Fibres, 



18 



[January, 1912. 



the plants will require to be thinned out, 

 which will add at least 20s. per acre to 

 the labour bill ; the crop will also suffer 

 in both quality and yield, the broom 

 being faulty and of smaller growth. 

 The seed should never be sown more 

 than 2 in. below the surface, as the first 

 shoot is thin and <ielicate and cannot 

 force its way through, if sown deeply. 



As seed is so cheap and is required in 

 such small quantities it is advisable to 

 grade it, and to sow only heavy samples. 

 Many growers immerse the seed in water 

 and float the light seed to the surface ; 

 the latter is then skimmed off and 

 thrown to the fowls. It is also wise to 

 treat the seed with a 2 per cent, solution 

 of bluestone, similarly to wheat and 

 oats. 



Maize sowers are now fitted to sow 

 broom seed ; and, in clean sandy soils, 

 the hand Planet Jr. seed sower answers 

 well. 



Cultivation. 

 The land should be fallowed and well 

 worked through the winter to kill the 

 weeds and to get the land in good order. 

 Fit ming the land with a roller before 

 drilling is a good system. As soon as 

 the young plants are 4 to 6 in. high the 

 whole field should be harrowed. If 

 slightly on the thick side, an extra 

 harrowing can be given, always working 

 across the drills. Until the crop is 6 or 

 7 ft. high, it will be necessary to use a 

 Planet Jr. hoi se hoe between the rows 

 to keep down the weeds and to keep the 

 soil loose on the surface. 



Where irrigation is practised, two 

 apnlications of water should suffice; one 

 when the crop is about 12 in. high, and 

 another just after the last hoeing. 



Sheds. 



Sheds for drying can be built of bush 

 timber; provided the roof is watertight, 

 any material will suffice. Plenty of 

 ventilation is au essential, especially 

 under the caves and gable ends so as 

 to allow the moist air every opportun- 

 ity of escaping freely. Doors at each 

 end, and sides that can be easily opened 

 up, will be found advantageous, so that 

 the air can be admitted from whichever 

 side the wind is coming. 



The quicker the curing process, the 

 better the sample of fibre so far as 

 eolour is concerned. The green colour 

 is fixed by fast drying, whereas a slow 

 process admits of bleaching, which is 

 not desirable. 



The floors of the shed can be from 2 to 

 4 ft. apart, one above the other. The 

 former distance economizes the space 



where shed room is not abundant. The 

 4 ft. height, however, admits of easier 

 working. 



Harvesting. 

 A crop planted the first week in 

 November will generally be ready to 

 harvest in March and April. The stage 

 at which the fibre is cut is important. 

 It should commence directly the seed 

 begins to harden, as it is advisable to 

 have the green colour kept in the fibre. 

 This gives it a greater value. When 

 cut at this stage, the stalks will also be 

 more useful as fodder for stock. In 

 many eases harvesting is extended over 

 two and sometimes three months, but 

 the colour of the fibre is bound to 

 suffer if the crop is allowed to become 

 over-ripe. As a slight compensation, 

 the seed, however, will develop to 

 a greater extent under such circum- 

 stances. 



There are several methods of harvest- 

 ing. The most popular, especially where 

 the stalks are required for fodder or 

 silage, is to break down all the stalks 

 to the ground in every fifth row, 

 lapping them on one another the whole 

 length of the row. During the process, 

 the heads are cut off from 4 to 6 in. 

 below the junction of the panicles with 

 the main stalk. This operation is per- 

 formed with a heavy butcher's knife. 



The-6 in. lengths are left on the short 

 heads and the 4-in. lengths on the long. 

 Any sheaths attached to the stalk must 

 be rubbed off, and the heads kept 

 straight in the hand with the butts all 

 one way until a handful is gathered. 

 These are then laid across the stalks on 

 the ground in such a way that the 

 panicles are kept clean of dirt, and the 

 air allowed to circulate freely through- 

 out to dry any surplus moisture as fast 

 as possible. The standing rows are bent 

 over and the tops cut off in the same 

 way and laid on the broken-down row. 



It is found more expeditious for each 

 cutter to take two rows at a time ; it 

 will require five quick men to cut an 

 acre in one day. If the crop has been 

 sown thickly it will take longer, as 

 three small heads must be handled as 

 against an equivalent weight in one 

 large head ; the sample will also be 

 inferior. Very small heads and bad 

 heads are better not cut at all, as they 

 will not pay to handle and are also 

 liable to damage the market value of 

 the whole. 



Once cut, the fibre should not be left 

 in the field more than one day. If rain 

 is feared, the fibre should be taken 

 straight to the curing shed where it 

 should be laid on floors of saplings, 



