The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-17

Senator ingalls, was asked by, a felloyy-
senator about this statement he salq ne
led liar, but he would venture to explain
the colonel sometimes employed pictures
Corn cobs are selling at the elevators
all over Kansas for 10 cents a wagon LOAD.
carry away loads of feet high At Re
public City the mountains of cobs recently
would come after them The city council
concluded that the collection constituted
upon removal. Cobs were declared free
fuel to all corners When the shelters get
to work the new crop in November and
December there will be cobs to burn for
Kansas farmers are not as pessimistic
on prices as might be expected from this
enormous crop. The time was when a big
yield meant 10 cent corn. Frank NJ. Baker
the elevator man in AtchisOn said the
other day that corn would not go to -
ed TO see it so low in Kansas again Then
Corn is worth now in ST. Louis and
Chicago 30 cents and 81 cents with huc-
Kansas deducts from that price the
farmer on the basis Of Chicago and ST
Louis prices Here come in the changed
conditions which justify Mr.. Baker in his
assertion that the Kansas farmer is get
ting the best price of any farmer accord
ing to location. Mr.. Baker has been in
this business from the pioneer period.
Twenty years ago" he said. the rail-
road rate on corn from COncOrd1a TO St
Louis was % cents per 100 pounds. Now it
is II cents. Twenty years ago the grain
dealer thought he must have margin of
g cents Now he does business on l cents a
bushel. The changes represent SO much
gained to the farmer. With corn around
for all of US the Kansas farmer now gets
Louis price Under the freight rate and
margin of twenty years ago 30 cents at
ST Louis meant 10 cents to the Kansas
farmer. I have no idea that I shall be
able to buy corn again for 10 cents
bushel I do not look to see prices go
much lower than they are now for the
new crop, large as it is. The price to
farmers may drop to Is cents or Il cents,
are other new conditions here which viii
tend to check the rush to market when
prices show signs of dropping any lower.
to crib and hold corn to the extent they
the feeding. At least one-third Of this
crop will be fed out on the farms and that
sheIled corn weakens. believe that
feeders estimate they can make corn
worth 30 cents buShel on the farm by
turning it into pork when the latter
brings $50 per hundred: Cattle feeding
enhances the value of the grain in like
proportion. WithJ one-third or more of
the crop in demand for feeding and one
half Of the remainder likely to be held in
strong proba biliuies that this corn will
Mr. Bakers statement about the ability
of the farmer to hold his corn is borne
banks of Kansas. These banks, as distin-
smallest institutions Wnlch IurnlSn the
banking facilities for the agricultural
communities. Not a state bank has failed
this year. In cash hand the state
banks now hold 100000 more than the
reserve which the law requires them 10
carry: This idle surplus has increased
over 81 100000 in the past twelve months.
600, for which the banks at present
time can find no use. 1t is ready for quick
encourage buying or it may be borrowed
by farmers on their cribbed crop.
While the old corn is being rushed out
to make room for the new, while farmers
are buying crib lumber by the thousands
proved conditions will enable them to hold
over till next year perhaps half of the
to be great problem. There are strange
sights in the corn belt of Kansas in a
with a crop which is beyond all prece-
dent. Millions of bushels will never see
it away. The elevator men are getting
ready to buy corn and heap it on the
had to do this to some extent in previous
seasons, but they have never before had
The elevator man must take all that
comes at his price. If his crib room runs
out and he can't get cars fast enough, he
must let the farmer shovel out the corn
on the ground; take his money. and drive
agent he had at one of these corn stations
IN northern Kansas minded.
down to know what he should do. The
farmers We're bringing. in the corn faster
than he could handle it.
Keep buying the elevator king wrote
in reply. Let EN- pile it on the ground"
After a few days another letter came
from the agent telling of progress. and
concluding with:
Good ground to throw corn on is get
ting mighty scarce up here
This made the elevator king laugh.
What the agent meant was that he had
been dumping the corn along the railroad
until he had about used up the ground
convenient to the side track He had
between 5000 and 10000 bushels of corn
in long heap. Hanging in the elevator
ing 10000 bushels of corn piled on the
ground at Gaylord, Kansas, after eIeva-
room been
and cars had given out. Republic City
went this picture better one year with
1O0,O 900 bushels of corn heaped on the
ground around the station. But these rec
ords will all be broken the coming winter.
than the exception at the stations in the
belt.