328 THE BOOK OF USEFUL PLANTS 



All of these species of sorghum belong to one 

 genus, Andropogon, a member of the great Grass 

 Family upon which the world depends for food. 

 The blossom is a branching panicle at the top of 

 a jointed stalk that grows like maize. There is 

 no ear — the seeds follow the blossoms on the 

 top. 



Broom corn seed is planted later than corn in 

 fields within the Corn Belt and farther south. 

 Its culture is like that given to corn, and as 

 the bloom passes the grower watches the clouds 

 anxiously. Dry, clear weather is needed for the 

 harvest. The crop is the "brush," or top, made 

 up of fine, wiry, and very long branches that bear 

 the small seeds. In the fields of standard varieties 

 the harvest involves the " tabling " of the stalks, 

 before the cutting of the heads. The stalks are 

 partly severed three feet from the ground, and the 

 tops bent diagonally over so that the brush lies 

 across the broken stalks of the neighboring row. 

 The bent stalks form a table on which the heads 

 lie to dry. Each brush has two or three inches of 

 stalk left for a handle, and is in prime condition if 

 cut right after the bloom fades. If the seeds 

 ripen, the straws become brittle' and stiff. 



Dwarf varieties are grown for whisk brooms. 

 The stalks are pulled after blooming, and the 



