another sampling, trading, and finally buying. 



The Nat'l. Broom Manufacturer's Association 

 headquarters at Areola, Illinois, has collected many 

 interesting facts about the crop. About 1500 Illi- 

 nois farmers grow broomcorn and five times that 

 number in the west. There are approximately 

 2,000 broom factories in the United States, many of 

 them being small affairs employing only one or two, 

 while some of the larger factories equipped with 

 modern machinery employ as many as two hundred 

 people. Then there are the handle, twine and wire 

 mills, so those regularly employed within the indus- 

 try number about 20,000. 



Fifty million brooms are produced annually in 

 this country and as a ton of broomcorn makes about 

 a thousand brooms, 50,000 tons are needed annually 

 to supply the demand. These fifty million brooms 

 sell for about $25,000,000.00. This seems like small 

 change when compared to government spendings of 

 astronomical proportions, but still a sizeable sum as 

 you and I figure our income tax returns. The sale 

 of brooms has not increased in proportion to the 

 increase in population since carpet sweepers, brush- 

 es and vacuum cleaners do a lot of sweeping. 



I have seen brooms sell all the way from $2.00 

 per dozen to $18.00 per dozen wholesale, but rest 



assured the well made broom will outwear several 

 poor ones. There is no economy in the purchase of 

 a broom built down to a price rather than up to a 

 standard. 



At last this crop of corn gets into the factory. 

 Here first starts a process of sorting and grading. 

 Stem by stem and often stalk by stalk each are put 

 into a bundle for a specific use. Then each bundle 

 is dipped in a dye to get a uniform color and then in 

 a bath of sulphur fumes overnight for bleaching. 

 The next day more sorting and more grading ends 

 up in several different piles decked at different 

 places on the winding machine. Here a hardwood 

 round handle is gripped close to the end by a ma- 

 chine which revolves as needed by operator. One 

 end of wire under tension is inserted in the handle 

 at exposed end first and then another grade of corn 

 is held under wire and wrapped and fastened to the 

 handle by wire. Extra corn on opposite side of 

 handle in various ways forms the shoulders of your 

 brooms and finally a cover of better, nicer corn is 

 put on outside, spread evenly and neatly to make 

 a good showing. The wire is then wrapped several 

 layers thick and in various forms and by colored 

 inserts makes the neat upper end of your brush and 

 a nicer looking broom. The wire is then fastened 



PAGE EIGHT 



