In Saratoga County, 60 acres of broom-corn yielded from 600 to 700 lb. of brush per acre, and on two acrea, as much as 800 lb. per acre were obtained. The expense of cultivating and securing the crop is about 10 or 12 dollara per acre. In Montgomery County, the raising of thia crop ia ou the increase, more than 1500 acrea being planted. It brings from 20 to 30 dollara per acre on the field, when ready to cut. About one-fourth of the bruah is made up in the county. In Ohio, broom-corn has been introduced into some of the rich vales, and has produced, in favourable aituatione, about one-third of a ton of cleaned bruah, ready for market, per acre, worth from 33 to 43 dollars. The cost of cultivation ia considered to be one-fourth greater than that of Indian corn. The yield varies with the season ; sometimes as many as 600 brooms per acre are produced, with 20 bushels of eeed, worth aa much as oats for horse-feed.
On a farm belonging to the largest manufacturers in Schenectady, the cultivation of the corn has been simplified to almoat as great a degree as the broom manufacture. The seed is sown with a aeed-barrow or drill, aa early in spring as the atate of the ground will admit, in rowe 3i ft. apart. As soon aa the corn is above ground, it is hoed, and shortly afterwards thinned ao as te leave 11 apace of a few inches between the stalks. It is only hoed in the row in order to get out tho weeda that are close to the plants, the remaining apace beim; left for the harrow and cultivator, which are used frequently in order to keep down weeds. The cultivation ia finiahed by running a
small double mould-board plough, rather shallow, between the rows. The corn is not left to ripen, but is cut while quite green, nnd the seed not much past the milk. It was formerly the practice to lop down the tops of the corn, and let it hang for some time in order that the bruala might straighten in one direetion, but it is now the custom to leave the tops until the bruala is ready to eut, which, as before stated, is while the corn is green. A set of hands goes forward, and bends the tops to ono side ; another set follows ivamediately and cuts off the tops where they are bent, and a third set gathers the cut tops into waggons, to be taken to the factory. Here they are sorted out into amall bunches, each buneh being made of brushes of equal length. The seed is then taken off by a toothed apparatua resembling a hatchel. The machine is worked by horse or steam power, and cleana the brush very rapidly. It is then spread out on racka to dry; in about a week's time, it ia dry enough to bear being packed closely. The stalks of the corn, after the tope have been cut off, arc 5 or 6 ft. high ; they are left on the ground, and ploughed in the following apring. It is found that this aseists in keeping up the fertility of the aoil, so that the crop is continued for several years without apparent diminution. (See Brushes.)