The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., July 09, 1910, Page 489, Image 13

About The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920

Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

                
KAFIR CORN.
A Crop Mississippi Farmers Should Grow More Extensively_
llow to Plant, Cultivate and Harvest.
By Prof. E R. Lloyd. Mississippi Experiment Station.
AFIR CORN belongs to the
group of sorghuinB that con
tain but little sugar and juice.
This plant is raised for both grain
and hay, but Its greatest value is for
grain. Land that is too poor to pro
duce more than 12 to 15 bushels of
corn per acre will produce from 20
to 3h bushels of katlr corn seed.
There is very little difference in
feeding value of corn and kaflr corn,
lUO pounds of kaflr coru beiug equal
to 90 pounds of corn.
Kaflr corn may be planted as late
as July 20th and have plenty of
time In which to mature seed.
The soil should be prepared as for
corn. Plow and harrow until a fine
seed bed has been formed. An even,
mellow surface facilitates plaatiug
and cultivation. The young plants
are small and feeble for the first few
weeks, and grow off slowly, and a
rough, poorly prepared soil makes
cultivation slow and tedious.
Kaflr corn can be planted either
iw drills or broadcast, but when
grown for seed the best yields are
obtained when planted in drills from
2 to 3 Hi feet apart and cultivated.
On rich soil the rows may be from
3 '.-8 to 5 feel apart. The plants should
be left, from 4 to 6 inches apart in
the drill.
On well drained and well prepared
Bull there should be no bed but the
planting done on the level. The
planting may be done with the corn
planter titled with a Borghum plate.
Twelve to 15 pounds of seed per acre
will give a perfect stand. If the
crop Is to be used for hay, it is best
to plant broadcast, using from 1^4
to it bushels of seed per acre. It
should lie cut with a mower when
headed, and often two cuttings can
be had in a season.
The plant when planted in drillB
for seed should be cultivated like sor
ghum or corn. The weeds should be
kept down from the llrst. The crop
should never be allowed to get
"grassy." The plants are small and
spindling at first and If allowed to
get "grassy” will be hard to clean.
All tliw cultivation should be shal
low. This plant roots near the sur
face. The cultivations should be
frequent enough to maintain a good
dust mulch throughout the growing
season to conserve the moisture.
The crop should be cut und shock
ed us soon as the seed is ripe. If
the crop Is allowed to become over
ripe, the seed shell out when han
dled. One of the worst enemies to
icnur corn in me r.ngnsn spurrows.
We have had these birds practically
destroy the crop on small areas.
Kafir corn, unlike corn, will remain
green after the seed have ripened
This Is a very agreeable quality,
and enables the farmer to get a good
grain crop and also a good hay crop
at the same time.
The crop can be harvested In sev
eral ways. The cheapest and quick
est way to harvest the crop Is with a
corn binder which cuts the stalks
and lies them with twine into bun
dles. If a corn hinder is not avail
able, the crop can be cut by hand
with cane knives or a sharp hoe with
short handle. The seed may be
threshed by taking the bundle and
holding the heads In the thresher
until the seed are knocked ofT, and
then throw the stalks back without
allowing them to pass through the
machine. Others place the bundles
on a block and cut the heads off
with a broad-axe and then run the
bead through the threshing machine.
lu the States where the kafir corn
been most extensively grown, the
yields per acre have been reported to
be from 25 to 98 bushels.
The Kansas Station made some
feeding experiments with hogs to de
termine the relative feeding value of
kaflr corn and corn. For each bush
el of corn eaten, the hogs made
12i,4 pounds of gain. For each
bushel of kaflr corn eaten they made
10 1-3 pounds of gain. The farmers
in Mississippi should plant more
kaflr corn. It fits in well as a catch
crop after oats or wheat. If more
kaflr corn is grown this year, there
will be less corn and hay to buy
next spring.
A LA HAMA'S NEXT COMMISSION
KR OF AGRICULTURE.
An interesting man is Hon. R. F.
Koib, Democratic nominee for Com
missioner of Agriculture In Ala
bama. Captain Kolb first became
i ronunenl through his successful
farming operations in Barbour Coun
ty. in 'he southeastern part of the
State. He was an extensive cottou
grower and gave much attention to
diversified farming, making a spe
cmny oi me growing or the Kolb
watermelon, which bears his name,
lie was during two terms Commis
sioner of Agriculture of Alabama,
making an active and successful
Commissioner. He was especially
active in promoting State fairs and
in directing immigration to Alabama.
1'or two years he was President of
the Farmers' National Congress. In
Captain Kolb Alabama has the as
surance that the agricultural inter
ests of the State will be looked after
by an able, energetic and experienc
ed authority.
A Little Note from Mr. French.
Mr. Iteader: About those subscrip
tions you are sending in to The Pro
gressive Farmer and Gazette. I Just
want to say—not to urge you on to
do your duty in the matter us 1 know
>ou are doing that anyway, but by
way of encouragement—that 1 ex
pect to do my part in the matter, and
propose at the end of the year to
send in u list as large us the largest
list any of you send during this lay
man's campaign. 1 will do this even
if 1 have to pay for them out of my
own pocket, and 1 would Just say in
tills connection that if any of you,
or half of you, my readers, feel call
ed upon to do a little missionary
work for the good of your country,
simply put your right hand down
into your pocket, extract a bill, and
send it in to the office with a list
of the nnmes of the people you think
would be benefited by the reading of
the paper, and say nothing to your
left hand about the matter. Now, as
a last word (for now), aside from
sending in as large a list as any of
you, 1 am expecting to send to the
reader who sends in the largest list
(and 1 hope it will be a lady) one of
our good Berkshire pigs (male or
female as you may select), not regis
tered, but pure-bred and a business
pig, one of the sort from which we
are producing $1,000 to $1,200
worth of meat a year. So send in
your names as fast as you secure
them and say, ‘‘These go to my cred
it in the Laymun's Campaign.”
A. L. FRENCH.
P. S.—Remember, I have no finan
cial Interest in this as I do not own
a dollar’s worth of stock in the com
pany. We are all working in this
matter for the good—as I told you
some weeks ngo—of our agriculture,
our greatest industry.
THE MARKETS. fH"
NEW ORLEANS OOTTON.
Quotations based on ootton sold on spot
terms.
Low ordinary-11 5-16
Ordinary_—......_ IS vt
Good ordinary--_ IS 9-16
—. U Vi
Good middling....,... 15 Vi
Middling fair..1._. 15 7-ie
. 18 3-16
MEMPHIS OOTTON.
Good 13 vi
Low middling_ u Vi
Middling_14 \
GOOd mTiMHwf 15
GRAIN, FEEB8TUFFS, ETC.
CORN IN BULK Per Bushel—No, S white
73; No. S mixed 67c.; No. S yellow 68o.
BRAN—Per Owt—tl.14.
OATS—Per Bushel—No. S white, 46o,: No. S
mixed. 43c.
HAY—Per Ton. in Balee-No. I «i».50. No. 1
131.50: eholoe. tss.so.
CORN MEAL. bbl.-tS.45 to 13.50.
FLOUR, hard wheat. Kansas patent—tS.SS to
•5.10.
MISSISSIPPI, LOUISIANA, AND
ALABAMA LIVE STOCK.
BEEVES—
Choloe-----— 4 to S
Fair to good-8Vi to 8H
Oxen—Fit.. 8 to 4V4
Oxen—Common to fair —__ 1V4 to SVi
OOWS AND HEIFEBS—
Choloe.„.. I Vi to 4
Fair to good.. 8Vi to 8
Old poor oows, per head..88.00 to 11.08
BULLS AND STAGS—
Bulla-IH to 3Vi
Stage.... 844 to SVi
YEARLINGS—
Choloe. HO to BOO lhe. per lb.,_ SVi to 4V4
Choloe. ISO to 3&0 pounds,_ 344 to 4 Vi
Common, to fair. 3 to SVi
CALVES
Choloe, 800 to 800 lbs., per lb—.. 4 to SVi
Fair to good, per head...16-00 to 8,00
MILK COWS
Choloe----886.00 to 60.00
Fair to good -..16.00 to 86.00
SPRINGERS—
Choloe-----886.00 to 86.00
Common to fair.-..16.00 to 88.00
HQQQ
Corn fed, per lb___.... 8 to 8Vi
Corn fed pigs. 86 to 1M lbs., per lb. 8 to 8Vi
Mast fed. per lb...... 8Vi to 744
SHEEP—
Good fat sheep, per lb... 4 to 6V4
Common to fair, per head._11.00 to 8.00
RICE.
CLEAN—PER POUND.
Honduras-844 to SVi
straights-- 8 to 844
screenings.. 144 to SVi
No. A actual sales at—.. 8 to 4V4
Japan, bead.-. 8 to 844
straights. 144 to SVi
screenings.. 144 to 144
No. A actual sales at—__ 844 to
ROUGH,
Honduras (bbl. 188 lbs.)-.41.76 to IS 60
actual sales at.. An to A40
Japan--... 1*86 to An
actual sales at_ S.8& to
Rice bran, aooordlng to analysis.. lAw to 80.66
Rice polish, per ton from mills... 86.00 to 8T.00
NEW YORK PRODUCER
New Md. and Va. potatoes, No. 1,
per bbl.. $1.26® 1.50; N. C.. and S.
C., $1 @ 1.25; No. 2. 75c.@$l; old
stock, $1 @ 1.12 per 180 lbs. In bulk.
Sweets, 50c. @$1. Onions, $1.50@2
per crate for Texas yellow; Eastern
Shore, per basket, $1.25@1.50. Cab
bages, 60®76c. per crate; per 100,
$3 @3.50. Asparagus, 50c. @$1.50
per dozen bunches. Beets, $1@2
per 100 bunches. Carrots, $1@2
per 100 bunches; old, per bbl., $1.25
@2. Cucumbers, 50® 75c. per bas
ket for S. C.; Va., GO®90c. Egg
plants, $ 1 @ 2 per box. Green corn,
$1 @ 3 per 100. Lettuce, 60c. @$1
per bbl. Lima beans, $1@3 per bas
ket. Okra, $1.60 @3 per carrier.
Psppers, $1@2 per carrier. Peas,
75c. @$l per basket for large and
40® 50c. for small. String beans,
per %-bushel basket, wax, 85
@7 5c.; green, 76c. @$1; Spinach,
30 ®' 6.9c. per bbl. Squash, 60c. @$1
per bbl. for white; yellow, 76c. @$1
.25. Turnips, $1.25@1.75 per bbl.
for rutabagas, and 75c. @1.25 for
white. Tomatoes, Fla., fancy, per
carrier, $l@1.50; choice, 50c.@$1;
N. C., per carrier, 75c. @$1.25. Wa
tercress per 100 bunches, $1@1.60.
Apples, $4 @5 per bbl., for choice
old stock; new, 75c.@$1.75 per bas
ket. Pears, $6 @3.50 per bbl.
Peaches, per bushel basket, Texas,
$1; Ga., per carrier, $1@1.50; oth
ers, 75c. ® $1.25. Plums, $1.25®
1.75 per carrier. Gharries, sweet,
per qt., 6® 10c.; sour, 6® 9c. Black
berries, per qt., 10® 14c. Raspber
ries, per pint, 5 @ 8c. Huckleberries,
9® 15c. Gooseberries, 6® 12c. Musk
melons, 75c.®$1.25 per crate. Wa
termelons, $30®60 per 109.
Butter: Creamery specials, 28 %c.;
extras, 28®28%c.; factory, 22®
23MiC.
Hggs, 22®24 for best WeBtern;
others, 19® 21c., and dull.
Top Dressing for Bur Clover and Al
falfa.
1 wish to ask some advice as
to the best top dressing for bur
clover and alfalfa, as 1 have
planted 4 acres of each. Would
acid phosphate be a good top
dressing for same? W. E. E\
Editorial Answer: In Mississippi
probably nothing will give as good
results as a top dressing for alfalfa
as stable manure. If this is not
available, cottonseed meal might in a
measure take its place. If the bur
clover and alfalfa are well started, it
Is doubtful if it will pay to top dress
with any other form of nitrogenous
fertilizer except stable manure. If
the land is sandy, it might also pay
to use a moderate application of acid
phosphate.
* M
Keep up the shallow cultivation of
thte crops occasionally. Don’t lay-by
a crop, but stand ready to cultivate
once more, if weeds and grass spring
up er a crust forms on the surface
at any time before the crops are
made.
Berkshire Boar
Masterpiece bred; Royal Lad 8th, 130885; Farrowed
January 80th. Brad in the purple. FLat check
far HO.aO will set hhn.
W. F. LAGRONE, : West Point, Miss.
Low Excursion Rates
TO
California, Washington, Oregon and
British Columbia. Bor Information
as to dates of sale, limits, stopovers,
routes, sleeping car reservations,
schedules, etc., apply,
H. R. WESTON. A. S. HAINES.
Local Agent D. P. A.,
Jackson, Miss.
JNO. A. SCOTT. A. O. P. A.,
Memphis, Tenn.
Fannins Is Profitable In
The Southeast
There Is no better occupation
for the Average Man than Farm
ing and no Section ii Superior to
the South for a Good Farmer.
Farming is a Great Business and
should he carried on by the Appli
cation of the Best Business Princi
ples. The Proper Location, the
Study of Soils, Seed Selection, the
Wise Choice and Rotation of Crops
and Careful Cultivation will bring
Assured Success.
We are in position to Aid Tou
In the Selection of the Proper Lo
cation in Districts which Present
Splendid Advantages and Oppor
tunities. In writing tell ns what
Tou Want
M. V. RICHARDS,
tamd MMd Imdmatriml AmuJL SwtLn Jtafl
««, mud MmitUiOkU S. A
Washington, - - - • D. C.