Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1908-10-08
Kansas Corn Tales.
(Kansas City Star.)

The veracity OF the Kansas far
mer is never doubted, hence the
State Board OF Agriculture is
making preparations to h ire
men to assist in the harvesting
OF the greatest corn crop t h Q
State has ever known. In addi-
tion to common harvest hands,
the department is looking for
10000 good axemen, who, ac-
cording to reports, are needed to
assist in harvesting the crop.
The yield is a little above the av-
erage, with stalks running from
three to five feet through, and
ears of corn anywhere from nine
feet to twenty feet IN length, In
fact, the corn crop is 80 heavy
that it narrowly escaped causing
q lot of casualties.
At Garden City, Bill Sincaller
and his family had q narrow es-
cape from death. A stalk OF corn
growing in the wind was blown
over by the wind and crashed
throug the roof of his house, al
most completely demolishing the
building. Bill was pinned in bed.
but his Oldest son, Frank, chop
ped away the stalk after an hours
hard work and extricated t h Q
old man.
Experiments conducted by the
Metropolitan Water Company at
Medicine Lodge, Kansas, wi t h
the reinforced cornstalk pipes
have proven successful, and a
company to manufacture them
has been organized 1t is estima-
ted that the pipe can be placed
on the market ut one-tenth OF
the cost of cast iron pipe, a n d
the new material will out wear
the iron. The supply Of new ma
terial is inexhaustlble. The COM
pany will be stocked for five mill.
ion dollars.
Great excitement was caused
at Fort Riley when Troop N, Six
teenth cavalry, which had been
participating in the manoeuvers
the night before, failed to report
in camp. A scout learned t h a t
they were hemmed in by immense
cornstalks and were unable tn
get out, and hastened into camp
with the news. The siege batter
les were ordered out with the en-.
gineer pitalion, and after work,
ing all night, chopping and dy
namiting they got a trail Gu
Through and the troops return
ed to camp this morning.
A fast stock train on the B. &
M. was wrecked o mile east OF, En-
terprise by a corn stalk, which
had fallen across the track. The
engine was demolished. Severa
similar accidents haye been mar
rowly averted near there recent.
ly, and the trains have been Civ.
en- slow orders when passing corn
fields
Col. John Golong, OF Exeter
township, has captured the $500
prize offered by the County Fail
Association for a uniquecorn ex
hibit' Taking his plowing engine
he hitched 46 farm wagons in
double column behind it an d
: then ran the train along his corr
field. By means OF a block and
lackle arrangement he loaded OF
his train one.of elargest stalks
Hauling this to the fairgrounds
. he unloaded it on the midway
! and had it followed out. In eacl
of the section he displayed som'
. OF the products of his 1900 acr,
. farm, and in the middle sectioI
: furnished up comfortable quar-
} ters for his family during fail
week.
I With the denuing Of the for
ests and the continual increas
: in the price of lumber, a new in
dustry has sprung up at Leoti
. Kans., in the manufacture O
!, Misunderstanding. fencing ant
3 such material out of corn stalks
9 The cornstalk timber has beel