August, 1911.] 



121 



Edible Products. 



weather should set in then, the brush 

 will be short and stunted. It may be 

 necessary in some districts to sow early 

 or late in the season so that the crop 

 will not come into flower during such 

 trying conditions. Where irrigation is 

 practised, it is essential to plant in suit- 

 ably graded land and convey the water 

 by means of open drills between the 

 rows. After each application of water, 

 and as soon as the nature of the soil 

 will allow, the soil must be well culti- 

 vated to prevent caking and to conserve 

 moisture. 



Manuring. 



On soils that are somewhat poor it is 

 advisable to apply fertilizers. Such 

 crops as cowpeas, field-peas, vetches, 

 and clovers are suitable for green 

 manuring, and may be ploughed under 

 when they have reached the blooming 

 stage or have been grazed off by stock. 

 This latter system works well when 

 mixed farming is carried out and stock 

 of different kinds are kept. Any 

 vegetable matter should be ploughed 

 under early to give it ample time to 

 decompose befocp sowing. Farmyard 

 manure, if available, is also a first-rate 

 manure to apply, as it not only supplies 

 the elements required by the plauts, 

 but also improves the mechanical con- 

 dition of the soil. Chemical manures 

 are also valuable and are very easily 

 applied. Superphosphate, bone-dust, 

 dried blood and sulphate of potash will 

 be found the most suitable. The quan- 

 tities used for maize or sorghum will do 

 equally well for broom millet. The fol- 

 lowing make a complete fertiliser, and 

 may be applied at the rate of 2 to 2| cwt. 

 per acre : — 



Superphosphate ... 80 lb. 



Dried blood ... ... 64 ,, 



Bone-dust ... ... 50 ,, 



Sulphate of potash ... 30 ,, 



The manures should be passed through 

 a sieve to remove lumps and foreign 

 substances that would prevent them 

 from passing freely through the drills. 

 They should be thoroughly mixed just 

 before sowing, as if mixed any great 

 length of time before required they are 

 very liable to " set," especially if the 

 weather is at all damp, and this neces- 

 sitates breaking up and re-screening 

 before use. It is impossible to state 

 definitely what quantity of manure is 

 required for each class of soil. Growers 

 would do well to conduct experiments 

 on a small scale with manure, mixed in 

 varying proportions, and to notice 

 which give the best results. Soils, 

 even in one locality, often vary con- 

 siderably in their chemical and phy- 

 16 



sical characters, and by such tests 

 the farmer may soon determine the most 

 suitable mixture for his land. Au 

 excessive dressing of manure tends to 

 produce a strong coarse brush. 



Bending the Heads over. 

 The practice of bending the heads 

 over is not carried out extensively in 

 this State, and as a result a large 

 amount of bent brush is sent to market, 

 which can be used only as " insides " or 

 "covers." In many parts of the United 

 States of America this operation is 

 never neglected. When allowed to grow 

 in the natural way, a large percentage 

 of the brush will spread out and bend 

 over on account of the weight of the 

 seed, and thus reduces its marketable 

 value. This is especially the case if 

 there is good rain when the brush is 

 forming. The rapid growth causes the 

 panicles composing the head to become 

 tender and unable to bear the weight of 

 the growing seed. Strong winds, at 

 this particular period, will also cause 

 this, and grain-eating birds, when 

 plentiful, are sometimes responsible for 

 a great deal of damage. 



This loss may be prevented by bending 

 the head over, and the weight of the 

 seed in maturing will cause the brush 

 to lie close and straight. The turning 

 must be done between the joints or 

 nodes, as if done on the joints the stem 

 will snap and the top die off. The 

 bending checks the flow of sap a little, 

 but the growth in the head is not 

 materially affected. This operation is 

 performed when the seed is beginning to 

 fill out and the brush shows signs of 

 spreading, 



It should be understood that it is 

 quite possible to grow millet without 

 turning down the heads. Some of the 

 best millet on the market is grown by 

 farmers who do not favour the operation. 

 At the same time there are seasons 

 when a fairly large percentage is com- 

 pletely spoilt, and such losses could have 

 been prevented by the adoption of this 

 system. The stalks are bent about a 

 foot below the base of the head, and, if 

 the plants are very tall, there may be 

 two bends. The heads should hang 

 clear of the ground, so that they will 

 not be damaged by rubbing or dis- 

 coloured by the splashing of mud in 

 rainy weather. 



Harvesting and Curing. 



No matter what care has been bestow- 

 ed upon the cultivation of the crop, 

 sound judgment must be exercised at 

 time of harvesting. Au excellent crop 

 may be brought successfully as far as 



