BROOM-CORN EXPERIMENTS AT WOODWARD, OKLAHOMA. 53 



a smaller margin than in 1917. This experiment has not been carried 

 far enough to draw final conclusions, but it is very evident that 

 progress is being made in the development of strains of broom corn 

 which produce a uniform brush. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



The conclusions drawn from the data presented in this bulletin are 

 as follows : 



(1) All varieties of broom corn produce high yields in seasons 

 which are favorable, but only adapted varieties yield well in the less 

 favorable seasons. 



(2) Dwarf broom corn outyields the Standard variety under such 

 conditions as obtain at Woodward, Okla. 



(3) Dwarf broom corn evidently requires less water than the 

 Standard variety and therefore is better adapted to the conditions 

 which prevail in the district described in this bulletin. 



(4) The commercial names applied to broom corn have little sig- 

 nificance, as they do not represent distinct varieties. 



(5) The tendency to sucker is present in both the Standard and 

 the Dwarf varieties of broom corn, but to a greater degree in the 

 Dwarf. Suckering is influenced largely by environing conditions. 



(6) Environing conditions also influence the length and quality of 

 the brush. Thick stands tend to produce short brush and thin stands 

 long, coarse brush. 



(7) The best time to sow the crop appears to be either from about 

 May 1 to 15 or from June 15 to 30. When sown at these times the 

 crop comes into head either before or not until after the middle of 

 August, which is usually dry and hot. 



(8) No single rate of seeding will give the best results in all 

 years. A stand of one plant to 6 or 8 inches of row space, with rows 

 3.5 feet apart, appears to be the most profitable rate for a series of 

 years. 



(9) There is nothing gained by the method of spacing the rows 7 

 feet apart with the plants twice as thick in the row as when the 

 rows are spaced half that distance apart. 



(10) When harvesting is delayed until the seeds have reached the 

 dough stage a higher yield of brush will be obtained than if har- 

 vested earlier. 



(11) The indications are that better service will be obtained from 

 brooms made from brush harvested when the seeds are in the dough 

 stage than if harvested at any other time. 



(12) The nursery work shows that much of the seed from com- 

 mercial sources is of poor quality. Progress is being made in devel- 

 oping strains which produce a uniform quality of brush. 



