410 BKOOM CORN. 



the river Mohawk (I believe a- branch of the Hudson), 

 and the Mohawk valley. Little Falls, town and station. 



On this journey considerable crops were standing over 

 a large tract of country, the nature of which I did not 

 know ; but on inquiry, I found that the Americans called 

 them " Broom corn," the stalks being manufactured or 

 tied up into brooms, and the grain partially used for 

 pigs, fowls, and cattle. On expressing my ignorance of 

 the crop my companions were surprised. " None on it 

 in the Old Country," they exclaimed ; " Guess you're 

 at a loss then to clean your house ? " An explanation was 

 necessary that though we had none of that sort of broom 

 in general use, yet still we had the besom and no end 

 of soap and scrubbing-brushes. 



We continued our route by Amsterdam, originally 

 settled by the Dutch, and on till at Albany we got out of 

 the railway carriage, and crossed the Hudson in a steamer, 

 where we were again delivered to the rail. Albany is a 

 bustling town and port, and it was very easy to see that it 

 had a flourishing trade. We now coasted the mighty 

 river of the Hudson, and from having heard so much of 

 it, as to the Hudson only was I somewhat disappointed. 

 To my chagrin it now began to get dark ; all the railway 

 acquaintances I had made had left at Albany, and I 

 found myself in a long carriage crammed full of all sorts 

 of passengers, all more or less spitting tobacco-juice ; 

 three stoves in the carriage, one at each end, and one in 

 the middle, the two former being lighted, and serving as 

 a mark for all men to spit at, the hissing noise that tes 

 tified a hit serving the purpose of the flag at a target 

 for rifle-shooting, The steam and effluvia thus arising 

 were so horribly offensive that I contrived to get a small 

 seat which only held two, close by the stove that was not 



