Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1907-10-25
COBuRN ON BHOonCORA
A Short History Of the BrOOmcOfn Busl.
ness In Kansas.

While broom corn is Of minor
Importance as a State crop. in the
Nations output that produced BY
Kansas is considerable of a factor.
Although insignificant when COM
pared with the States wheat, corr
and hay. Kansas nevertheless has
been regarded by the trade as an
Important broom corn producer.
Interest in the crop among Kan
sans however. seems to be waning
| in face of the fact that the return
of assessors to the State Board Of
Agriculture for this year show
the broom corn area of 1907 to be
20 per cent more than in the pre-.
ceeding year, when the area ag'
gregated %, 597 acres, with a BRO
duction of 10.715,665 pounds,
worth 1881, 1872. "A quarter of a
century previous, or in 1882, the
area in broom corn was 107.60S
acres. and it was in that year that
the incomes from the crop reach
ed the highest mark, or S2,552,-
26O. although the largest produc-
ton, 6O,511,36O pounds. was in
1S93." says F. D. Coburn. That
year. too was notable for having
che largest, area in broom corn in
the States history, or 1874, 4S7
acres. Between 1882 and 1895,
however, the annual area had
gone so low as 28,492 acres, in
1885. The value of the yield of
1885 though was over $3.50, 900,
an amount greater than the value
of any broom corn crop, save one,
in the decade past.
The industry's period of
greatest prosperity seems to have
been in the decade ending with
1891. the crops. in that time ag.
gregating in value S115, pos, 10. as
against {. s6,62O,319 as the total
value for the following decade:
While there has been much Auctu.
ating in yearly areas. it is notice
able that the annual acreages
since 1895 are uniformly smaller
than for the preceding years OF
the past''quarter ola century.
The smallest area returned fol-
any year in the past twenty five
was 10, acres in 1905. In 1885
Mcpherson and Pawnee counties
together had over % per cent OF
the States area. the former having
1887 and the latter 10, 726 acres.
Beginning with the year of its
Organization in 1870 Mcpherson
county led in broom corn unit
1884 when Allen optranked it
Mcpherson was first in cara again
in 1885 and continued in that rank
until 1891 when Rice had the
largest area in broom corn. In
1892 Cheyenne returned the lar.
gest acreage. and in 1893 had the
greatest area. 1888 acres. ever
reported for any county in the
State. Cheyenne continuously
retained first place until 1896
when Mcpherson again assumed
that position. and remained al
1.-THE head for the next four years.
In 1901 Cheyenne was first gain,
and retained the place until 1905.
when Stevens rose to first rank.
While the counties having thu
record areas are more or les!
widely separated. the territory
most noted for the production o.
broom corn is probably comprised
in the adjoining counties of Nc
Pherson, Rice and Reno. Ii
1896 these had over onefourth Of
the States area in broom corn
In the earlier years nearly ever
county had some broom corn, bu
9 then as now the counties usual.
having the larger areas were thos
in the central and western porto
r of the State. In 1907 only 60 0
the 105 counties raised broom
corn and three fourths of th
s States area was in the ten cour
E tiac of Stouonc Stonton NJ,