2 BULLETIN 1019, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



broom weed, and, possibly, other commodities have been used to 

 replace it with varying degrees of success, but usually the substitute 

 has been worked in with the broom corn in manufacturing and has 

 not entirely replaced it. 



The fiber of broom corn has very little use except for broom mak- 

 ing, but the demand for brooms has remained rather uniform over 

 an extended period, and a limited quantity of the raw product finds 

 a market each year. This quantity is roughly estimated at about 

 50,000 tons, and approximately 300,000 acres are necessary for its 

 production. Substitutes for brooms have appeared on the market, 

 but the increased population has tended to keep the demand stable. 



Value of the broom corn crop and its importance in the States where extensively 



grown. 1 



State. 



Year. 



Acreage. 



Average 



yield per 



acre. 



Production. 



Average 



farm price 



per ton 



Dec. 1. 



Farm value 

 Dec. 1. 



Illinois 



Missouri 



Kansas 



Texas 



Oklahoma 



Colorado 



1920 

 1920 

 1920 

 1920 

 1920 

 1920 

 1920 



1920 



1919 

 1918 

 1917 

 1916 

 1915 



18, 200 

 4, 500 



20, 000 



33, 000 



105, 500 



7,000 



11,000 



Pounds. 

 500 

 465 

 375 

 230 

 324 

 370 

 420 



Tons. 

 . 4,600 

 1.000 

 3, 800 

 3. 800 

 17, 100 

 1,300 

 2,300 



SI 75. 00 

 145. 00 



89.00 

 118. 00 

 129. 00 



70.00 

 100. 00 



$805, 000 



145. 000 



338, 000 



448, 000 



2, 206, 000 



91, 000 



New Mexico 



230, 000 



Total 



199, 200 



340.4 



33. 900 



125. 73 



4, 263, 000 







United States 



262, 600 

 366, 000 

 345. 000 

 235. 200 

 230, 100 



386.9 



315.8 



332 



330 



454 



50. 800 

 57, 800 

 57, 400 

 38, 726 

 52, 242 



153. 64 

 220. 93, 

 292. 75 

 172. 75 

 91.67 



7. 805, 000 



Do 



2 12. 770, 000 



Do 



Do 



Do 



2 16. 804, 000 

 6, 690. 000 

 4, 789, 000 



1 Monthly Crop Reporter, vol. 6, No. 12, p. 139. 



2 The high cost of labor, the increased cost of machinery, and large Government contracts for brooms 

 during the war are given as reasons for the noticeable increase during 1917 and 1918. 



PREPARATION FOR MARKET. 



Two varieties of broom corn are produced in the United States — 

 Standard and Dwarf. The methods of cultivation are similar, but 

 because of the peculiar difference in their growth, the tendenc} T has 

 been to adopt different methods of preparation for market. Success 

 in handling either variety is dependent to a large extent on proper 

 care during the harvesting period. Even with the most efficient 

 systems of distribution it is impossible to overcome the handicap of 

 an inferior product. A study, therefore, of the process of prepara- 

 tion becomes an important part of the analysis of the marketing sit- 

 uation. Methods of harvesting, thrashing, and curing broom corn 

 have been discussed briefly in connection with the production of this 



