The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-26

whisk Brooms-AlI the Cars Decorated
With Banners and Cartoons.
Yesterday afternoon at $50 the larg-
est single shipment of broom corn ever
made in the world came into Wichita
over the Missouri Pacific from Robert
Findiay & Co.'S broom corn warehouse
in Sterling, Kan. 1t is one entire train
Of twenty cars, each car containing
eight tons of dwarf corn, consigned TO
the Onondaga Whisk Broom works at
Syracuse. y. Y. When the train curved
into the Missouri Pacific yards with its
glare Of decorations and notices the
railroad boys set up a yell Of three
cheers for the yellow sunflower, the yell
low corn and the yellow kid. On this
train there are 32S, 900 pounds of brush
which will make about 100000 whisk
brooms of average weight allowing one
half of one per cent for waste. The en-
tire consignment was grown in Rice
and Reno counties in the immediate VI
cinity Of Sterling and this, including
parts of Stafford and Kingman counties,
is the only region in America that pro-
duces a first-class quality of the dwarf
variety Of broom corn.
Each car Of the twenty was profusely
decorated on both sides with cartoons,
notices, emblems and daub vingnettes
Of the down-east dude and his yellow
kid OF the Greater New York's new
journalism. The decorating and brush
work was done by Mr.. g. ". Kay Of
this place, who did a similar work for
the famous Dixon corn train last sum-
mer. Mr.. Kay's ten-strike on this train
il the illustration of one OF New York's
-Four Hundred brushing his broadcloth
with a whisk broom and being succeed
ed on down or up to the Indian who flips
the sand off his breech-clout with the
same broom, thus showing the universal
use Of the whisk broom and implying
Incidentally that Kansas can keep the
flies off Of all mankind. The first two
Cars were spread with advertisements
of the great Missouri Pacific railway
and the Glover Leaf line over which the
train will be hauled. Other lines were
Kansas to New York from Robert
Findlay c Co, Sterling, Kan" adver-
y.
which is the largest and only exclusive
whieIc broom mandatory in the world
turning out two millions of brooms an
nually.
On car the east and west are carri-
catured by the yellow kid and grass
hopper. The yellow kid rides a broom
stick and hustles slang, the grasshopper
hangs socks and cranks in the big fields
81 broom corn.
One side of the thirteenth car is a
picture showing how eastern money
comes west. A pile of Kansas products
wheat, corn, pork, melons, etc, goes
to feed eastern factory hands; in return
a cornucopia pours out gold, silver and
greenbacks upon the west.
On car number 10 is a diagram Of
three counties-Rice. Reno and Stafford
from the dwarf district Also pictures
Of big sun1cwer. with PETERS whisk-
ers for a back ground. Inscription:
Celebrated Central Kansas Dwarf
Broom Corn Headquarters. Robt. Find
lay & Co. Sterling. Kansas"
The train will go from here this morn
ing over the Missouri Pacific TO st.
Louis. stopping in Kansas City all day
Saturday. After a day over in St.
Louis the train Will pass over the Glow
er Leaf line. stopping at the principal
points in Indiana, Ohio and New York.
Messrs. Robert Findlay and H. X.
Lindslely of the Sterling firm, and L. |
G. Etter OF the Clover Leaf route. came |
on The train to this place. Mr.. Findlay |
and Mr.. Etter weng on to Kansas City |
last night. Mr. Lindsey and Mr.. Kill |
gore of the Missouri Pacific and D. W. |
Blaine of Pratt will go with the train |
this morning at 9:35 TO Kansas City.
SOMETHING ABOUT BROOM CORN. |
1t takes from three 10 five acres to |
produce one ton OF the dwarf corn, |
which brings when dried from $40 TO $50. |
Two years ago the largest crop ever |
grown in this state brought 500 per |
ton.
The standard variety of broom corn is
,ased in all parts of the state, but the |
dwarf brush is not a success outside of |
certain portions of Rice, Reno and STAFF
ford counties.
The standard grows ten TO twelve feet |
IN height ana is harvested by cutting
some eight or ten days after il is broken
over about four feet up the stalk TO cure.
The dwarf bush is pulled when il gets
es high as q mans shoulder and allowed |
TO cry, after which il is put into bales
OF $50 pounds each. Dwarf and stand
ard varieties are. distinguished by the
difference in the size of the plants when
growing and the shortness OF the brush
when marketed. The big or standard
corn IS used for the ordinary house
broom, While the dwarf. which has a
fine silky fibre, IS manufactured into
whik bTooms. \ ton of this brush
which sells here for about $50 Will
bring over S4e0 when finished into
brooms.