, 1874-04-05
Cheering News for the Farming Com
munity. -
proceu Of Manufacturing this Article Of
Food.
rho Enormous Profits Of the Re-
tailerS.
Expansion Of the Business.

ton which shall reduce freight~tariTs, but T.
The increase OF consumption in their immediate
nsighoorhoods, and the growth Of nanuiactoric
IN their Own cities and villages, which shall worl
pp their surplus wheat aud corn. Every Touring
nI1 every dlsti1lery3i regarded by the farmers a
abenefactor. and it is probable that the moet ar
dent country crusader, who sighs when she think!
Of the thousands Of bushels Of grain annual,
converted into Intoxicating beverages, would
from patriotic reasons III view Of the fact thai
the work must be done somewhere, prefer thai
the grain should be converted into liquor here
than in any other part Of the world. Whether
er not the day will come when Chicago, instead
Of being the great cereal market Of the world as
st present, will be huge bread and cracker fac.
turT and distilie1y, supplying the bulk OF the
outside world with all tho different articles, solid
aud liquid, INTO which cereals are converted, is
Just now d matter OF conjecture only. At the
same time every step, no matter how small
towards this devoutfy-to~be-wished conaumma-
ton Is worthy OF notice.
So, how the farmers will rejoice when they
Learn that an industry is expanding and growing
in Chicago which viii supply market for all the
corn they have, and may run MP its price 2 or
5 cents a buahel. Simple aud unpretendine
ssit may seem, it yet supplies & yearning Of
childhood, and longing from which even old
ageis not exempt. This business is the manu-
factu1e Of popcorn, and business rapidly attain
hg gigantic proportions.
In other days weaving, Bhoemaking, and other
trades we're carried On in private houses. Now
they are concentrated in large establishments.
So is It with popcorn, once manufactured By
esery Eastern hresde, when winter came to
a2dden the year; but now made no longer by
Individual enterprise, but conducted on q larger
eca1e. requiring the employment Of capital. Tue
old memories which surround the corn-poppez
o1 other days are all gone, aud tha. il the only
sd feature about the business. The romance
pt popcorn has departed; it il all matter OF
business now; but still that will not displease
the farmers.
1 week ago tha conversion, in q Chicago fac
tor, Of Western flour into Western uacaroni
xss described in TEE TRIBUNE, Since then. an
other, factory, in which pralrie-proluc1s are
worked up for home consumption. has been vls-
ited, and, though not 80 important to the adult
portion of the community aa the nacaroni-
establishment, its existence is, to the young
folks much more serious matter
TEE FACTORY
is situated in rear OF No. 207 West Harrison
street, aud the article it turns out ia pop
corn This peculiar confectionery has it's enc
mics among those Of older age, many OF whom
ole, and prefer their corn worked up into as
1ncs or liquid shEpe as possible but tho fat
OF those OF tenderer aga has gone forth indors-
ing popcorn, and the dcta OF thousand medi-
ca faculties could not remove the gay-colored,
dssue-covered balls from the stand OF the
street-veuder After all, it ia doubtless as ou-
trltons and digestible 81 sponge-cake, and ill.,
fnitely more pleasant to tho taste than chewing
tobacco.
THE PROCESS
which the corn underGoes, to give it the SNOWY.
puffy appearance which it presents to the admir-
ing gaze Of those who walk on Madison street.
is simple in the extreme. Tho factory above
mentioned 1s situated in the top story Of the |
building. Its apparatus is very eimple, consist
nG OF circular stove with an open top, in which
b kept bright ha1d-coal fire. The corn used is
q two kinds, known respectively es Is white
aint and " r7ce corn. The former is that
from which the ne plus ultra popcorn, white
Ind daky as srow, and with each blossom as
arge Is hiclosy-nut. is produced; while the
after produces the second quality, which is
1either go white nor 30 large. The popcorn cob
quite small, the grain very close set, ~ hard
md gtisteuiug as polished granite. After being
'heled, the corn. pound at timc is put in
TIE "PorpEn,'
wire box about 2 feot in length by foot in
'rehdth and 6inchesln depth. The poppor is then
moved to and fro over the fire, and in the course
It about minute and a half grain suddenly
caps into the air and falls back again among its
elbows, transformed into miniature SNOWFALL.
Other explosions follow, and in 8 moment the
copper Is filled with frantic grains Which cut the
Eldest capere, and puff, pop, and bang away
sntl nothing is seen m through the wlres but q
[acturer takes the pepper from the fire, opens it,
Ind releases the fragrant popcorn.
. TIE coLoR1sa.
~ tnla moment the popcorn Is decidedly
paiataole. out 1t requires further preparation
ps.o1e It can tempt tho nlckel from the pocket
81 1!e Young admirers, to whom eugary flavor |
= indispensable. This, a. we'll IS the reddish
IN. .a. WIN 7hlch much OF the popcorn is orna-
as91eu, impaired to It BY touching it up ar
~ .HtGauy With slfup which has been colored With
Al aoinl1:are Of cochineal.
TIE FINAL TOUCHES. {
1ne popcorn IS then ready for the final opera
LUZ oas '1e rollnglt into balls These are Ct two
= es-taat which sells for cent, and is about
1n: ae nze Of baseball, and the 5-cent elze,
'l1Iu - somewhat smaller than tho toy-bal- | E
oons, Which are already beginning to assert ] 4
aemse4ses N mht-air this season.
TEE PROFIT
lao b5 tho retail dealer is exactly 100 per cent, !
. . bng2ng the balls, which he sells At cent :
pl1ece at 80 cents hundred, while the 5~cent b
adoons he buys at $3.50 hundred. The Har- il
son street manufacturer atates that one barrel RI
snte-n1nt corn will make sixteen barrels Of T.
,p-eofn, while harrel OF rice-corn pops itself q
own ,,octfv !, r7;eao.s; .s - fsfo - | CT
IT ,1e11y n Miseonsln na one farmer alone
e prodnction n2 ~ si.;to 49, AoA fe
uoprv ~, ~ r--vnr | q,