Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1894-09-14
WHISK BR00NIS.
Shaving the Corn Stalks in the
Fields.
The Bristly Product Deity Made
Into Brushes.

Broom corn, from which brooms are /
made. comes principally from the /
Western States, says the Scientific
American. The seeds are sown in
May or June, about one foot apart, IN
rows. In about three months time
the stalk reaches to the height of from
eight to twelve feet; the top ends,
which contains the whisks, are then
ready for cutting. The stems are first
bent over about one foot below the
whisks and then cut off and packed
into wagons and carted to the barns
to be scraped and dried. After dry
ing il is packed into bales weighing
from $50 to 400 pounds each and
shipped to the broom manufacturers.
The first operation is sorting or Sc
lccting the stock, the finest and green
est icing used for the best brooms.
After sorting the material is scraped.
The scraper consists of circular re-
volying cylinder nineteen inches in
length and twelve inches in diameter,
the surface of which is covered with
iron pins. These pins are placed IN
V-shaped rows about six inches apart,
each row containing about fifteen oar
shaped pins two inches in height and
about one inch apart. The operator
presses bunch Of the whisks contain
ing the seeds against the revolving
cylinder, the teeth of which, travel
ing at the rate of $50 revolutions per
minute, tear through the material,
= scraping off the seed from the whisks.
II the material is old, having lost its
green appearance, it Is dyed. The
stalks are then clipped off and the
I whisks made Of an even length. The
best and straight whisSs, which is
called hurl, grows in the center of the
q stalks. 1t ID kept separately from the
# rest and is placed on the outside when
4 forming the brush. -
J. The next operation is winding or
forming the brooms. A circular piece
Of wood about three inches in length
and about quarters of an inch in
le diarat<r is fastened into what is called
Is the Ham barrel Connected. 10 the
I machimis reel of No % iron wire,
i the endd which is tackled to the cir
a cular stick in the barrel The opera
e tor then takes quantity of the poor
n er qualify Of whisks and places them
i around the stick, starting the machine
o in motion, which causes the barrel to
e reyolve, which in turn, wraps the wire
o tightly around the whisks to the stick
e After two or three turns of the wire
a have been taken the shoulder of the
e broom is then formed by putting a
:, bunch Of the material on each side
n and wiring and tacking them down as
1T before. The hurl is then fastened on
70 the outside in about the same manner.
it The rough edges are then trimmed
1t with knife and the broom sawed off
h from the barrel A good hand can
II form about $50 brooms in about ten
r hours.
se The brooms are then taken to the
}, sewing wise to be stitched. A broom
L is fastened securely in the jaws of the
N wise, the top part projecting above
e. about three inches. The operator then
a. takes flat, oval shaped steel needle
4 threaded in the centre with fine linen
lie cord OF silk aud passes it through the
lie brush, securing the end The cord is
then wrapped tightly around the out
side of the brush and the needle
pushed through back and forth, each
81 stitch passing over and under the out
side cord, which is drawn taut, secur-
ing the whisks and giving shape and
y form to the broom
y Brooms are sewed with from one to
three strings. The needles are six
inches in length and double pointed.
le having the eye in the ceuter From
Ia ten to twelve stitches are taken in
I. every seam, taking up about thirty
six inches Of cord A good hand can
er stitch about 500 single seam brooms
per day After sewing they nre re-
OF scraped and then clipped into sizes.
or The ends are then saearsd and curried
e to free the brooms of surplus seed.
IT, The handles, which are male of bone,
r ivory, wood, etc, are thea glued on
~ and the brooms stood up to dry. They
are then packed into boxes and are
ready for market Twenty hands can
'u turo out about from seveuty-fve to
IS eighty dozen brooms per day. The
to green stock is the best for broom
making, it bringing from five cents to
II six and one-half cents per pound by
the ton wholesale. Ii too ripe, the
color Of the material being reddish,
ne the stock loses in value about three
cents per pound