334 COEN CROPS 



fine and weak for this purpose. The dwarf type, however, 

 is almost exclusively used in whisk brooms. There is 

 some variation in different strains. Very often the large 

 manufacturers keep on hand seed of the strain? best suited 

 to the needs of the trade, and are ready to supply growers 

 with this seed. 



276. Brush. — The brush should be bright and of a 

 uniform light green color. When the head does not fully 

 exsert from the " boot," or upper leaf sheath, the base of 

 the brush is likely to take on a red color, which is very 

 undesirable. The discoloring is most common when con- 

 siderable rain occurs during the maturing season. This 

 is a very common fault of the dwarf variety and necessi- 

 tates breaking over the brush as soon as it is well grown 

 so that it will hang down. For this reason dwarf broom- 

 corn is more successfully grown in rather dry climates, 

 most of it at present being cultivated in Kansas and 

 Oklahoma. 



Length of brush. — In general, the longer the brush 

 the better, all other qualities being equal. There is some 

 danger that very long brush may be coarse. Brush 

 that is both fine and long is the most valuable. 



Rachis. — The rachis should be short, with no central 

 " core " of stiff branches extending upward in the center. 



Shape of head. — The head should be broom-shaped 

 rather than conical, with all branches approximately the 

 same length. 



Flexibility. — The brush should be flexible and tough. 

 This condition is attained both by proper climatic condi- 

 tions and by proper harvesting. 



277. Culture of broom-corn. — The selection and prepa- 

 ration of land, method of planting, cultivating, and so on, 

 are no different in general from those in the culture of 



