BROOM CORN. A plant of the genus sor ghum, a native of India, and cultivated for its branching panicles; almost universally used now in the manufacture of brooms for sweeping and whisks for brushing clothes. The plants of this genus are all more or less rich in saccharine matter. Sugar sorghum, of which broom corn has been said to be a representative type, is now extensively cultivated in many of the States north and south, for its syrup and sugar. The cultivation of broom corn for its heads has of late years become an extensive industry in a number of Western States, principally in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Kansas. The intro duction of broom corn, as a cultivated plant in the United States is attributed to Dr. Franklin. Having seen an imported whisk broom in the hands of a lady of Philadelphia, he found a seed adhering to one of the straws and planted it. From this originated the industry in the United States. The cultivation is principally like that of Indian corn. The hills vary from three feet apart each way, to three and a half feet one way, by two feet the other way. It is also sown in drills ; but in the West this is not much practised, since it adds to the cost of culti vation and handling. In the West less hand hoe ing is required than in the Eastern States, but in the West the cultivation is not considered re munerative except when raised in large fields, with ample shed-room for drying, and presses for baling, since so much depends upon the manner in which it is placed in the market. The brush must always be cut before the seed is fully formed, usually when in the soft dough state. The Country Gentleman, describes the manner of cultivation East as follows : Good crops of broom corn may be raised, with proper care and atten tion, on any clean fertile land where Indian corn will succeed well. River flats are particularly well adapted to it, provided the nature of the soil or the situation gives them a good natural drainage. Uplands should be well underdrained if the subsoil is retentive of water. Drained muck beds are more liable to frost, are not com pact enough, and are not well adapted to the culture of this crop. As the plants appear small and feeble at first, and are easily choked by an over-growth of weeds, it is more important that the soil should be clean than for the culture of common corn ; and, as complete success depends on fertility, more pains should be taken to have everything just right. A crop of broom corn, it is true, may be raised with a moderate degree of care and attention ; but the yield will be moderate, and perhaps it may prove a losing affair In order to obtain the highest net profit, let everything be done in the most perfect manner. If the land is not perfectly clean, the best way will, doubtless, be to plant on a freshly inverted sod—a clover sod being decidedly the best, especially if the land is inclining to be heavy. The roots of the
clover will loosen it in a better manner than plowing or harrowing alone can accomplish. An excellent mode is to spread old manure, the seeds of which have been killed by fermentation, or any other manure that is clear of foul weeds, on the clover the previous summer or early in autumn. Late in autumn or early in winter will he better than spreading in spring. The manure will soak into the soil during the several months before plowing, and become better diffused than could be accomplished by any or har rowing. The time for planting is about the same as for common corn—as early as will do to escape spring frosts. Before planting, let the soil be made perfectly mellow, and if to be in bills, mark out so that they may be as near together as will admit of convenient cultivation. The nearer they are together, or in other words, the more evenly and uniformly the plants are distributed over the surface, the greater will be the yield of brush. A common distance of hills is two and a half to three feet one way, and twenty inches to two feet the other. If planted in drills, a larger crop may be obtained, as a greater number of stalks will grow, but they are attended with more labor. The number of plants may be about three times as great as for Indian corn. If a larger quantity of seed is planted, so as to require some thinning out, the crop will be more even and larger, but will need a greater expenditure of work. It is common to plant a dozen or more seeds in each hill, about an inch deep, and thin out to seven or eight—leaving a larger number if the hills stand two by three feet than if twenty by thirty inches. Drills are often placed only twenty-eight inches. apart. Many regard the finer and softer brush of thick growth as best. The cultivation of the ground should be commenced as soon as the plants make their appearance. It is very im portant that they be not allowed to become en cumbered or crowded with weeds. Keep the whole surface perfectly clean from the very start. Continue the horse cultivation once a week, as long as the size of the plants will admit. This is not generally attended to, but the constant stirring of the surface and breaking of the crust will make an important difference in the amount of the crop. When the stalks have sufficiently grown, or when the seeds are in the milk state, the breaking back is performed. It is done at a convenient height for the operator, generally so as to leave a foot or two of stalk from the base of the brush. Two rows are brokt.n towards each other, so as to admit a ready passage be tween the other two. The seed being rather diffi cult to cure by drying, some cultivators give no attention to saving it., especially as it often fails to ripen at the North except in favorable seasons.