Some of them bear higher
quality fruit than others, and some are freer growers and bear a greater
amount of leaf substance for forage purposes; therefore, varieties are
being developed which are superior for fruit or for forage, as the case
may be. Spineless cactus is in no way comparable with alfalfa, either in
nutritive content or in value of crop, providing you have land and water
which will produce a good product of alfalfa. Cactus is for lands which
are in an entirely different class and which are not capable of alfalfa
production.
Probably Not Broom-Corn.
I have a side-hill ranch on which I would very much like to raise broom
corn. The soil produces good grapes, fruit, corn, oats, peas, etc., and
I wish to know if there are possibilities of broom-straw.
All the broom-corn which has been successfully produced in California
has been produced on moist, riverside land. The plant is a sorghum -
consequently subject to frost injury, and can only be grown during the
frostless season as Indian corn is. This makes it impossible to get the
advantage of rainfall on winter upland and necessitates the use of
lowlands, which carry moisture enough to secure a free growth of the
brush, for poor broom-corn is worthless practically, being too low
priced to be profitable for brooms and too fibrous to be of value for
feeding purposes. Even in a place where the plant grows well its product
is worthless unless properly treated, and that requires full knowledge
and a good deal of work.
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