The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-08-30
THE CORN CROP OF KANSAS.
j Tall Stalks and Big: Ears-A Value of
$1OO. ,Ooo.@
st. Louis Globe Democrat.

conditions in Kansas, although the
picking season viii not open for Nixty
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
.scrib stuff. At the ninety stations
Of one railroad there will be sold this
fail, the estimate is, 1000 carloads Of
material with which to construct cribs.
The amount Of crib lumber which the
whole State will require is beyond cal
culation.
This crib building is gratifying
sign Of the big crcp year. 1t indi-
Gates better than words that the Kan
I sas farmer is master Of the situation.
Two good years have put him where
he is able to hold over considerable
proportion Of his crop until he can
see what the next year will give him,
and he is going. to do it. A we'll con-
structed crib in Kansas climate will
keep corn in condition ten years, ele-
vator men say. a crib Of corn is as
good as q bank account. In these
days, with money almost a drug in the
hanks. many farmers will deposit their
surplus Of crop in the crib and let it
stay there until next year, sDd even
longer, unless prices tempt.
One effect in the anticipation is seen
in che rush Of old corn to market.
There are fore-handed farmers and
dealers in Kansas, who store up corn
against a failure. They long ago read
the story Of Joseph in Egypt and ap-
Piled It to their own business. They
have the record Of Kansas for third
of q century, showing the fluctuations
Of prices BY periods Of years. In the
flush seasons they fill the cribs and
then they wait to guess che top notch.
Sometimes they hit it; sometimes they
don't. About ten days ago it became
evident to the most sceptical Thomas
that Kansas had the banner corn crop
Of her history, a yield that would go
far beyond the high water mark OF
1889. Now the com savers are emp
tying their cribs. The steam shelters
are whirring at all Of the principal
corn stations: Hindsight makes some
of them vince a little. Repeated re-
fnsals to sell at 30,cents are recalled
By the men who are now letting 60 at
20 and % cents. Butas some Of them
put this corn by q. zen cents q bushel
they are only cutting in half the profit
that has been possible. One station
is letting go Of 25o, ,oo0 bushels of this
old corn. AT another station 300. 600
bushels has been marketed in q week.
AT the forks Of the Blue" is one of
these fore-handed 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 bushel
at the crib as the farmer asked or the
same a bushel at the elevator as the
buyer offered. There was no sale.
subsequently, that farmer hauled to
town and sold to the elevator men for
exactly one half of the price upon
which they had once agreed. Within
certaia limits the corn crop is au IN
teresting gamble. .
Corn is the universal topic in Kan
sas these days. Corn starts the cor
.yersaaion on the cars. Corn stalks
are stacked up at the station doors to
show the travellers what that particular
localityhas done. In the Office OF the
Atchison Globe is collection Of stalks
with their busts on the floor. When
Editor Howe stands on tiptoe he can
;nst reach the ears with the tips Of
his fingers. Nothing less than four
teen 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 TWEEN
ty-two feet and four inches. A local
poet has been inspired to the follow
ing:
The Kansas chinch bugs never die,
Each season they appear,
But corn stalks 90 feet high
Have knocke1 them out this year
The bugs may come--they come in vain,
Well 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