PRACTICAL FARMER. 



57 



soned and fit to be carried in. The remainder of 

 the stalks are then burnt in the spring in the field, 

 and some little advantage is derived from the 

 ashes. A much better way, it is thought, is, after 

 gathering the crop to cut the stalks and lay them 

 lengthwise in the rows, and plough them immo ii- 

 ately under. They will become entirely decom- 

 posed by spring. A still better mode is to carry 

 them into the cattle and sheep yards, where they 

 become incorporated with the manure, and make 

 a valuable addition to the compost heap. 



The seed is planted in rows, wide enough apart 

 for the plough to pass conveniently between 

 them, and dropped in liills about eighteen inches 

 from each other. Four or five stalks are consid- 

 ered sufficient to remain in a hill — more are some- 

 times allowed. The cultivation and manuring is 

 more than for Indian corn. It may be manured 

 in the hill or by spreading, or in both ways, as you 

 have the means of high cultivation, which this 

 plant will bear. The stalks are not eaten by cat- 

 tle, nor even browsed by them ; but I am not cer- 

 tain that the leaves would not furnish a good feed 

 for young stock, if stripped early, wlien tender, 

 well cured, as the Indian corn blades are cured 

 at the south. What would be the effect of such 

 mutilation upon the crop itself, and whether it 

 would compensate for the labor, are inquiries 

 which I am not able to answer, and in respect to 

 which I cannot learn that any experiments have 

 been made. It is an important subject for exper- 

 iment. As it is at present managed, the plant re- 

 turns little to the ground compared with Indian 

 corn ; and the Iladley and Hatfield farmers are 

 obliged to connect with it the fattening of beef to 

 a considerable extent, to furnish manure for their 

 broom corn. 



It is deemed a good crop when the broom com 

 mandsfive cents per pound. The price has here- 

 tofore been subject to great fluctuations. At on- 

 time it was the custom for every farmer to make 

 up his own brooms, and then to go and sell them 

 where he could. This was bad for all parties. It 

 brought too many competitors into the market ; 

 and often unduly depressed the price, and the buy- 

 ers were obliged to put up with an inferior article. 

 Now the manufacturing and the growing of broom 

 are in different hands ; and the farmer, as soon as 

 his broom is ready for the market, finds a pur- 

 chaser at a steady price ; and the manufacturer 

 feels that his i-eputation, and consequently his suc- 

 cess, are concerned in the quality of the article 

 which he furnishes. 



It is a little remarkable, that notwithstanding the 

 extent and importance of this product, for one 

 miinufacturer within a few miles of me makes 

 several hundred thousands of brooms a year, that 

 in no book of agriculture in my possession can I 

 find any account of the cultivation of this plant, 



not even in that excellent New England work, 

 " The Complete Farmer." The Shakers for a 

 long time almost monopolized the raising of the 

 plant and the manufacture of brooms ; and their 

 brooms, which, like the other manufactm-es of 

 this industrious community, were always of a su- 

 perior quality, usually commanded a high price, 

 generally 42 cents or more. Corn brooms are 

 now frequently sold ft-om eight to twentyfive 

 cents: but many of them are like Pindar's razors 

 " made to sell." The Shakers, however, maintain 

 the quality of their manufacture. The handles, 

 in an unfinished state, are furnished for a cent 

 apiece ; the wiring atid the tying on are usually 

 done by the hundred. The scraping the seed 

 from the brush is an unpleasant business, and 

 often very injurious to the eyes. The manufac- 

 ture, where it has been carried on extensively and 

 with ample capital, has yielded encouraging 

 profits. 



An intelligent and enterprising fanner in my 

 n;ig!)borhood, who last year cultivated three 

 acres and one half of broom corn in our alluvial 

 meadows, has been kind enough to furnish me a 

 detailed account of the expense of cultivating an 

 acre, which may be relied on for its exactness, 

 but in which the rate of labor is probably over 

 estimated by the day. His broom was sold in the 

 autumn at eight and one half cents per pound. 

 It readily commands this spring 12i cents ; had he 

 fortunately retained his broom until this time, the 

 profits would have been gi-eatly enhanced, while 

 the expenses would, of course, have remained 

 the same. 



Account of the expenses of cultivating 

 of Broom Corn in Deerfield meadows, in 

 1832, by Mr Alvah Hawkes : 



One ploughing, 12th 3Iay, 



Holeing out, one third of a day's work, 



en loads of manure, at 75 cents, 



Putting manure in the hill, 



Planting, one day's work. 



Seed, 4 quarts, at 75 cents per bushel. 



Hoeing, first time 3^ days, 

 do. 2d do. 3 do 



do. 3d do. 2i do. 



Horse and boy to plough for the season, 



Tabling and cutting, 4 days. 



Gathering, carting, and packing away. 



an acre 

 the year 



$1,25 

 34 

 7,50 

 2,00 

 1,00 

 10 

 3,00 

 2,50 

 2,50 

 1,00 

 4,00 

 2,50 



$28,68 



The expense of cultivating one acre is $28,68 

 cents, the labor being rated at one dollar per day, 

 which is more than the actual cost, as I hired my 

 laborers by the month, at from six to ten dollars 

 per month. The yield was at the rate of 991 

 pounds to the acre. Had all my ground been 



