Hein family continued.

Alfred Hein's Photographs

Sorgum - Hofbesen

[Sorgum = Sor.ghum; Hof.besen =House broom]

Sorghum is a wild grass which grows in the Bessarabian area.  

A sweet syrup can be made from it.

See history of Sorgum (Sorghum) brooms:  

http://www.broomshop.com/history/

Evidently the sorgun (sorghum) was tuffer than the other plants which had been used for brooms and became the favorite of the German-Russian house wives who swept their adobe walls with vigor to rid it of not just dust but the spider webs..

Broom Com:  http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Broom.html:

>>Broomcom is actually a variety of upright grass of the species sorghum referred to as Sorghum vulgare, or S. bicolor variety technicum, belonging to the family Gramineae and cultivated for its stiff stems. Broom bristles are derived when these stiff, tasseled branches—that bear seeds on the ends—are harvested and dried. The seeds are edible, starchy, and high in carbohydrates. They can be used for human consumption (in cereals) or for animal feed. The tasseled stalks, used in the manufacture of brooms, can grow 2-8 ft (0.61-2.4 m) tall. Sorghum is especially valued in hot and arid climates due to its resistance to drought.<<