Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/625

* BROOM. 549 BROOM-RAPE. formed by the young stems. They have also been used for tanning and dyeing, and their fibre has been woven into a coarse, strong cloth and even made into paper. The whole plant is very bitter, with a peculiar nauseous taste and smell when bruised. The young tops and seeds are used in medicine, being powerfully diuretic, and very beneficial in some kinds of dropsy. They are also mildly laxative, and, in large doses, emetic. They are commonly administered in the form of a decoction. Broom inhabits colder climates than furze, reaching to a greater elevation on moun- tains, and being found beyond the northern limit of furze. In 1899 plants were killed by the freeze in Washington, D. C, when the tempera- ture fell to — 1.5° F. It varies in size from a very humble shrub to one of 20 feet in height, and when it reaches this size the wood is of great value for the finer purposes of cabinet-makers and turners. Irish broom {Cytisus or Sarotham- litis j)atei's), not unfrequent as an ornamental plant in British shrubberies, is not at all a na- tive of Ireland, but of Spain and Portugal. Some species of Cj-tisus are valued for the fodder yield- ed by the yoimg, tender twigs. All of them are excellent bee-plants. Portugal broom or white broom iCyiisu.s albiis), a native of the countries bordering on the Mediterranean, is very often planted as an ornamental shrub, and is much ad- mired for the beauty of its fascicled white flowers, which are produced upon long filiform branches. Its leaves have three leaflets. It sometimes at- tains a height of 1.5 or 20 feet. Ci/tisus prolifer- vs allii's is an, important fodder-plant for dry regions. It is a native of Madeira and generally goes under the name Tagosasti ( q.v. ) . Spanish broom {!<partiiim junceum) is a native of the south of Europe, generally growing in dry soils and rocky situations, and attaining a height of 8 feet or upward. Its branches are upright, round, and rush-like, a characteristic of this genus. They are smooth and bear only a few small, simple leaves, which soon drop off. The fibre of the branehlets is much used in some parts of Italy, France, and Spain, for making cloth, ropes, etc. In Spain a fine lace that is much prized is made from the fibre of this plant. In the south of France the plant is cultivated on dry, unproductive soils. The branehlets are made into bundles, dried, beaten, steeped, and washed, in order to separate the fibre. The plant possesses medical properties similar to those of the common broom. A white-flowered species, Hpartium monospermxun. more properly called Genista monosperma. occasionally to be seen in shrubberies, grows abundantly on the loose sands of the coasts of Spain, and produces a similar fibre. It is mentioned by Barth as growing in great abundance in Africa to the south of the great desert. Many species somewhat resembling these are occasionally to be seen among orna- mental plants, some of them often in greenhouses. The Canary Isles produce some remarkable for the fragrance of their flowers. The name broom is not given to tho.se species of Cytisus (q.v.) and Genista (q.v.) which do not display in a marked degree the character of having long, slen- der twigs. Butcher's broom is a plant of an en- tirely different family. BROOM-CORN. A plant of the order Gra- minca?, generally regarded as a native of the East Indies. It is cultivated in the United States and southern Europe for the manufacture of brooms and whisk brushes, which are made from the open, long-rayed panicles. It is a variety of the same species {Sorrihtnn sacchnraliiin) to which doura, kafir corn, common sorghum, and other plants belong. The chief difference between this and other varieties of the species consists in the greater length, strength, and straightness of the fine stems composing the panicle. The plant has a jointed stem growing 8 to 12 feet high, and bears clusters of two and three spikelets on the ramifications of an open panicle. The cultiva- tion of broom-corn in the United States is nuioh older than the cultivation of common sorghum. Conditions of soil and climate suitable for maize are also adapted to this plant. The greater por- tion of the annual production is furnished by New York. Illinois, Kansas, and Nebraska, but it is grown in a number of other States. It is planted in hills about IS inches apart in rows from 3 to 4 feet apart. A yield of 500 pounds of the brush or material for brooms is considered an average crop. When the panicle is nearly full- grown the stalks are broken over at a point 12 to IS inches below the head. This position of the panicle tends to keep the brush straight. The heads are harvested before the seed is fully ripe, and while the brush is still green. They are cut off with G inches of the stalk, the seed is then removed by hand or machine, and the brush is cured in the shade to preserve its color and strength. The brush is pressed into bales weigh- ing about 300 pounds. The United States exports broom-corn to different countries. The bioom- corn produced in southern Europe is inferior in quality. As a forage crop broom-corn is not verv important. For illustration, see Bbazilxut, Pla'te. BROOME, Sir Fredekick N.pier (1842-96). A British administrator and author. He was bom in Canada, but was educated in England, and in 1857 went to New Zealand. He was appointed Colonial Secretary to Natal (1875) and to ilau- ritius ( 1877 ). Lieutenant-Governor of Mauritius (1880), Governor of Western Australia (1882;, and Governor of Trinidad ( 1891 ) . As Governor of Western Australia he promoted the construc- tion of railroads and telegraphs, and in 1890 ob- tained for the Colony its coveted Constitution. In addition to his contributions to the Times, he published Poems from yew Zealand (1808) and The Stranger of Seriphos (18C9), a dramatic poem. BROOME, William (1689-1745). An Eng- lish writer, coadjutor of Pope in translating the Odyssey. For writing the notes and translating eight books of the Greek text, he received £570, a price which he considered too small. Com- ments on this transaction annoyed Pope to such a degree that he abused Broome in the Dinieiad. Broome published Poems on Several Oecasions, and translated some of Anaereon's odes. Con- sult: Dr. .Johnson, "'Memoir of Broome." in Lives of the Poets (London, 1779-81) ; also El- win and Courthope, Pope's Correspondence (Lon- don. 1871-89). BROOM-RAPE (version of 'McA. Lat. rapum genista-, t»:m knob or tuber, from rapum, knob or lump formed by the roots of trees, and genistw, gen. sing, of genista, broom), Orobanche ramosa. An annual plant, 6 to 15 inches high, with many slender stems of a brownish or straw color, growing parasitieally upon the roots of