The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-09-17
A BUMPER CORN CROP.
We Ian Supply the World This Year,
and Next Te0.

l eAAaa CUAt 49Vs
| In the histe.y es ss.sa, productions
there has never been euch an eDer-
mous crop Of corn as 10 being gather
ed ia the United States tais year. Il
will aggregate S.ts9, ,951 900 bushels,
or more than the entire corn crop Of
the world for 1901. The corn raised
In the United States will be sufficient
to supply the needs Of tho world, for
this and next year, even should there
be total failure in 1903. z
Corn harvesting is now in progress
in the United States end not until
snow flies in December uill this enor.
nous task be ended. Even then far
1ners further south will not have
finished husking the golden ears stand
ing in their fields Of brown. They
know it makes little difference so far
as prices are concerned. A record Of
sales Of corn in the past ten years
shows that the highest prices are OBJ
tanned in late fall and winter, and
that prices are 25 per cent. below the
average Immediately after the gather
ing Of the crop begins in early au-
tumn.
Last year the corn burned as it stood
ripening in the fields, just few weeks
before it had matured. But this sea-
SON there have been no droughts in
the corn sections. Nor have there
been foods Of general nature. The
weather, in fact, has been ideal for
corn growing. The stalks have grown
rank, the ears have spread and length
ened until 12-inch ears and 15.foot
stalks are not uncommon in the corn
belts. In Kansas they are telling Of
farmers getting lost in their cornfelds.
The crop for 1901 fell short of the
expected yield by 40 per cent; this
year it goes ahead Of the predicted
yield by 10 or IL per cent. Eight
States last year did not raise
; enough corn for home consumption.
The exports foil short 5000, ,00o hnah-
els. The yield was only 16 bushels
to the acre and 100000 acres were
not cut at all. In 1896 the average
yield was % bushels to the acre, ex-
cept in Kansas, where it was 40 bush
els. Kansas last year averaged ten
bushels or less to the acre. The Sun
flower State always runs to the ex-
tremes.
The acreage Of corn this year is
much larger than last. 1t is 3 per
cent. more or 102, 1863, 1923 acres. This
large acreage is due to the fact that
three and one.half million acres Of
wheat, sown the preoea.Ag fall, had
been frozen out and were ploughed up
for corn. Consequently, these 3,000,-
600 acres, which are largely in Kan
sas, Nebraska and Iowa, will not yield
their owners much profit. The cost
Of the wheat ploughed up was s6 an
acre, and the cost Of corn s5. The
yield must therefore be above 80
bushels and yield 40 cents bushel,
to profit at ell. This is improbable.
So 3 per cent. Of the corn crop will
yield nothing above the expense Of
sowing and gathering it.
The principal corn states are those
Of the middle and central states. The.
summers are too long for good corn
production in the south, and it is too
droughty in the Far southwest for GER
tain yieid. Illinois is the leading
corn state, but Kansas, Iowa, Indiana,
Missouri and Nebraska are big corn
producers.
Ccrn is handled in much different
manner than dozen years ago. Then
the mau did all; now machinery does
it. Little corn is husked by hand; in
fact most Of it is gathered as is wheat;
husked by machinery and shelled by
a patent shelter. The cob is ground
up with the fodder and makes good
feed; in fact the fodder is considered
] per cent. Of the crop. There are
are cornfelds in Kansas and Okla
homa that cover 5000 60 5000 acres,
and from 10 to 20 corn harvesters run
through them, one following another.
The corn stalks, with the ears, ore
stacked in rows by these harvesters,
later they are hauled to thresher or
shelter, the ears torn from the stalk
and the grain from the cob. The cost
| ia very small