AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
57 
CULTURE OF BROOM CORN. 
In reply to the inquiries of several corres¬ 
pondents on this subject, we would say that 
the selection of a soil adapted to it, and its 
proper preparation to receive the seed are of 
prime importance. It is sometimes said that 
amy soil in which Indian corn will grow, will 
answer for broom corn. This is hardly 
true. Cold, stiff and wet land must be 
avoided, and so must that infected with the 
roots or seeds of weeds. Broom corn is nat¬ 
urally slow in its early growth, and needs a 
warm, rich and finely pulverized soil. Nor 
will it always succeed without a little help 
from some concentrated fertilizer, as Guano, 
&c. And after it has got a start, it can not 
contend with weeds, like Indian corn. If the 
farmer is so unwise as to plant in a soil full 
of “ foul stuff,” he must expect to labor hard 
and perseveringly to subdue the weeds, or 
they will subdue his Broom corn. 
We say, then, choose a warm, rich, clean 
portion of the farm, alluvial land, if possible; 
manure, plow and harrow as for Indian corn. 
Take special pains to get the soil in fine 
tilth. Plant as early as possible—in this 
latitude, from the 1st to 15th of May—in 
rows three to three and a half feet apart, and 
in hills from one and a half to two feet apart. 
Pass a light roller over the hills after plant¬ 
ing. About a dozen seeds should be planted 
in each hill, and at the second hoeing the 
plants should be thinned out, leaving only 
eight to a hill. Many experienced farmers 
use a little Guano, poudrette or ashes, to 
give the corn an early start and to keep it 
ahead of the weeds. This should be done 
with a careful hand, or the fertilizer will 
make a clean sweep of the brooms. The 
summer treatment of this crop is precisely 
like that of Indian corn. The horse culti¬ 
vator should keep down every weed. At the 
last hoeing, the plants should be hilled up 
a little. 
In September, when the heads are matured 
the crop should be “ tabled.” This is done 
by going through the field, row after row, 
and breaking down the top of each plant, so 
that it will lie in a horizontal position. The 
crop is then ready for harvesting. Before 
severe frosts come on, go through the rows 
and cut off the brush with a sharp knife, 
just above the upper section, and spread 
them in thin layers on the barn floor, or ©n 
piles of loose rails or poles, where the air can 
circulate freely through them. When thor¬ 
oughly dried, they may be cleaned of seed 
by machines, many styles of which have 
been made for this purpose. A correspond¬ 
ent of the Cultivator describes a cheap in¬ 
strument, which can be made by any farmer, 
asfollows: Nailaplank, about three-fourths 
of an inch thick and ten inches wide, to a 
stationary bench, letting it (the board) run 
above the bench about a foot. Then take a 
saw and make teeth in the end of said plank, 
like those of a comb, and we are ready for 
operations. Take three or four straws at a 
time and draw them across the comb till they 
are clean, pressing a little with one hand, 
while you draw with the other, and so pro¬ 
ceed until all your brush is ready for the 
bfoom-maker. 
THE ONION-ALLIUM CEPA- 
Though Mahomet put this vegetable under 
bann, and it is looked upon with suspicion in 
aristocratic circles, it is still a popular arti¬ 
cle of diet among all classes. Though the 
Mussulman may not enter his mosque when 
his breath is tainted with the infection of 
this plant, he thanks God and the prophet, 
that Friday comes but once a week, and 
on secular days makes up for his fast. 
Though the savor of onion is not aujait at a 
fashionable party,—parties are not given ev-* 
ery night in the week,—and both beaux and 
belles indulge in the interdicted diet on their 
leisure days. If caught at home on cloudy 
days with unsavory breath, it indeed gives a 
shock to their sensibilities, and they make 
strong resolutions for the future. But alas 
for the weakness of human nature, such re¬ 
solves are impotent, under the mighty spell 
of this vegetable. Its sorcery mingles in all 
French cookery, entering into the body of 
soups, and curling heavenward in its va¬ 
por, lurking in the dressing of fowls, and 
forming an indispensible dish in all roasts 
and boils. Half the stomachs in the city 
would not know that they had dined without 
onions. The world will have onions and 
pay for them. 
This being the case, farmers and garden¬ 
ers are anxious to raise them, and no crop 
pays a more steady and uniform profit than 
this. With the millions of bushels raised, 
the market is never glutted, and as a good 
quality of the article keeps well, it always 
brings a remunerative price. 
VARIETIES. 
Though these are quite numerous, the 
sorts cultivated among us are principally the 
Large Red or Wethersfield, White Silver 
skinned, Yellow Dutch, sometimes called 
Strasburg or Flanders, Portugal or Madeira, 
Large Spanish, Potato or Under-ground On¬ 
ion, and the Welsh or Tree Onion. The first 
two are more generally raised than the oth¬ 
ers, they being the best known and com¬ 
manding the best price. The white Portu¬ 
gal grows to a large size, frequently reach¬ 
ing five, six, and sometimes eight inches in 
diameter, but does not yield so many bush¬ 
els to the acre, and does not keep as well. 
For the use of ships’ crews and for export, 
the red is the best variety to cultivate. For 
home use, and the supply of the city and 
village markets, the silver skin and the yel¬ 
low are the best varieties. They usually 
bring a higher price. 
PREPARATION OF SOIL. 
No crop pays better for a thorough prep¬ 
aration, and for high manuring. As a large 
part of the expense is for the labor of weed¬ 
ing and tending, it should be the aim of the 
cultivator to get a maximum crop from every 
acre that he devotes to this purpose. The 
wants of the plant are a fine deep light soil, 
through which the roots may easily pene¬ 
trate. Accordingly, when a piece of ground 
has once been broken up, and cleared of 
stones and roots for this crop, it is common 
to keep it in onions for a long series of years. 
Ten and fifteen years are common terms, 
and we are told that fields in Wethersfield 
have been cropped with onions for a half 
century. 
Of course such constant cropping de¬ 
mands large supplies of manures, and where 
the aim is to raise six or eight hundred 
bushels to the acre, it will pay better than 
to have a succession of crops, the most of 
which will not pay a fourth part of the profit. 
of onions. It is the best way to work in the 
manures in the Fall, and to turn them in 
with the plow twelve inches deep. The 
quantity of manure to be applied, and the 
depth of the plowing, must depend some¬ 
thing upon the previous treatment of the 
land, and its previous condition. We would 
increase the depth of the plowing with the 
quantity of manure added. We have not 
so much faith in the application of special 
manures to this crop as some have. We 
have never found any difficulty in getting 
excellent crops with stable manure, and that 
of the pig stye, and such composts as we 
have been able to make upon our own pre 
mises. Any man who makes his own ma¬ 
nures, is safe in plowing in thirty or forty 
cords of stable manure or compost, in the 
Fall, for every acre. In the Spring we 
would cross-plow, not quite so deep, and 
harrow, so as to make the tilth as fine as 
possible. Now, the whole ground is to be 
raked over with garden-rakes, and cleared 
of all small stones and clods. If top-dress¬ 
ings of ashes are used, we would put them 
on previous to harrowing. 
SOWING THE SEED. 
The old process of sowing by hand will 
not pay. The work is better done with a 
brush seed-sower, if you plant in drills, or 
with an onion-planter, if you plant in hills. 
Where this crop is much cultivated, they 
have a machine for the purpose, which drops 
the seed with perfect uniformity, two rows 
of hills at a time, covering and rolling at the 
same time. With a brush seed-sower, a 
man can plant about as rapidly as he can 
walk. With this it is easy to drill in with 
the seed any fine fertilizer like bone-dust, 
ashes, or superphosphate of lime. The lat¬ 
ter, if you can get a genuine article, will 
give the young plants a good start. 
CULTIVATION. 
When the plants begin to show them¬ 
selves, the push-hoe should be immediately 
run between the rows, to loosen the surface 
of the soil, and to cut off the springing 
weeds. If weeds have been kept under in 
former years, they will not be very trouble¬ 
some. If they have been allowed to go to 
seed, the cultivator has a job before him. A 
week or ten days after the plants are up, the 
push-hoe should be run through again, and 
the rows be thinned and weeded. If you de¬ 
sire large onions, thin out to six or eight 
inches apart. If you want them smaller, 
and more of them in bulk, let them grow 
thicker. The usual number of hoeings in 
the season is four, but we think six would 
pay better than any less number. 
KIND OF LABOR EMPLOYED. 
A saving is frequently made in the ex¬ 
pense of cultivation, by securing the laboi 
of boys in weeding. The work does not re 
quire great strength or skill, and a smart lad 
