NATIONAL FARM 



SAFETY WEEK 



JUIY 24-30, 1949 





NATIONAl SAffTr CCUNCil 



a Safe Meek! 



"G 



OING to try to i;ct that little 

 patih ot weeds over yonder 

 mowed belore it f;et.s dark. Got 

 to _!,'et tins mower off. so's \ 

 ia[i hook lip to the lomlniie and yet it 

 iiomi:, Ih.it hatk lortv ot whe.it will Ix- 

 ri..uh toiiU)rro\\ ." 



How inaiiv limes have \oii said this, or 

 heard It N.nd.' ^'ou rush .ill day e\eiv da\ 

 diirint; the Miiiimer to uel w hat s ^ot to 

 he done. ,iiid then trv to keep the pl.iie 

 trom looking; like the weeds and termites 

 ha\e taken o\er. 'I'he Mrs. lomplains 

 he<..iu>e \ou re .ilw.ivs so tired when v^iii 

 !:et in. ^'oii work lout; hours, but you re 

 m.ikiiii; out. in latl, sa\in:: a little monc\. 

 .ind the corn looks cood. ^'ou think 

 \ou re doini; pretty cood - you are. 

 but . . . 



W'h.it .ibout th.it old l.ulder. with the 



broken runi; you've been aimin to tix? 

 What about that penny you put in the 

 tuse box and promised yourself to uet a 

 new fuse, then lortjot about it.'' What 

 about those 1_'^ ihtlerent thin^ys you are 

 uoinc to lix when it rains.-' ^'ou have 

 lowered vour i^uard. haven I you .^ ^■ou're 

 irustint; kak will keep vour name off the 

 hospital list. 



Can you afforel this.' Aeiulents lan be 

 preveiiteil. A little prevention is worth 

 all the dottor and hospit.il bills you ^.an 

 afford, to say nothini; of the lost time 

 while you're ' out . 



The President of the United States has 

 asked you to observe National Farm 

 S.ifety \\'eek. July Ji-3(). We ask you 

 and warn you to be espeeially larelirl 

 durint; the eomint: weeks. M A K I; 



rvnh' wi;i;k a sai h vv i;i;k. 



^ ^;- 





:i :; 



I 



I YOU t.ilk to certain farmers 

 111 ( oles lOuiity about eorn. you 11 

 have to specify what kind ot lorii 

 vou mean. They speak of broom 

 lorii and Indian corn. 



Many ot the older farmers speak ot 

 broom corn with a ureat deal of respect. 

 It has paid tor a cood manv Coles 

 ,ounty tarms. " they will tell you. Coles 

 at one time was the leadint; bre)om 

 corn countv in the n.ition. 



J. I. Weddle. Mattoon farmer, who 

 ^■rows broom corn savs. "It s still a tiood 

 cash crop, althoui;!) last \e.ir the Indian 



corn growers h.ici a little edue on me . 



Weddle estim.ites his crop vielded 3l>() 

 pounds an acre, selli.it; for at least 20 

 cents a pound. He crovvs the White 

 It.iliaii v.irietv. 



Cirowini; it differs little trom yrovv- 

 iiii; Indian lorn. Weddle says. Corn 

 IS drilled about 90 seeds to a rod on 

 well-prepared seed beds. It is eultiva'ed 

 two or three times like seed corn. 



It Is cut v\ hen the seeds are m the 

 cii)u<:h bv hired crews oi men who break 

 the corn over. crossiiiL' the stalks from 

 two rows, to form a t.ible. A table is 



two rows. SO rods loni;. The seeds are 

 not saved. 



The tassels or brooms are then re- 

 moved and loaded on a waqon. A cutter 

 can cut an aver.iye of tour tables a 

 day and is j-'aid S'> a table. It is harci 

 work. 



Why have broom corn acrea^ues 

 dropped .•" 'It's a j:ood money erop.' 

 Harry lidwards. a Mattoon buyer said 

 recently. "But it's a bit; labor crop, 

 too. I'armers here have made enoui;h 

 money with Indian corn so they don't 

 bother with broom. " 



tC'.KU-.ln.i ',11 /'.,-Ai :S I 



Noble Jackson shows how broom corn is 

 harvested. Stalks are bent, crossed to 

 form "table." Then tassels are cut off. 



Brooms are then dried in open shed after 

 seeds are removed. This shed is in Coles 

 county, once broom corn center of nation. 



Farm Operator Weddle, right, and Jackson 

 hold "about a dollar's worth" of brooms 

 almost dry enough to bale for market. 



I. A. A. RECORD 



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