HARVESTING BROOM-CORN 39 
as much as the straight heads, and is much more 
difficult to bale; hence it is quite desirable that 
the crop should contain a minimum amount of 
crooked heads. Careful seed selection and prompt 
harvesting at the bloom stage will have a tendency 
to reduce the number of undesirable heads. 
Scraping or Threshing.—Before the broom-corn 
can be baled and marketed the seed must be re- 
moved from the brush. This is accomplished by 
bringing the seed heads in contact with a revolving 
cylinder the surface of which is set with spikes or 
long teeth, as shown in Figure 12. If the acreage is 
limited this small power machine or a hand scraper 
will be sufficient to thresh the crop, but where 
broom-corn is grown extensively a large power out- 
fit (Figure 13) is required. A thresher of this kind 
costs about $200 and has a daily capacity of 30 to 40 
acres if 15 to 20 men are provided to handle the 
material. In this process the heads do not pass 
between the revolving cylinders, as in the case of a 
grain thresher. The brush is held firmly by a 
toothed belt which, brings the seed heads into con- 
tact with the cylinders in such a manner as to thor- 
oughly remove the seed. After passing the cylinder 
the brush is deposited on a platform at the side 
opposite to the point of entrance. The seed is col- 
lected at the bottom of the machine and removed by 
a conveyer situated at the end of the machine oppo- 
site the cylinders. 
Curing and Bulking.—From the thresher the brush 
is taken to drying sheds, where it should be allowed 
to cure for three or four weeks before it is baled. 
