"7^ Sto^ o^ 'SroomcatH 



to handle and broom is ready for the next process. 

 It usually goes then to a revolving cylinder and 

 straws are evened up and any remaining seeds tak- 

 en off and the looks improved in general. Then to 

 the press and the sewing either by hand or by ma- 

 chine. The press shapes the broom in the iron vise- 

 like grips and holds it to the shape you receive it, 

 while a man or a machine sews a seam of heavy 

 flax thread through and through the body of the 

 broom. The press is raised and process repeated 

 several times for a 3-4 or 5 seam broom. 



Now a few operations such as trimming the 

 ends square, attaching the label, bunching them in 

 dozens and sacking, complete our brooms and make 

 them ready for our corner store and service to man. 



The production of broomcorn seed is an im- 

 portant, although relatively small enterprise in Ill- 

 inois. Less than a dozen seed growers in Illinois, 

 principally in Douglas county, supply practically all 

 the seed used in Illinois and in the Lindsay district 

 of Oklahoma. Very little seed is saved by the west- 

 ern growers in Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas or New 

 Mexico. 



Broomcorn grown for seed is left standing in 

 the field until the seed is ripe and then harvested 

 in the regular manner. When cured, the brush is 



threshed and baled for market. Due to standing in 

 the field for a longer period, the brush usually is 

 discolored and brings only about half the price of 

 corn not grown for seed. About twenty-five bush- 

 els of seed may be expected from an acre of corn. 

 One bushel of seed will sow about 20 acres. 



Seed is grown for three standard varieties of 

 corn — standard, western dwarf and whisk dwarf. 

 Seven distinct varieties are known. Trade names 

 for various types include Evergreen, Black Spanish 

 (known as Black Jap), California Golden, Scar- 

 borough, Black Spanish Dwarf, which was devel- 

 oped by H. Z. O'Hair of Bushton, Illinois, and Jap- 

 anese Dwarf. White Italian, a branch of the Ever- 

 green variety, is grown extensively in Illinois. 



We have tried to give you a short story of 

 broomcorn raising and the manufacture of brooms. 

 Our facts are based on our observations in Illinois 

 of both operations and a lot of the material came 

 through Mr. P. A. Lindenmeyer of Areola, Editor of 

 Brooms and Broomcorn News and Secretary-Treas- 

 urer of the National Broom Manufacturer's Asso- 

 ciation, and through the writings of Mr. Frank Col- 

 lins, formerly of Areola. I thank them deeply for 

 their help. 



THE MARTINS OF ROCKOME 



PAGE TEN 



