590 LETTER II. TO [PART III* 



1045. As an ornamental plant nothing equals 

 this. The Indian Corn is far inferior to it in this 

 respect. Planted by the side of walks in gar 

 dens, what beautiful avenues it would make for 

 the summer! I have seen the plants eighteen 

 feet and a half high. I always wanted to get 

 some seed in England ; but, [never could. My 

 friends thought it too childish and whimsical a 

 thing to attend to. If the plant should so far 

 come to perfection in England as to yield the 

 broom-materials, it will be a great thing ; arid, 

 if it fall short of that, it will certainly surpass 

 reeds for thatching and screening purposes, for 

 sheep-yards, and for various other uses. How 

 ever, I have no doubt of its producing brooms; 

 for, the Indian Corn, though only certain sorts 

 of it will ripen its seed even in Hampshire, will 

 always come into bloom, and, in the Broom- 

 Corn, it is the little stalks, or branches, out of 

 which the flower comes, that makes the broom. 

 If the plant succeed thus far in England, you 

 may be sure that the Borough-villains will tax 

 the brooms, until their system be blown to 

 atoms ; and, I should not wonder if they were 

 to make the broom, like hops, an article of 

 excise, and send their spies into people's fields 

 and gardens to see that the revenue was not 

 " defrauded" Precious villains ! They stand 

 between the people and all the gifts of nature! 

 But this cannot last. 



