The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-02-02
Growing Pop Corn.
BY K. A. Kirkpatrick, Mime
sofa University Farm.

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One of the greatly.neglected crops
/ suitable for this state is pop corn.
There is practically no portion Of the
| Northwest which ought not to pro-
duce all the pop corn needed for home
consumption, instead of buying it
i through Twin City or Chicago jobbing
houses, as at present. 1t is of the
easiest culture, and any farmer-boy or
girl should easily be able to grow
plantation large enough to supply the
family needs and have some left to
| dispose of to the local market.
1t As crop which can be readily
converted into cash when harvested.
The price varies from so cents to "a
! per hundred weight for the shelled
corn. The yield is about 1000 to 1900
| pounds per acre; often running up as
high as 1000 pounds with certain vari-
cites, on good soil and In favorable
seasons. Most Of the supply nova
days comes from Northeastern Ne
braska, Iowa and Michigan. One
Iowa grower crops more than thou
duction ranges from $12 to SIS per
acre, and the cash profit is seldom
less than $25 per acre.
The soil for the crop should be
given the same preparation as for
| sweet corn. Fall-plowed clover or
stubble land will be best. The ground
should be fairly rich. A dressing OF
manure may be given before blowing;
but 1t should be disced thoroughly into
the top soil before it is turned under.
In the spring the ground should be
| disced or dragged as soon as 1t can
be worked. Then replow It; pack 1t
If 1t seems loose, and disc thoroughly
at frequent intervals up to seeding
time, to save the moisture and cause
| the soil to warm up.
In May, when danger of frost IL
! past, it may be planted with an ordi-
nary corn-planter, drilling 1t in with
| the smallest-holed blades to be had.
Another satisfactory way is to stop
up the required number of openings on
| a wheat drill, set the drill to the
| proper size, and drill it in. II this
plan is followed press drill must be
used in order that the soil shall be
packed over the kernels. BY this
method the rows can be made little
! closer, thing which may be bene-
fetal if the soil is rich. The seed
should be selected with as much care
as is used for field-corn seed. 1t
should be tested, tipped, and graded
inc DC fn1xy For haf
When the plants come up, cultiva-
ton should be begun at once. Prob
ably as good a tool as any for the cul-
tiyation will be the harrow tooth cul-
tivator used for truck crops. The
crop should receive shallow and fire.
Quent cultivation and the working
should be kept up until the ground
Is completely shaded.
There are two ways OF harvesting.
cutting and shocking and then husk-
! ing from the shock, and husling from
the standing corn. Generally the lat.
ter method will be found the more de-
s!rshle, because of the loss often occa-
stoned By rats. and mice in the shocks
while the crop is curing. Corn which
has been gnawed. or which has be-
come "mousey" from the urine OF
these little animals, can only be used
for stock feed.
There is a general impression among
users that the kernels will not pop to
their best advantage until they have
been kept in storage at least year,
but this is not necessarily true. Pop
ping depends on the amount of mois-
ture contained in starch cells OF the
corn. 1t must reach only certain
stage of dryness. This is usually
found in corn naturally dried at air
temperatures for a season. This cur
ing must be done on the cob. When
dryness, it's popping qualities deterior
ate rapidly On the cob it will keep in
definitely. Corn that has lost its pop
ping qualities from being shelled or
from becoming too dry can often be
restored by soaking it for twelve
hours in tepid water, then drying it at
about IS degrees for twenty-four hours.
Any one anticipating the growing
of the crop on large scale should
be provided with ample curing cribs
or bins, and with storage-rooms which
are yermin-proof In these it can be
stored in the ear, and shelled and sold
as the market demands it. Otherwise.
he will get the best results by selling
to a commission man Immediately
after harvesting. The price will aver.
age lower, but he will not have the
loss from shrinkage, pests. and poor
storage.
The best varieties to plant comprise
the White Rice, the Red Rice. the
Pearl varieties, the Tom Thumb, the
Mapledale Prolific, and the Queens
Golden. The last two are heavier
yielders and are usually good peppers,
but they are sometimes Disseminated
against because of the large grains;
the claim being made that they have
hard centers in the popped centers.