14 BROOM-CORN CULTURE 



and the production of a superior quality of brush, to 

 meet the demands of the manufacturer for a high- 

 grade material of uniform quality. 



The Choice of Land. Broom-corn will permit of 

 later planting than most of the principal crops, 

 and for this reason it is sometimes advisable to use 

 it as a gap crop for replacing corn, oats or other 

 cereals that have failed to make a good start. 



As a rule, however, careful attention should be 

 given to the selection of the land to be devoted to 

 broom-corn. It is quite essential that the soil of the 

 field should be of uniform fertility and free from 

 weeds. A foul piece of land planted to this crop 

 will require a great amount of labor to keep the 

 weeds from choking the young plants, since the 

 broom-corn makes a very slow growth for the first 

 two or three weeks until it gets its root system out 

 into the soil. 



In localities where broom-corn is grown quite 

 generally, it should be made to take a permanent 

 place in the regular system of crop rotation. The 

 grower can then afford to supply himself with dry- 

 ing sheds, scrapers, a baling press and other equip- 

 ment necessary for the proper handling of the crop. 



It is unwise to make broom-corn the principal 

 crop, as is sometimes done in Illinois, Kansas and 

 Oklahoma. It is much safer to devote only a part 

 of the farm to this crop and hold the brush until 

 the market permits of a profitable sale. If broom- 

 corn is grown exclusively, the holding of the brush 

 for a higher price will entail a large financial burden, 

 and in addition to this, the work of the farm will be 



