The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-29
THE POPCORN TRADE.
Growth OF an Industry Dating From the
Invention OF the Corn Pepper.

Growth OF an Industry Dating From the
Invention OF the Corn Pepper.
The newest OF the many forms in which
popped corn is now put up for sale is an
ear Of corn, which is made up In q machine
whose operation requires the service OF
five persons.
The popped corn is first moulded into
the shape OF an ear Of corn, which is COW
cred with a wrapping Of waxed paper.
Then over this waxed paper cover is placed
q wrapping OF Grape paperin leaves, in color
and shape resembling corn husks and cover
ing the ear as real corn husks cover a real
ear, while from the tip of this popped corn
ear extends a tassel Of paper for the corn
silk.
1t is a slightly popped oon package, this
popped corn in the ear, and the anu
faoturer says Of it that here ia popped corn
that a lady wearing kid gloves can eat
without mussing her fingers.
One wouldn't have to be as old as Methu-
selah was when he died to remember a time
when corn was popped at home in frying
pans, then more commonly called spiders,
with a tin pot cover over the spider to keep
the popping corn from flying out; and then,
because with that cover or you couldn't
see the corn and because you didn't dare to
take the cover of till the popping was all
over, you were likely to have left a lot Of
unpopped burned kernels.
Then some able genius invented the wire
corn pepper, now made in various sizes,
for commercial as well as for domestic
use, and the manner Of popping corn was
revolutionized in a jify; and with this new
popping facility popped corn became more
popular than ever, and the popping Of it q
pastime, blessed with certainty Of results,
rather than a trial, with possibly failure
at the end.
Whereas In the spider days the corn
had to be popped in the kitchen on the
kitchen stove, with the wire pepper 1t could
be popped over a CRATE fire, or in the parlor
or the sitting room, in any Of the old fash
toned cylinder stoves, where visitors, as
we'll as the members OF the home circle,
could see and perhaps participate in the
popping, and see and hear the corn kernels
pop and pop until the corn tina at first had
formed but q thin layer that just covered
its bottom had popped into a fluffy. fragrant
pepper completely, to the great delight of
all.
1t Is probable that few minor inventions
have contributed more to b peace and
happiness and innocent enjoyment OF the
from it's invention really dates the modern
popped corn industry, the greater develop
ment Of which, however, has come within
years comparatively recent.
In those early days they did have, indeed,
confetti on, the popcorn ball. At candy
stores and fruit stores that children patron
ize you saw q pile Of oranges and a pile Of
popcorn balls, and even then popcorn balls
we're more or less an article OF special sale
Savs ies anS oS sscSslon like Sn tb ssns wssn tT ps61Iss'
as it were, blew themselves Off; but pop
corn was then an article OF purely local
and incidental production, and OF compare
lively small consumption, and the farthest
they ever got with il In the way Of variety
color, and they were oil liable to get dusty
II the sale was slow and they were long
exposed.
Now popcorn is an article Of factory
production, made In establishments devoted
in many special forms, in brittles, bars,
crispettes and pancakes, and so on, cul-
minating, for the moment, at least, In pop
corn by the ear, as described. Popcorn is
now an article of country wide sale, at
parks. summer resorts and carnivals, und
by street men, and at theatre candy stands
and elsewhere, and Is cold in the aggregate,
in these various forms, in enormous guam
titles.
To the vast quantities thus sold La to be
added that sold by tho popcorn privilege
men at summer resorts and fairs who pop
corn and mould 1t into various shapes on
the spot. The lesser quantity, but by no
mea ms less interesting popcorn that is in
these days sold by popcorn vendors, who
60 about the streets with glass sided pop
corn wagons specially designed for. the
use, in which they pop and from which
they sell popcorn to the passerby.
And 30 popcorn, once a small side issue
only, has come to be, as one manufacturer
put 1t. an article az staple as -four,