![]() ![]() Whether Levi Dickenson was the first American to use sorghum to make brooms is in contention. Another common type is the push/pull broom, consisting of a wide brush with short bristles, to which a broomstick is attached at an angle in the center of the brush. ![]() Today, brooms are also commonly made with synthetic bristles. Faced with competition from imported brooms and synthetic bristles, most of the factories closed by the 1960s. The Oklahoma Broom Corn Company opened a factory in El Reno, Oklahoma in 1906, a year before statehood. Oklahoma became a major center for broom production because broom corn grew especially well there. During the Great Depression, the number of factories declined to 320 in 1939. One source states that the United States had 303 broom factories by 1839 and that the number peaked at 1,039 in 1919. A smaller whisk broom or brush is sometimes called a duster. "a besom made from broom") Flat brooms, made of broom corn, were invented by Shakers in the 19th century. The song Buy Broom Buzzems (by William Purvis 1752 - 1832) still refers to the "broom besom" as one type of besom (i.e. The name of the shrubs began to be used for the household implement in Late Middle English and gradually replaced the earlier besom during the Early Modern English period. Other experiments The word "broom" derives from the name of certain thorny shrubs (Genista and others) used for sweeping. It is likely these early broomcom brooms were simply lashed or woven together, resulting in the fact that they often fell apart. The course of American broom history was altered in the late eighteenth century, when some say that in 1797 Levi Dickenson, a farmer from Hadley, Massachusetts, used a bundle of tasseled sorghum grass (also called broomcom) to make a broom for his wife. Southerners have used native sweet grass and other grasses for their long stalks with tasseled ends for broom bristle. Native grasses were dried and bundled together, often decoratively woven at the top or tied tightly with yarn or fabric to keep the brooms together. History Ashes and dirt were moved around and out of the house using bundled branches and brush for centuries. These brooms then become a centerpiece within the new household. Today, African-Americans occasionally recreate this custom by jumping over a broom at weddings, using specially handmade and decorated brooms for this purpose. Enslaved African-Americans married one another in a civil ceremony referred to as "jumping the broom" in which the couple would literally jump over a broom to signify matrimony. Brooms were often used in matrimony rituals to symbolize a union. Essentially, the handcraft has changed little since mid-twentieth century. There have been some changes in the manufacture of broomcom brooms within the last several decades, but those changes have been very minor. The production of broomcom brooms is still largely a craft production with a single operator working quickly at a machine, making brooms by hand. Sotol fiber, a yucca fiber, is sometimes used on the inside of the broom and is wrapped with more expensive broomcom, thus lowering the price of the natural-bristle broom. Mexico grows and processes most of the broomcom and sotol fiber used in American broom production. Sorghum is especially valued in hot and arid climates due to its resistance to drought. The tasseled stalks, used in the manufacture of brooms, can grow 2-8 ft (0.61-2.4 m) tall. They can be used for human consumption (in cereals) or for animal feed. The seeds are edible, starchy, and high in carbohydrates. Broom bristles are derived when these stiff, tasseled branches-that bear seeds on the ends-are harvested and dried. bicolor variety technicum, belonging to the family Gramineae and cultivated for its stiff stems. Broomcom is actually a variety of upright grass of the species sorghum referred to as Sorghum vulgare, or S. Broomcom brooms are the most expensive of the manufactured brooms. Plastic brooms merely move dirt around, however, broomcom stalks actually absorb dirt and dust, wear extremely well, and are moisture-resistant. Broomcom brooms have been made for at least 200 years and are considered superior brooms. Natural-material brooms may be constructed of a variety of materials, including brush, but generally include stiff grasses such as broomcorn and/or sotol fiber. Man-made bristles are generally of extruded plastic and metal handles. ![]() They may be made from a variety of materials, both man-made and natural. History and information on brooms Broom Brooms have been used for centuries to sweep up, in, and around the home and workplace. ![]()
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