The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-13
GROWING CORN AS KING
UNIQUE HARVEST CELEBRATION OF
NORTHEASTERN KANSAS.
Corn n Good Crop out There as Well
as Wheat, and HOnors Are Paid TO
It-In the Form of N Carnival.

Atchison. Kan, Letter in New York Post.
Once a year the Sunhower State grows
enthusiastic over the glory of it's corn crop
and proceeds TO celebrate the harvesting.
This city has for the past three years been
the center of the corn celebrations. and its
corn carnival to which it devotes a day
and a night, is one of the unique features Of
the West The idea is to have a good time
with corn as the central feature, and it is
done in ways that are astonishing to those
who are not familiar with the possibilities
of the cereal. The variety of methods in
which the grain and husks can be utilized
are many, and the citizens are all the year
trying to make the event overshadow the
celebrations of the previous times.
The principal point on which the most
stress is laid is the decoration of the town,
and it is made very beautiful. The stores
use hundreds of ears of corn in making odd
designs that will attract the attention of the
passersby, and there are on the sidewalks
strange creatures made out of the grain
that seem impossible to the novice. The
young ladies make out of the husks the
most bewitching bonnets and caps. and
wear them through the day. and the young
men even get up jackets and hats that rival
those of the fair sex for ingenuity and at
tractiveness. Even the horses are decorated.
and one might think that the town was all
in the corn business so generally is the
place given up to the festival. The thou
sands of visitors always have a good time.
and they are invited to make themselves
at home without money and without
price" At the most there is only a small
charge made at the booths for the meals,
in order that no one may think that he is
DaNlV used in the civ.
The day is spent in sightseeing and the
games at the park. The band of the city
is aided by a dozen more bands from
the neighboring cities. and they all give a
concert at the park in the afternoon. There
is no speaking whatever although there are
many requests that the rule shall be broken
in order that the political parties may take
advantage of the crowds in the city. There
Is no programme either. in the usual accep-
lance of the term only that all shall be-
happy and have decent respect for the
opinions of others.
CORN "CONFETTI.'
The fun comes at night. When the lights
are ablaze and the streets are shining in
the glory of corn decorations, the young
people-and the old for that matter-go out
with pockets full CT corn kernels and woe
be it to the passer who is not ready to take
his own part Where in the Mardi Gras
there is a shower of CONNECTION or flowers,
here is one of corn, and the handouts that
are thrown among the crowds soon make
the streets a cracking pandemonlum; Tnere
is prize offered to the farmer who VIII
drive down the street with his wagon filled
with corn and have any of it left when he
arrives at the opposite end. So far no one
has been able to claim the prize. There is
license of the fullest sort during the night,
and the police are theoretically locked up
until morning. OF course, when the run
grows too boisterous there is a stop put to
it, but that is something that does not hap
parade goes up and down, laughing and
shouting, and the corn DECORATIONS begin
to suffer. One after another they are pulled
down and used to amuse the people, ana
there are few stores that have the trouble
of taking down their decorations in the
g far the rh erindeg Of Re eorn and
er the crowd has been on them all the
evening the corn is ground into hour
many of the poor are glad to get this corn
for food.
The greatest fun is over the red ears, for
the young men insist that the good old Gus
tom that they shall be allowed to kiss the
girls under the red ear is still in force-and
they abide by its rules, too. one gram
buyer this year bought large load OF red
ears at a fancy price to sell again TO the
young men, and they were all disposed of.
The State has a good right to be proud of
the corn this year, for there IS good crop
and the price is above that of many years.
that there will be leo, GOO bushels of the
yellow grain, and there are hundreds or
thousands of bushels already in the cribs
carried over from last year. Corn is the
best crop that the Kansas farmer raises,
for he can feed it to his stock and be sure
of getting from it a good return lie mas
no fear of low price even in the off years.
The present crop is not the same as the
famous one OF 1889 when SqO,VQo Wy ~ ous tds
of last year. The corn carnivals nave the
merit of making the people realize the ben
Is sure to be produced here a grain that has
some of the beauties as well as the sub
stantial qualities Of the vegetable Kingdom.
GOLD VERSUS SILVER.
One Of the interesting contests of the in
terror of the State was that of the fair
where the yellow and white ears had con-
test. The silver advocates were supposed 10
be the favorites on the whte-corn day. and
no one was admitted unless he brought to
the gate white ear The corn was piled up,
and made several large wagon loads for the
poor. The speeches were for the white metal
and the bands played for the orators. Then
on the next day the yellow was in the as
tendency and the admission was an ear or
the yellow corn and the speakers made talks
for the gold standard. This was day or
rejoicing too, and the excitement ran as
high as on the one preceding, The people
came from all parts of the county on 0oth
days, and the addresses were by the best
talent on both sides of the question. Moth
ing was decided but the corn was given
to the poor and many a family was glad
that there had been the lively rivalry
The originator of the corn-carnival idea
was E. w Howe, the author of the Story
of a Country Town" and the writer for the
AtchiSOn GLOBE OF popular TeuectlonS on llIo
and manners. He proposed an occasion
when there should be no speaking, and the
corn carnival was the result The special
trains that come from Topeka and the other
cities of the State are for the most part his
doing. The rival towns come with their
bands and advertising notices and make the
city their own for the day.
Northeastern Kansas, in the vicinity or
Atchison, is the greatest corn region of the
West The fields never know a failure.
and the people are settlers who own their
farms and have been here for many years.
They till the rich bottom lands of the Mis-
souri, and harvest the crops with regular
ity and dispatch They have no fear or the
sheriff, for they can pay their debts Qf they
have any, The corniieldS that reach away
from the highways are among the largest
in the Nation, and are beautliui sight IN
the summer Now they are golden, but
have on them the weight of the big ears.
The new methods of harvesting the corn
make the farmer sure OF getting the most
out OF the product There are being brought
into the State harvesters that are drawn
among the rows to cut and bind the
stalks and lay them off in neat bundles that
later will be carried together and then
taken to the feed lots The harvester Is
doubling the farmers return from his corn,
and the invention is one of the greatest inn
nortance of any that has come to the State.
and night but it is recognition of the pos
sibility of uniting the pleasures and work
of the West. Our people take very few
holidays and the addition of one and the
finding of a new way to celebrate 1t, is or
much help in the arrangement of the prairie
life.
A Mothers Tragedy.
Washington Post.