For the Southern States. 



135 



cereal, besides being excellent food for both man and beast, it cer- 

 tainly deserves to be considered one of the most valuable cereals, 

 and is worthy of the attention of every farmer in the South. Even 

 as feed for chickens nothing is its equal. 



Daring the last two or three years a variety, which experi- 

 ence shows to be radically different from those above described, 

 has been sent out by the enterprising proprietors of the Rural 

 New YorJcer. The seed-heads of this variety, popularly linown as 

 the " Rural Branching Sorghum," are borne upright, in a vertical 

 position, while the heads of the others are mainly droopiug, bend- 

 ing downwards in a graceful curve. Also, the seeds of the Branch- 

 ing variety are somewhat smaller and more spherical than in the 

 other kinds. In addition the seed mature much more slowly, but 

 in ample time to be harvested in the lower Gulf States before frost. 

 The stalk growth of the ^' Rural Branching" variety is far larger 

 than that of the others, being in fact as large as that of large 

 Southern Corn ; while it obtains a height of from 15 to 16 feet on 

 very ordinary piney-woods lands. The leaf also is as large fully 

 as that of Indian Corn, thus producing more fodder by at least 

 one-fourth than Indian Corn on the same land. This variety, 

 moreover, tillers or suckers at the ground enormously, each seed 

 producing from three to a dozen stalks, and sometimes more. 

 When once well under way, it can be cut for green soiling oftener 

 and will yield at each cutting far more fodder than the other va- 

 rieties. It suckers and tillers more and more the oftener it is cut ; 

 and, so far, it exceeds greatly in yield of green fodder and hay 

 any of the familiar fodder plants, not excepting perhaps even the 

 Fearl Millet. The ''Rural Branching" variety is, therefore, more 

 valuable as a forage plant to be cut for green soiling, or for curing 

 as hay. This variety should be planted exclusively in drills four 

 feet apart, and not nearer than 18 to 20 inches in the drill, on ac- 

 count of its mammoth growth. All of these varieties are annuals. 



THE JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE. 



{Helianthus Tuber osus.) 

 By E. M. Hudson. 



Used as a vegetable, the Jerusalem Artichoke makes a deli- 

 cious pickle; and when cooked, as hereafter dirt^cted, it is es- 

 teemea by counisseuis as a luxury. 



Wash and scrape or pare them; boil in milk and water till 

 they are soft, which will be from fifteen to thirty minutes. Take 

 them out and stew them for a few minutes ia a sauce made by 

 rolling a bit of butter of the size of a walnut in flour, mixed with 

 half a pint oL cream or milk, and seasoned with pepper, salt, or 

 grated nutmeg. 



It is as a forage or root crop, however, that the Artichoke 

 possesses unusual merit for the farmer. Its habit may be styled 

 self- propagating, for when once established it is almost perpetual ; 

 and this gives it a peculiar value. It will grow on exceedingly 

 poor land and produce well, while on rich land the yield is enor- 



