they ripen, and turn stock on the 

 stalks, which will eat them up quite clean. Others will 

 cut the stalks just before frost, stacking them and feeding 

 them as hay through the winter ; and these stalks will keep 

 better than any other of the pithy grasses, not souring like 

 Indian corn or sugar cane. Still others wait until the 

 largest quantity of seeds is ripe, and then cut, and house 

 seeds, stalks and all together, If the fodder is pulled it 

 makes excellent feed, in fact every part of the' plant makes 

 good feed for some animals. Care should be exercised to 

 protect it from fowls, as they are so fond of the seeds that, 

 frequently, whole fields are stripped. 

 22 



