The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1899-09-29
THE CORN BELT.
Product Spreading Across the Cen
trail Portion Of Our Country.
The Men Who P7ise Corn and Corn Food
Products Will Not Become
Socialists.

Late estimates on the corn crop
for the United States place it at
two thousand million bushels. The
final estimate may reduce this some, az
the prolonged dry season commencing
the last half Of August has cut the crop
short.
Coming across the continent we en-
count,red the first corn at Moose jaw,
AssinaObia. We saw great deal Of corn
in the Canadian provinces, and some OF
the finest fields in the whole country
were seen in North Dakota and northern
Minnesota. In ten years the corn belt
has been widened 10 the west and ex-
tended to the north in each direction by
nearly the breadth Of whole state. This
has been made possible by the earlier
varieties introduced through the De-
partment of Agriculture. Bat the ac-
cimatization Of corn is proceeding very
rapidly. variety that is early in
northern Missouri il soon grown in
southern Iowa, and variety that II
early in southern Minnesota is grown in
North Dakota in few years. saw
fine corn growing right down to the
margin of alkali ponds in the Dakotas.
II is growing rank on the light grayelly
soils OF northern central Wisconsin, on
the sand dunes Of Michigan, and each
year sees il spreading westward into the
sage brush region, and southwark into
the pine barrens toward the gull.
Coming out Of the northwest from the
Canadian Pacific railway we rode
through twelve hundred miles Of corn
fields to It's principal dumping place -
| Chicago. That city II nothing much but
the dumping ground Of the corn belt.
And that II glorv enough for Chicago.
No other country in the world has u corn
belt. Other lands produce wheat, cot
ton, wines, or dairy products. But the
United States only grows a corn crop,
greater alone than all the other crops Of
any other country. The Chicago papers
have beentrying TO estimate the corn
crop this year. The'r highest figures
reached about two thousand five hun
dred million bushels, but they have had
to reduce this several times. The truth
II, this is the one crop that Is iucalcula-
bile 50 far as estimating its volume or
wealth product. Each year greater
quantities Of corn are cut up for fodder
aud cnsiage. Every progressive farmer
cuts and binds large part OF his corn for
fodder with the coin harvester worked
by two or three horses. The prosperous
farmers Of Wisconsin seem 60 cut up
more corn for fodder than any other
state. We saw more corn shocked, and
more corn fields bar probably cut and
packed away in silos-iE thrifty Wiscon.
sin than elsewhere. The season has
been very favorable To weed growth, on
account of heavy rains in the first half,
aud this will reduce the crop in some
states, but makes il heavier in the semi
arid parts Of the cola belt. The corn
crop cannot bc reduced to figures readily
because great part ot II is never husk
eel, or marketed. II is the one crop that
the farmer can handle in variety ol
ways. II he can't market, he feeds il 10
hogs. II hogs are low he can put il into
beef cattle. Asa last resort he can burn
II and defeat the coal trust. lie can al
ways feed il or eat it, and II hc cant
gather it, hc stock ON his farm will
gather il for him.
Probably the greater part of the corn
crop goes Ia market Ia the form oi
condensed food products. The exports
and home consumption Of canned corn,
green corn, hominy .and flakes, which
We never consider in speaking of the
corn crop, reach into the millions, IL
is in meat and dairy products that
our corn goes larthest to feed the world
We are scnd'ng these products to
Central Africa, a country We never
think ol doing business with, hut where
our trade has increased 236 per cent in
ten years.
Corn is not only the greatest eN.
clusiyely typical American crop, but II
is peculiarly the democratic crop Of
our country-not ~ the sense OF the
traditional connection bctw en- corn
whiskey and the democratic party
but because there are no bonanza
con farmers The corn farmers
own their own farms, plant and
make the crop and harvest il
almost entirely without extra help,
and with very little outlay for time or
machinery, The corn belt has probably
fewer tenants and more independent
land owners, more men who have made
their fortunes by the toll OF their own
hands aud the toll of their families,
than any other equal area OF the globe,
They are not subject to the periodical
depressions of the wheat farmer aud
the cotton grower. when the market
ges below the cost OF production, the
wheat and cotton growers undertake
political revolutions, The corn farmer
simply lecls his crop aud sells in
more compact form at higher profit.
tie can turn himself several times be-
iorc he is ho0del and generally comes
out ON top, lie is not subiert to po.
litioal panics or the victim OF temporary
economic disturbances.
The population Of the corn belt will