656 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



by means of a toothed endless belt. When the seed is removed the 

 clean brush is deposited at the end of the machine ready to be placed 

 in the drying sheds. To run a regular thrasher requires a force of 

 from twelve to fifteen men. Some growers keep a sufficient force 

 tabling, cutting and hauling to also do the thrashing. The force 

 quits the field a little early and thrashes and stores the day's cutting 

 in the evening. 



Where only a small acreage is grown, it is sometimes thrashed 

 by mounting a small cylinder beater in a frame. The cylinder is 

 run with some suitable power and the brush is held in the hand in 

 small bunches until the seed is beaten off. This is a slow process 

 but it will answer if only a small amount of brush is at hand. Care 

 must be taken to get all of the seed off of the brush or the price will 

 be materially reduced. 



Drying. The market demands brush of a bright, natural green 

 color. To retain the color the brush must be dried in sheds which 

 will keep off the strong, direct light of the sun. At the same time 

 it must be dried rapidly. The main requirements are a good roof, 

 with eaves projecting several feet and good ventilation in all parts of 

 the shed. A drying shed large enough to accommodate 40 acres 

 would need to be at least 48 feet long by 16 feet wide by 10 high. 

 The following internal arrangement is recommended: "Place up- 

 rights, 8 feet apart in each direction, and nail to these, 4 inches apart, 

 this plan gives six transverse sections, each 8 feet wide, with 

 ends open for circulation of air. Slats, 2 inches wide and 8 feet 

 long, are required in large numbers, but are not put in place until 

 the filling of the shed with brush is begun. 



For a shed of the size mentioned above 2,200 such slats are 

 needed. Beginning at the bottom a shelf is formed by placing two of 

 these movable slats across a section, resting their ends in the lowest 

 spaces between the transverse strips nailed to the uprights. The 

 brush is then evenly spread two inches deep upon these two slats, 

 and then another shelf is made 4 inches above the first, and so on, 

 till the shed is filled. If placed more than three inches deep the 

 brush will not dry quickly and well, and may become musty or 

 shed burned. 



Rain or dew on the brush while drying is liable to tinge the 

 brush red which injures its market value. Rain and bright sunshine 

 will often produce brittleness in the brush which also reduces the 

 price. 



Bulking. Although protected from inclement weather by the 

 shed, dry weather cures the crop much better than damp weather. 

 If the weather is dry, the curing process takes from two to four weeks. 

 The end of the process can be determined by examination of the 

 stems. If no moisture shows on twisting the stems, they may be 

 considered cured. They should -be taken off the drying rack at once 

 and piled in straight regular piles to prevent undue bleaching. 



Baling. Baling consists in pressing the brush into bales, by 

 means of a baling press, and binding with wire. Broom corn 

 manufacturers will not accept poorly thrashed or baled brush. The 



