THE VARIETIES OF BROOM-CORi^. 



tough, long, and of a good color. Soil and cultivation, 

 especially thick or thin planting, have much to do with 

 the character of the product, the same kind of seed, with 

 different soil and culture, producing brush greatly un- 

 like in appearance and value. Besides these accidental 

 differences, there are several varieties, in which by long 

 cultivation and careful selection of seed, certain desirable 

 qualities have become fixed. 



THE VARIETIES OF BROOM-CORN. 



Broom-corn culture was at the beginning of the present 



century confined mostly 

 to New England and 

 eastern New York, and 

 the varieties known to 

 the early cultivators 

 have been superseded by 

 other and improved 

 sorts ; the " Pine-tree," 

 " North River," " Shir- 

 ley," and other kinds 

 are not recognized by 

 our present growers. 



Dwarf. One of the 

 most marked of all the 

 varieties is the ' i Dwarf " 

 (fig. 1), introduced about 

 20 years ago ; the plant 

 grows only about three 

 or four feet high, nearly 

 one-half of this being 

 brush, of which it gives 

 a large yield, but is 

 more difficult to harvest 



i. DWARF BROOM-CORN, than any other. The 

 panicle, or brush, is partly enclosed by the sheath of the 



