Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1904-01-22
REALM OF KING CORN.
States with Millions of Acre. of This
crop-CarnivaIs Held.

The corn plant grows in about every
State in the Union, and people
throughout the country Think they are
familiar with it; but to appreciate
what corn really means one should
make tour through some Of the
Western States where the fields may
be miles rather than acres in extent,
and where the harvest Of a farmer
means nearer 100000 than loo BUSH
els, says the New York Tribune 1t Is
IL this part of the country that one
can as easily get lost In a cornfield as
he would in a forest, so vast are the
fields. In the bottoms" of Kansas
and Nebraska a man riding through
patch ON horseback will often be hid
den from view, as the tops of the
plants extend above his head, resem.
bling young trees In their proportions
1t is no wonder that the people of
many of the prairie States celebrate
the coming Of king corn as the
Southerner does the appearance of
king cotton" for some of these COM
monwealths alone produce enough
corn In year To feed a nation. The
corn patch of Iowa which covers over
S,o00,0 900 acres yearly, sometimes pro-
duces 300000,0O0 bushels. Nebraska is
another 100000 State. but Kansas
the State Of the suGfower, takes the
lead with nearly 9,0O0,000 acres each
year devoted to this cereal There are
couDtfpa in Kancac mbara onn oan 900
square miles-not acres-planted en-
tirely with corn, where fields are so
large that standing at one end the
visitor sees the horizon unbroken by
anything except a mass of plants
swaying In the breeze.
1t is not strange that the corn har-
vest Is made the occasion of fetes or
carniyals in some of the Western com
munities. The idea probably origi-
mated from the corn festival of the In
dams, but the red man would never
recognize the old-time festival in the
transformation which 1t has under
gone. Weeks before harvest time prep
arations are made. The prominent
citizens of the town contribute to a
fund for decoration, music and usually
the entertainment of townspeople and
guests at banquet.
The services of some leading orator
are secured and the governor is invited
to attend with other notables A spe-
cial week Is set apart at time when
the farmers have finished gathering
the grain and have leisure to attend.
The railroad companies are induced
TO offer special rates for transportation
and with others offer prizes for the
best designs and decorations. A pro-
gram is arranged, consisting of process
sions. public meetings, concerts and
other attractions which will interest
the townspeople and visitors. Gener-
ally a committee of leading citizens,
headed by the mayor take charge,
and large sums of money are expend-
ed in arranging the carnival.
Each resident vies with his neghbor
In the decora tons, and there is shown
what can be done with the grain in
honor of which the celebration is held.
Some of the designs are truly wonder
full As single stalks can be procured
which are fifteen feet in height, an op-
portunity Is offered to construct pa
godas, booths and other ornamental
buildings with walls and roofs of the
plant. The stalks have such strength
and lightness that they can be easily
made into representatives of castles,
forts and historic structures. The
leaves are worked into an inconceiva-
BILE variety of designs. The women
and girls make costumes out of the
husks, even to hats and bonnets. They
are woven into parasols and umbrel-
las. while frequently the front of
building will be hidden by covering
of them. thirty or forty feet In length,
with openings cut for the windows
and doors.
The manufacture of corn millinery
has become an art among the Western
women. At a carnival held in Atchi-
son the principal milliners of the town
produced some wonderful creations of
headgear entirely from the silk husks
and tassels Many Of them were worn
during the carnival week by the bellies
of the place.
England's Superior Natural Gas,