Edible Products. 



120 



[August, 1911. 



Preparation op the Land. 



To obtain the best results, the land 

 must be properly prepared and brought 

 to a fairly fine tilth before sowing. The 

 previous treatment should be such as 

 would destroy weed seeds. The presence 

 of weeds in the early stages seriously 

 interferes with the growth and culti- 

 vation of the young plants. Deep 

 ploughing is recommended. This not 

 only ensures greater feeding room for 

 the roots, but it also has the effect of 

 increasing the moisture-carrying capa- 

 city of the soil— a fact which must 

 always be remembered, especially in 

 those districts where the raiufall is 

 limited and irregular. 



The nature of the subsoil must also be 

 considered. Clays should not be brought 

 to the surface, but can be materially 

 improved by subsoiliug. Ploughing 

 operations should be commenced a couple 

 of months before sowing time. This not 

 only allows the land to sweeten by 

 exposure to the weather, but all vegeta- 

 tive growth turned under is generally 

 well decomposed by the time the second 

 ploughing takes place. In early spring 

 the land should be well fined down by 

 means of the harrow, disc, roller, &c. 

 Sowing and Cultivation. 



Sowing should not take place until all 

 danger of frost is over and the soil is 

 thoroughly warmed, so that the seed 

 will germinate at oace. September, 

 October, and November are usually the 

 best months. If planted too early there 

 is not sufficient heat in the soil to cause 

 the seed to germinate, and it will either 

 rot or the young plants will be so weak 

 that the weeds will very quickly outgrow 

 and smother them. It may be sown 

 about the same time as maize, or two or 

 three weeks later, with advantage. Drills 

 4 or 5 in. deep are struck out, with a 

 plough (a double mould-board one is 

 preferable) about 3 or 3^ ft. apart, and 

 the seed planted along these by hand or 

 machine. The latter is preferable, as it 

 sows more uniformly; and, by using a 

 fertiliser attachment, chemical fertilisers 

 may be applied at the same time. An 

 ordinary maize seed-drill which sows 

 and covers the seed in the one operation, 

 is one of the best for the purpose. Dur- 

 ing hot or dry weather the seed should 

 be sown soon after the drills are opened 

 and before the soil has had time to dry. 

 When this system is adopted hilling can 

 be dispensed with. It prevents a great 

 deal of evaporation from the soil by 

 exposing a smaller surface. Besides this, 

 the plants, having their roots deep in 

 the soil, have plenty of support, and are 

 not so quickly affected by dry weather. 

 The amount of seed varies from 5 to 8 lb. 



to the acre. When the plants are 6 in. 

 high, they should be thinned out to 3 or 

 4 in. apart for rich soil, and more space 

 allowed each plar.tin poor ground. With 

 good, clean, and evenly-graded 9eed, the 

 sowing may be adjusted so that very 

 little thinning is necessary, thereby 

 saving a tedious and rather expensive 

 operation. The quality of the brush is 

 affected to a very large extent by the 

 manner in which this thinning is carried 

 out. If too much space is allowed, the 

 plants grow very strong and vigorous, 

 and produce brush which is coarse and 

 unsuitable for market. On the other 

 hand if crowded too much they become 

 very fine and weak. To obtain an even 

 crop, it is essantial to have uniform 

 sowing and germination, and later on 

 to thin the plants to a uniform distance. 

 Some growers prefer to sow the seed in 

 " hills " 15 to 20 in. apart in the drills, 

 leaving from six to ten stalks to each. 

 The seed should be covered from | to 1 

 in. deep, the depth depending upon the 

 character and condition of the soil. 

 If it is dry, deeper covering is more 

 necessary than would be the case if the 

 soil were in a good moist condition. 

 Where labour is scarce, several sowings 

 should be made in succession to euable 

 the grower to deal with his crop at 

 regular intervals, and not have the 

 whole area mature at the same time. 

 Rolling the land as the seed is planted 

 ensures a quicker germination and a 

 better stand, particularly if the soil is 

 a little dry. When drilled, the roller at 

 the rear of the machine is quite sufficient. 

 Should heavy rains fall after sowing, and 

 before the seed has germinated, a light 

 harrow should be used as soon as the 

 condition of the soil will admit. When 

 6 in. high the crop may be harrowed to 

 keep the soil loose and to gradually fill 

 in the drills, and thus destroy any 

 young weeds. Broom millet makes 

 rather slow growth for the first couple 

 of weeks, and the cultivator should be 

 kept going every fortnight or three 

 weeks to keep the surface soil loose 

 and friable, to conserve moisture, and 

 prevent weed growth, and in every 

 instance after rains. For large areas 

 a two-horse spring tine cultivator may 

 be used. When the crop is half grown 

 under favourable conditions cidtivation 

 may cease ; in any case the surface roots 

 must not be disturbed by cultivating 

 too deeply. In moist and exposed situ- 

 ations the crop may be lightly hilled as 

 an extra suppoit is necessary. It is 

 during the early stages of growth that 

 the cultivator is of greatest value, as 

 the soil may then be loosened fairly 

 deeply. The most critical period is 

 when the heads are forming. If dry 



