Year: 1860




A correspondent recently .enquired Of
Us relative to raising Broom Corn, and the
most profitable manner 10 use il. A wri-
ter in the Rural New Yorker gives
some information, from his own expert
enee in both raising and manufacturing,
which is just to the point. He says:


In the first place, You may have your
ground IN good order, always bearing in
mind thar you cannot have It TOO rich nor
tooclean. Any soil that viii raise good
Indian Corn will raise good broom corn.
The small Fafleiy 1 consider g be he
best


after having plowed and dragged B


Todh1. nic4I Eaefa Il col "a rows
fest apart, ald then d-oD ter ar 1--we
seeds in place, every eighteen incn-
es, cover lightly with mellow earth, set
ting your foot on the hill to finish il of.
When It is fairly up, thin out 10 six or
eight plants to a hiII-hoeing around
the hill and giving it q little plaster
then go through with the cultiValor, TAX
ing care not 70 cover up the plants, which
win be but very small affairs for three
weeks after making their appearance.
Repeat the eultivating again in shout ten
days. and when the plants are about six
inches high, cultivate and hoe again,
drawing the earth around the hills liz
tie. This viii be all that is necessary,
unless your land is very foul, in which
case you will have to go through again
with the cullivatOr or pIow, as il is folly
to think Of raising corn and weeds in the
same ground.


Brush cut green makes the best brsoms
ana it will be fit when the hard, or iunc-
ton of the fiber and stalk, of nearly all
the plants is even with the top leaf
Break il down just before .c6tting. going
between two rows and breaking them to-
ward each other. Take good sized
shoe-knife with a keen edge, and cut the
brush, leaving abaut six inches Of he
stalk, and plf ing eli al lhusks an5 leaves.
# cut greer, The seed which sill Be cf
ahout the lQe vaioe as grass. Is scrap


~ od 81 OH aud thrown cut Is the caf.
sle, and tne brush spread out over the
mOws, or anywhere else under cover, u
dry, keeping the tops one way, so thai il
can be easily dried up again and stored
away in snug piles until wanted. The
stalks when green are of some value,
either to cut and dry for winter use, or
to turn the cattle into it to pick at stand
ing.


If, on the other hand, you wish to save
the seed, you may let it stand until the
seed is filled but not until the brush is
dead ripe then break down and cut as
before, taking the brush to the barn and
scraping the seed Off Spread It out on
the barn floor, to dry, when you must
give II all the air you can, and shovel it
over occasionally to prevent heating
Sometimes I spread the brush out TO dry
with the seed on, but it is heavy and bull
ky, and the brush is not smooth as when
scraped at first, and is much harder to
scrape.


make a machine to scrape with in
the following manner; Take an old
tanning mill, new set Of wheels in
strong frame, so hat you could use bal
anc5-wdeel wouldt be better, plt OF two
plank wheels, in place of the fans, then
take Stats Of the length you wish to make
your cylinder, three inches widea three
fourths Of an inch thick, hollow them
little at the ends so as 10 fit the wheels;
drive eight or ten wrought nails through
each slat, and nail them TO the wheels,
with the points out, in suoh way that
the nails will not be in straight rows
around the cylinder, but bristling all
over. One 10 turn the crank pretty fast,
one to hold on to the brush IN handfuls,
and boy TO haul it up, will scrape two
or three wagon loads day.


One ton. to three acres is considered
good crop, a d is worth about 800 per
ton, though have paid as high as $50
for it ALTON of dry brush will make
100 dozen hrooms. / have raised sixty
bushels of ripe seed to the acre, and for
horses, sheep or poultry, it IS worth a
little more than oats.


The stalks, when left until the seed is
ripe, is of very little value, being tough
and woody Almost any one with little
experience, could make passable brooms.
The best machines for the purpose are
made at Schenectady. A winder and
press costs $50. Good broom twine is
also made there.


The above is intended not for those
who wish to go into the business on a
large scale, but for farmers like myself
who can raise an acre and make il up in
the winter


.ta. se