Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-10-17
The CORN CROP OF 1899

comparison, ana We must look TOT isrR
er measures.
Some eastern farmers raise crops q
say 10000 bushels, and can picture IL
their minds eye the bins aud cribs nee
esssry To hold this amount, or perhap
ten times rs much. But TO multipl,
l0, 900 bushels by $50, 900 adds no menta
conception To the srithmetical figures
An effort, therefore, to convey TO tn
eye or the Imagination some comprehen
sion Of the magnitude OF the American
maize crop may not be entirely vain, th'
more especially as our corn-growers sr
endesvoring TO acqusint the various peo
piles dwelling on the other side of tn
great water with the many uses and vir
tues Of the great American cereal, and Il
convey knowledge OF It's chespness ant
abundance.
First, then, "a to bulk, as that IL tn,
feature which most easily appeals 10 th'
eve. The pyramid OF Ghizeh Is the lsrg
est structure raised by man OF which ",
have any definite knowledge. Ii cover'
an area 200 feet square, and Is (or va
In its original stste) 450 feet In height
A pile Of corn on the grsnsry floor ha'
about the same relative proportions, ex
cept that Il Is circular instead OF round
II the whole corn crop OF Americs coult
be piled up on our prsiries by thu
Father OF Waters" in pyramids MS lsrg,
ss those built for the tombs OF the
Egyptian kings, not one, or two, would
suffice, but there would be seen forty
-four towering piles of golden grain
Piled up In one great heap rs IL come.
from the ihresher, II would be n mile
and a half In circumference, aud would
toss back the rays of TN. rising sun 4,
i,s apex three times the height OF the
Washington monument.
But "a few of Us have ever seen tbs
great pyramid Of Ghikeh, it may be ssid
that this Illustration fails 10 convey any
idea OF magnitude To the average mind.
The Murray Hill reservoir in New York
Ia doubtless u more familiar object.
remember when thought II the most
immense structure In the land, though
there are nov several elevators In Chi
csgo OF greater capacity. A thousand
such tsnks would, however, scarcely
suffice To hold the American corn crop
OF 1899 The ReHessiser Lake reservoir
OF Albany Is much more extensive
AT air, covering forty scres, u am not
aud holding about lao, ,000, 900
gallons. The product OF the great corn
harvest OF this bountlful season would
fir this reservoir full, and sixteen more
equally large,
/ spoke just now OF Chicsgo's great
elevators. The two big Armour elevat-
ors hold three million bushels OF grain
: piece, aud one Of these will serve to the
Chicago mind ss an intelligible unit.
wheo we ind, however, that 1t would
take 500 such elevators with $50 loaded
cars standing outside, the mind sgsin
fails 10 realize the magnitude OF the
mass. The entire elevator capacity Of
Albany would have 20 he filed and
emptied three thousand times, aud a
third Of Thousand more. II all the corn
~ 1899 should flow To the once proud
mistress of the American grain trade.
200 bushels IL the average carload, and
It would require 3,5sl 800 cars, or about
LIS. 900 trains Of twenty cars each, 20
carry the corn TO market, ''sll rail-"
Allow ing esch train half a mile OF track,
TO be within signaling distance. We
would have a string OF corn trains 20, 900
miles long, or five times the distance
: rou nd the globe ~ the latitude OF Chi
eago. II We consider the grain as lake
snd canal freight. the calculations give
no less surprising results. The largest
pf Chicaep's big freight steamers carry
) bout 2,000 tons, or 10000 bushels. The
feet Of such srgosies needed 10 carry
the golden wealth Of our corn harvest
v ould number 5000. No less than 300,-
Do0 Of the E5ie Canals biggest graiD
boats OF 2S5 tons capacity would be en-
ployed taking the grain from Buffalo,
and these would reach twenty-fv times
he entire distance from Lake Erie TO
New York.
In point Of fact, however, our agricult-
rral economy really markets little OF our
,rn In the grain. Iowa, Missouri and
ansss send their corn to market ION
he hoof." 0nly about one-tenth OF our
big crop will 90 abroad rs Indian corn,
Dr. maize. But this will be enough TO
iced fourteen million people the year
round, or TO carry all the starving mil
lions Of Russia and India through TO
heir next harvest. The corn we send 10
BUR own unfortunate wards In Cuba and
Porto Rico does not amount to as much
IS the crows carry from the harvest
fields.
Could we set out table in the wilder
ness, losded with Thanksgiving dinner
entirely the product Of our American
corn fields (ineluding 10 the list the
golden pumpkin, the humble hog and
The loquscious hen, as well IS corn syrup
for the fsp-jacks), we could ask the
entire one and a half billion Of the
worlds population, from Patagonia TO
X Kamchstks, TO sit at the board, and
could feed them bountifully for month
on the fat Of the land.
Or let US take another view Of the big
crop, since we are In the "supp0sing"
mood. As some orators are fond OF tell
ing Us what the trusts might do IL they
plea sed, let US suppose that the Ameri-
can Bourbon whiskey and Cattle Feed
ers' Trust should distill all the corn into
spirits (horrible though)! There Is no
tank In the country large enough to hold
the product. A bushel OF corn will make
Eve gallous of spirits; so that 1t does
not +, quire much figuring to find grand
total of II. 500, ,000, 900 gallons, or enough
10 AL the great receiving reservoir In
Central Park, New York, 10 the brim
twelve times over, and all the gas reser-
yoirs in New York would not hold the
surplus! But such speculstions are in
A few words In conclusion about the
\ 30 -IrAe IL,
souri, markets only about three per cent
of her great corn crop Of 200, ,000, 600
bushels, and the four other great corn
states, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Illi-
nois, msintain nearly the same proper
ton. They follow the economical sys-
tenn OF feeding their corn at home, and
together they send TO market about seven
million cattle ard twelve million hogs,
worth last year some e2s5, 900, 900. This
year the meat product of these states
will exceed $500, ,000,0 900. The poultry
crop Of Missouri last year was worth
sS 900, 900, and the other states will
hardly fall behind, so that we have $40,-
OOO. 900 10 add to the total meat product
OF Ave states, the greater part OF which
may be credited directly to the corn
crop. In short, It may be said that With
out corn we should be poor indeed
with it, we are the richest country on
the globe.-John +. Bramhsll In the
Country Gentleman.