26 BULLETIN 1019, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



broom corn is closely " sized " with this in view. The large number 

 of lengths prevalent in all broom corn has led to the manufacture 

 of brooms of several lengths. 



Spikes are objectionable as a rule. Some factories, however, use 

 some to give a " body " to the broom, the spike part of the brush not 

 coming below the sewing. Just which spikes are valuable is difficult 

 to determine. 



Curly broom corn is very objectionable, being both undesirable in 

 appearance and of poor quality. The prevalence of this kind of corn 

 in bales must be carefully noted. 



Brittleness is a quality that must also be considered in sampling. 

 The use of brittle brush is restricted largely to " insides " because in 

 manufacturing, " turn-overs " and " outsides " require bending, and 

 brittle brush will not well withstand this usage. 



The tip of broom corn is given careful consideration in selecting 

 brush. Brush " stripped " in thrashing is scant-tipped and its value 

 is lowered. Some brush is poorly tipped naturally, and therefore 

 contains a low percentage of hurl. Full-tipped brush makes a full- 

 tipped broom, as the ends are full-fibered and make a good body at 

 the end when clipped. 



Since it is upon the sample obtained that a buyer is supposed to 

 base his bid, it is often misleading to note the price offered. It is 

 well known that one accustomed to sampling broom corn can " pull " 

 almost any grade of brush desired and often this is done intentionall} 7 . 

 A low-grade sample is sometimes pulled to justify a low bid. Pull- 

 ing low-grade samples may induce the grower to accept a lower bid, 

 or may influence another buyer's bid, but has little weight if another 

 buyer is really interested, as every buyer samples all corn purchased. 



On the other hand, close sampling is necessary to discover some un- 

 fair practices. Damaged bales may be placed on the load with the 

 damaged portion hidden from view or not easily accessible or the 

 thrashing may have been poorly done. Broom corn may have been 

 baled too green, or may be shelf-burned. Unless care be used in 

 sampling, these factors may be overlooked. 



COUNTRY STORAGE. 



Storage facilities, while not always essential to the successful mar- 

 keting of broom corn at country points, are very desirable and have 

 a marked bearing on the movement of the crop. In localities where 

 there is heavy rainfall during the marketing season, much damage 

 occurs from lack of such facilities, while in sections where exposure 

 is not considered especially detrimental, conditions would be much 

 improved if storage houses were more generally used. In the ter- 

 minal markets storage facilities are essential. 



