THE CULTURE OF BROOMCORN 141 



Broomcorn is a crop that will not stand in the field 

 without great damage after it is ready to harvest. It 

 should be harvested just as the plants are coming into 

 full bloom, or when the anthers are falling from the head. 



The head of the Dwarf is enclosed in a sheaf or "boot." 

 It is more convenient to pull the head than to cut it, after 

 which the boot is removed. The heads are usually pulled 

 and piled in bunches along the row. The brush from 

 three or four rows is piled together, and after drying 

 for two or three days, is gathered and stacked in small 

 ricks. 



Because of the greater height of the Standard broom- 

 corn, it is necessary to bend the heads over to make them 

 easy to cut. The stalks are bent at a height of about 

 three feet. 



Two adjacent rows are bent diagonally across the inter- 

 vening space so that the portion of the stalks above the 

 sharp bend is supported in a horizontal position, with the 

 seed-heads of one row extending about two feet beyond 

 the opposite row. 



This method is called "tabling." One man can table as 

 fast as two can cut. In cutting, the operator walks along 

 the spaces between the tables, and cuts the heads six or 

 eight inches below the attachment of the straws. 



The brush as cut is laid by handfuls upon every second 

 fable, making it very convenient for loading on a wagon. 



After drying, the brush should still retain the green 

 color. To accomplish this, do not dry it in the sun, as it 

 will be bleached to a light-brown color. By curing in 

 sheds the original green color can be retained to a large 

 extent, and as a result the brush will command a much 

 better price. The average time of drying is about thirty 

 days. It is then threshed and baled. 



