The Charlotte Democrat., 1893-08-18
A GR RICULTU 10 AL.
Broom Corn for the South.

A few weeks ago one of our correspon-
dents referred to the culture of broom
corn as an industry of much promise for
the farmers, and detailing at some length
his satisfactory experiments with the
same. The Mirror of Commerce says
there is no reason why every one Of the
many Thousand of brooms that are
bought monthly in the South should not
be made in the South, by Southern manu-.
facturers employing Southern labor, and
from materials raised or made in the
South. There is no reason, in other
words, why every broom used in the
South should not be, in itself, type OF
the new Industrial South, o product en-
tirely of the section where it is sold and
used.
That this could be the case if Southern
people would patronize Southern manu-
facturers of this necessary domestic arti.
be raised in the South, broom handles
can be made In the South, and the broom
can be turned out of the factories in the
South equal in every respect to the best
of those made in the North or West, and
at cost that enables its placing on the
market at prices as low as those from
other sections. There is nothing in the
way to the expansion of this industry to
proportions adequate to the full Southern
demand or patronage and that, it is to be
feared, is not being accorded as it
should be.
Every the experiments met with
uniformly successful results.
The crops, sent to Savannah and used
here in the manufacture of brooms, were
found thoroughly satisfactory for that
purpose. The average quantity raised
per acre, it is believed was about 500
pounds which brought three and one-hali
cents per pound, or $3.50 to the acre.
This quantity, it is thought, can hereafter
be increased on the same grounds 80 that
the financial result will be about $40 per
acre. AS there is on the average, but
about one third Of bale of cotton made
to the acre, or gross financial result OF
say $15, with fair prices prevailing, and
as the cost of raising broom corn is much
less than for cotton, it is apparent that il
o market is at hand for broom corn il
will pay farmers to devote small portion
of their land to its cultivation.
1t is a good cash crop, and which will
serve to still further bring about that
much talked of and much-needed diversi
fcation of agricultural products.
IT'S EASILY RAISED.
Broom corn is not heavy drain or
the life sustaining qualities of the soil
It's cultivation is a comparatively easy
matter. In the early stages of its devel
opment it requires attention to prevent
weeds and grass from choking it out, but
after it has reached about q foot il
height it is practically able to take care
ofitself. Its gathering and curing are
inexpensive and require no especial skill
After the broom corn is gathered it il
placed in barns where the air will havt
free access to it, but where it will be pro
tected from dampness. 1t is soon cured
1t is then packed In bales, like hay, anc
shipped to market, where its value is de
termined by its general quality.
Broom corn is graded, each grade hav
ing a slightly higher value than the on'
below it.
The poorest IN quality and the lowest
in value is the thin, seedy short corn
which is used for filling that is for th'
inside of the broom. 1t is worth abou
two cents per pound. After this come
the covers and the hurls, of which ther
are several qualities. The covers, O.
poorer quality of hurl, as the name indi
Gates, are used over the insides. The
hurls are the outside finish.
The covers are worth from two tt
three cents per pound, and the hurls VI
as high even as five cents. The average
bale, made up on the farm without selec
ton, is worth three TO four cents pei
pound.