August, 1911.] 



123 



Edible Products. 



average for prime hurJ may be set down 

 at £30, cover millet at £25 to £30, and 

 inside millet at £20 per ton. Should the 

 prices, however, be somewhat low when 

 harvesting takes place, the millet may 

 be stored for any length of time without 

 deterioration, and disposed of when 

 higher prices are obtainable. 



On account of the seed not being 

 properly developed, it is best to con- 

 sume it on the farm. Its value may be 

 estimated at 4s. per 1-bushel bag. 



Selection op the Seed. 



Special attention must be given to the 

 selection of the seed. That obtained in 

 the process of stripping should not be used 

 for sowing. The practice of using such 

 would speedily lead to deterioration and 

 the production of inferior brush. Good 

 reliable seed can only be obtained by 

 sowing in special areas and allowing the 



Flants to mature their seed naturally, 

 ndividual plants may be allowed to 

 ripen their seed in an ordinary field, 

 but there is always a danger of their 

 being hybridised by pollen from plants 

 having inferior biush. In any case, 

 seed should be obtained from those 

 which produce the best heads. By 

 proper cultivation and selectiou the 

 quality and yield of any variety may be 

 improved. Where seed-eating birds are 

 troublesome, it may be necessary to 

 cover the heads with some light material, 

 such as muslin, when the seed is com- 

 mencing to fill out. The ends must be 

 tied loosely round the stalk so as not to 

 interfere with the free circulation of the 

 sap. After harvesting the heads are 

 thoroughly dried, threshed, cleaned and 

 kept in a place secure from weevils aud 

 damp. 



Where the conditions for saving seed 

 are not suitable it is best to purchase 

 from reliable seedsmen. There are 

 several varieties on the market, but so 

 far White Italian has given the best 

 results in this State. At the same time, 

 growers are advised to experiment with 

 new varieties from time to time, or 

 introduce fresh strains of those kinds 

 they have in constant cultivation, with 

 the view of finding out what particular 

 kind is most suitable to their conditions. 



By-products. 

 The object of the cultivator should be 

 to produce brush of the best quality ; 

 consequently all other use of the plant 

 must give way to this. In former years 

 millet was allowed to develop a fair pro- 

 portion of seed, but the diminished 

 value of the brush was not compensated 

 for by the value of the seed obtained. 

 The fiuest green brush is usually obtain* 



ed while the seed is in an immature con- 

 dition, but in the production of good 

 golden-coloured millet a fair proportion 

 of the grain is more or less developed. 

 This contains an amount of nutriment, 

 "and can be utilised for the feeding of 

 stock, thus assisting in reducing the ex- 

 penses of the crop. It is, however, 

 generally more or less soft and doughy, 

 and, if intended to be kept for any great 

 length of time, should be thoroughly 

 dried by spreading out in thin layers on 

 tarpaulins. Growers who insist upon 

 ripening their seed will secure brush of 

 an inferior quality, which brings a low 

 price upon the market, and if exported 

 injures the trade. 



Stalks and Leaves. 

 The plant cannot be recommended as a 

 particularly useful one for feeding pur- 

 poses. While young a certain amount of 

 sugar exists in the sap, but this soon 

 disappears, and by the time the brush is 

 cut the stalks are more or less dry or 

 pithy, and contain a large proportion 

 of fibre matter which is unpalatable. 

 For this reason very little use is made of 

 them beyond turning stock in after the 

 harvest to feed upon the leaves. The 

 refuse should afterwards be cut up with 

 a heavy disc harrow, or cornstalk cutter, 

 and ploughed under for manure. 



Prospects. 

 As the demand for broom millet in the 

 Sydney market is limited, it is not wise 

 to undertake the cultivation of extensive 

 areas, unless the product is properly 

 prepared and suitable for export. For 

 this purpose, prime brush only should 

 be baled ; and, if the necessary details in 

 harvesting and curing have been ob- 

 served, there is no reason why millet 

 should not be exported in a wholesale 

 and profitable manner. On almost every 

 farm the implements to plant and culti- 

 vate the crop are found. It will not pay 

 any farmer to obtain the necessary 

 apparatus to treat his brush unless he 

 intends to grow the crop for a number 

 of years. When prepared to do this, and 

 he produces and sends to market millet 

 of the best quality only, it will be found 

 a very remunerative undertaking. In 

 districts where freights are considerable, 

 growers might co-operate and establish 

 small factories, where the whole or 

 portion of their brush could be profitably 

 made up into brooms for supplying the 

 local market. 



