The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1880-09-24
BROOM CORN, AND HOW BROOMS
ARE MADE.

BROOM CORN, AND HOW BROOMS
ARE MADE.
Morgan City Keviow.l
Our visit to Johnson's broom factory
and plantation last week, above Jean
erette, and an interview with the pro-
prietor thereof, revealed some interest
ing facts concerning the raising OF
broom corn and the manufacture OF
brooms, which we give to our readers
this week.
The crop is usually planted in Feb
ruary, weather permitting, so that in
July it is reaped and the stubble plow-
ed under, and in October n second crop
is taken of. Some broom men con-
tend that the second crop is finer in
quality and makes a superior "broom''
to the coarse, strong first crop. Deep
plowing and hoe cultivation with Il
crop of broom corn always richly repay
the planter; careful drainage also goes
far to accelerate its rapid and healthy
growth. Under auspicious circumstan-
ces 1900 pounds of broom corn will
grow on an acre of land, but the aver
age crop is from 500 to 1900 pounds
Now, since a broom weighs from y to
2! pounds, an acre will yield about $50
brooms, deducting the percentage of
offal and cOmbings.
When a crop is taken off, or cut, it is
thrashed in the green, and exposed for
three hours on racks under strong
sun, but in cloudy, wet weather a week
is necessary for it to s'lie by" before it
is in fit condition for the s press.''
Oftentimes, the atmosphere is not
sufficient to soften and cure the broom
corn, so it is placed in the sulphur
house and thoroughly funigated, when
it comes out soft and of rich color,
and ready for the press.
First, the stick has been inserted in
the turning machine and a handful of
stshoulder stuff is bound to it by
stick end; next a quantity of "upper''
corn IS bound to the stick, and third,
the tscoarse hulis," and fourth the Hfine
hull, ," to cover the body of the broom
and give II good appearance to the ar
ticle. The broom is then detached
from the winding machine and thrown
into place set apart for them-they
are then perfectly round and look like
common street brooms, but when they
are pressed and sewed with purple flax
thread into shape by the ssmaker" who
wears strong leather cuffs with brass
thimble in the center, you begin to see
how brOOns are made.
The broom maker turns out, on an
average, four dozen brooms day and
an expert at the trade can manipulate
as high as eight dozen brooms in ten
hours. Then comes tho s'topping" and
stcurrying" and bund]ing into pack
ages of one dozen each.
The market price Of broom sticks
fiuctuates. The plain ones bring about
$13 90 thousand; the painted ones
$26 90 per thousand. Those ssshoo fly'
broom sticks, Mr.. johnson makes him
self out of cypres. Tho freight on them
comes up to So so to Jeanerette, and
our broom men will soon turn them
out themselves.
OF all badly used household "gods,"
the broom is the most necc ,sary and
the most i'll treated "little god" The
right position for a broom when not in
use is on its head, and never allow it
to stand on its sscorns.'' AS yet we
have heard of no trade in old broom
sticks, but there are various purposes
they can be put to, and we shall take
pleasure in giving them to our readers
at some future time-nOt the broom
sticks, but the items.