Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1873 [PAGE 129]

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125

EXPERIMENTS W I T H BROOM CORN.

The five acres planted in broom corn in 1871 were planted with the same varieties in 1872. The ground was plowed to a depth of 6 inches on the 23d of April, and the seed drilled May 23d. The drill was a poor one, wrhich made it difficult to perform the planting just as desired. The ground was harrowed May 28th, with the Thomas smoothing harrow; June loth, with Simpson's combined harrow, crusher and roller. The same date it was hoed. June 25th it was cultivated with a double-shovel plow, and again July 2d. July 18th it was cultivated writh the TVier plow. The Early Evergreen was cut August 22d, the Mohawk on 19th, the Missouri Evergreen on 27tb, the Chinese on 30th, and the Dwarf Evergreen on the 3d of September. The following table gives the results as heretofore published:

MOHAWK.

J acre, 12 seed drop, 943 lbs. green brush, 192 lbs. cleaned. I " 10 " 843 lbs. " 166 lbs. i " 8 " 675 lbs. " 164 lbs. " A " 6 " 605 lbs. " 158 lbs. Total 3, 066 lbs. '' 680 lbs. ''

EARLY EVERGREEN. | acre, 12 seed drop, 705 lbs. green brush, 183 lbs. cleaned. I " 10 " 678 lbs. " 179 lbs. i ' - 8 " 600 lbs. " 163 lbs. " i " 6 " 525 lbs. " 146 lbs. Total 2, 508 lbs. " 671 lbs. "

MISSOURI EVERGREEN.

| acre, 12 seed drop, 492 lbs. green brush, I "10 " 527 lbs. " £ " 8 " 650 lbs. " i " 6 " 630 lbs. " Total 2,299 lbs. "

157 lbs. cleaned. 164 lbs. 164 lbs. 167 lbs. " 652 lbs.

CHINESE.

, i acre, 12 seed drop, 300 lbs. green brush, 165 lbs. cleaned. I " 10 " 459 lbs. '' 158 lbs. '' 1 " 8 " 700 lbs. " 144 lbs. i- " 6 " 575 lbs. " 136 lbs. Total... 2, 034 lbs. " 603 lbs.

D W A R F BRUSH.

J acre, 12 seed drop, I " 10 " I " 8 " i " 6 "

1, 343 lbs. green brush, 1,060 lbs. '' 1,190 lbs. " 1,040 lbs. "

248 lbs. cleaned, 205 lbs. 173 lbs. 124 lbs.

Total 4,6331bs. " 750 lbs. Eifty or sixty pounds of the dwarf brush were damaged and thrown out before weighing the cleaned brush. Comparing varieties we get the following figures : Mohawk—3,066 lbs. green brush ; 680 lbs. cleaned, or 22.1 per cent. Early Evergreen—2,508 lbs. green brush; 671 lbs. cleaned, or 22 3 per cent. Missouri Evergreen—2,299 lbs. green brush ; 652 lbs. cleaned, or 28.3 per cent. Chinese—2,034 lbs. green brush ; 603 lbs. cleaned, or 29.6 per cent. Dwarf Brush—4,633 lbs. green brush ; 750 lbs. cleaned, or 16.1 per cent. The heaviest yield per acre comes from the Dwarf Brush, which, however, was on the best ground; but the yield of cleaned brush compared with the green brush to be handled is much lower. This, curious to say, causes the Dwarf Brush to be discarded by western cultivators, and varieties like Missouri Evergreen to be preferred.