2 BULLETIN 1019, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. -_@ 
broom weed, and, possibly, other commodities have been used te 
replace it en 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 beasts mak- | 
ing, but the demand for brooms has remained rather uniform oyer 
an extended period, and a limited quantity of the raw product fin 
a market each year. This quantity is roughly estimated at about 
50,000 tons, and approximately 300,000 acres are necessary for 1 
production. Substitutes for brooms have appeared on the market, 
. but the increased oe has tended to keep the demand stable. 
Value of the broom corn crop and its importance in the States where extensively 
grown.) 
: Average F 
Aver 2 
=. State. 3 | Year. | Acreage. | yield per Production. “per ton Pare ” 
Pounds. Tons. ’ ‘A | 
TAU Carer eee ee me 1920 | 18,200} 500 4, 600 | $175. 00 $805, 000 
Missourian. scece. | 1920 4, 500 465 1,000 | 145. 00 145, 000: 
WKeMsAge = oe. ks as | 1920 | 20,000] 375 3,800 | 89. 00 338, 000 
Wexas ioe essesis- eee |. 1920 33, 000 230 3, 800 | 118. 00 448, 000 
SOklahonia’......22<-.- 1920 | 105,500] 324 17,100 | 129.00 | 2, 206, 000 
Chet eee 1920 7,000} 370} 1,300] 70.00 91, 000 
New Mexico......--..- | 1920 11, 000 420 2,300 | 100. 00 230, 000 
Derale ee 1920 | 199,200] 340.4] 33,900] 125.73 | 4, 263, 000 
United States.........| 1919 | 262,600] 386.9] 50,800] 153.64| 7, 805,000 
Do....-.:-.-------| 1918 | 366, 000 | 315. 8 | ~57, 800 |. 220. 93 |2 12: 7am 
Oo eee ee | 1917 | 345,000] © 332 57,400 | 292.75 | 2 16, 804, 00 
Dyeeeecs se, Ae 1916 | 235,200| 330 | 38,726] 172.75 | 6, 690,01 
1D ge eee LTE Pag, we, 454 | 52,242 | 91.67| 4,789, 00 
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 broom 
during the war are given as reasons for the noticeable increase during-1917 and 1918. __ 
PREPARATION FOR MARKET. 4 
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 iendeaaa has. 
been to adopt different methods of preparation i 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 _ 
