The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-19
From Is to II Cents a Bushel
Will Prevail.
S1OO,OOO,OOO ITS VALUE
Much Fed to Cattle and Hogs
on the Farm
That Will Bring Back 80 Cents
Per Bushel.

The big corn crop is beginning to tell
upon conditions in Kansas, although
the picking season will not open for
sixty days. A quickening is felt in all
kinds Of business. Farmers are dis
counting some of the profits. Lumber
yards are laying in great stocks of
crib stauff" At the ninety stations of
one railroad there will be sold this
fall, the estimate is, 1000 car loads of
material with which to construct cribs.
The amount of crib lumber which the
whole state will require is beyond cal
culatiOn.
The crib building is a gratifying sign
of the big corn year. 1t indicates bet
ter than words that the Kansas farmer
is master of the situation. Two good
years have put him where he is able
to hold over a considerable proportion
of his crop until he can see what the
next year will give him, and he is do
ing it. A Well-cOnstructed crib in KAN
sas climate will keep corn in condition
ten years, elevator men say. A crib
of corn is as good as a bank account.
In these days with money almost a
drug in the banks many farmers will
deposit their surplus of crop in the crib
and let it stay there until next year
and even longer unless prices tempt
One effect in anticipation is seen in
the rush of old corn to market. There
are forehanded farmers and dealers in
Kansas, who store up corn against
failure. They long ago read the story
OF Joseph IN Egypt ana applled II TO
their business. They have the record
of Kansas for a third of a century
showing the fluctuations of prices by
periods of years In the flush seasons
they fill the cribs and then they wait
to guess the top notch. Sometimes they
hit it, sometimes they don't. About
ten days ago it became evident to the
most skeptica1 Thomas that Kansas
had the banner corn crop of her his
tory, a yield that would go far beyond
the high-water mark of 1889 Now the
corn savers are emptying their cribs.
The steam shelters are Whirring at all
of the principal corn stations Hind
sight makes some of them vince a lit
tie. Repeated refuSalS to sell at soc
letting go at 20 and 22c- But as some
of them put this corn by at Toe a
bushel they are only cutting in half the
profit that has been possible One sta
ton is letting go of 250,000 bushels of
this old corn. AT another station 300,-
600 bushels has been marketed in a
week. At the forks of the Blue is
one of these forehanded farmers who
had a big crib full of fine corn. The
local buyers got after him and bid
closer and closer to his figure. Finally
one of them offered the farmers price.
The disagreement only was as to
whether it should be so much a busheI
at the crib as the farmer asked or the
same a buShel at the elevator as the
buyer offered. There was no sale. Sub
sequently that farmer hauled to town
and sold to the elevator men for ex-
act1y one-half of the price upon which
they had once agreed. Within certain
limits the corn crop is an interesting
gamble
Corn is the universal topic in Kansas
these days. Corn starts the CONVERSE
ton on the cars. Corn stalks are stack
ed up at the station doors to show the
travellers what that particular locality
has done. In the office of the Atchison
Globe is a collection of stalks with
their butts on the floor. When Editor
Howe stands on tiptOe he can just
reach the ears with the tips of his
fingers. Nothing less than 1t feet is
considered worthy of show. Out at
Downs, half way across the state, the
station agent has on exhibition stalks
which tower above the depot roof. They
measure p feet and inches. A local
The Kansas chinch bugs never die,
Each season they appear;
But corn stalks p feet high
Have knocked them out this year.
The bugs may come-they come In vain
Wen live when they have flown;
Give Kansas but her share Of rain
And she will hold her own.
Some Of the new. crop is. sufficiently
advanced to justify weighing. One
buyer, to illustrate the quality, is
showing eight ears which tip the beam
at pounds each. Thirty-tlve such ears
would weigh bushel. In ordinary
ears will weigh out a bushel is ac-
counted good enough Tor Kansas.
Does this great crop mean lower
prices for corn?' Mr.. Bowersock was
asked.
No" he said, Il don't think so. We
shall not see 10c corn this year and
don't believe we shall ever have it
again in Kansas. There is a close re-
lation between prices of wheat and
corn. The former will tend to hold
the latter up. That is always true. But
more than that, our farmers are no
longer obliged to rush the corn on the
market. They can hold over a large
part of the yield and my belief is they
will"
An investigation made I'm one of the
northern central counties of the state
shows four out of five farmers album
dainty able to carry half of their corn
to another year without borrowing a
Mr.. Bowersock and other public men
OF Kansas agree that the benefits of |
the SO0'O00,000 bushels of corn will be
more widely distributed and that
greater proportion of the profits will re-
main in first hands than would be the
case with any other source of agricuI-
turaI wealth The fine wheat crops OF
1897 and 1898 made the growers in this
state independent, but wheat is raised
by only minority of Kansas farmers
The advance in cattle and hogs of the |
past three years has put MANY millions
into the pockets of the stockmen who
constitute another minority. Now comes !
ills eAA4pl SCSdeuIed corn crop, and it !
seems as if every farmer in the state
has some of it. Not only that, but |
commercial men on the road LAWYERS |
in towns the merchants and business |
men generally who own ground from
an acre up are telling Of the height |
of stalks and size of ears in their par
t1cular patches. B. F. Smith the pio-
neeF horticulturist of Douglas county, |
counts this as one of the most discour- |
aging berry seasons he ever knew. But !
he put in corn wherever he had a