THE NON-SACCHARINE SORGHUMS 399 



provided climatic conditions are favorable. But as the 

 value of the crop is determined as much by the quality 

 and uniformity of the brush as by the yield to the acre, 

 extreme precaution must be taken to have the land as 

 uniform as possible, particularly as regards its produc- 

 tiveness. The land is prepared as for corn and the seed 

 planted at the same season as that recommended for grain- 

 sorghum. For standard broom-corn the rows should be 

 3J^ feet apart with the plants 3 to 5 inches apart in the 

 row. For dwarf broom-corn the rows should be 3 feet 

 apart with the plants 2 to 4 inches apart in the row. A 

 uniform stand is of paramount importance. If the plants 

 do not stand at regular distances in the row, the brush 

 will not be uniform and its value will thereby be greatly 

 reduced. About two quarts of seed are required to plant 

 an acre. The seed may be planted with any form of corn 

 planter equipped with sorghum plates. The cultivation 

 is the same as for corn or the other sorghum types. 



496. Harvesting broom-corn. Harvesting is the 

 most important operation in the production of broom-corn. 

 To produce a brush of high quality, the crop must be cut 

 when just past full bloom but before the seeds have formed. 

 The important qualities sought for are a tough, flexible, 

 uniform brush possessing a green color. If allowed to 

 mature the brush is brittle and loses its green color. 



Dwarf broom-corn is harvested by " pulling" the heads 

 by hand, about a foot of the stalk remaining attached. 

 As standard broom-corn grows tall it must be " tabled" 

 before harvesting. "In tabling, one man passes backward 

 between two rows, bending the stalks at a point about 30 

 inches above the ground toward each other and across the 

 row, so that the heads hang about two feet past the other 

 row. Two men following cut off the heads and place them 



