Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-11-03
POPCORN CORNER.
Three Counties Hold Market at Their
Mercy-SmalI Tract Is Pecu-
liarIy Adapted To Growth.

udIIy HooPSSO " ~'SSss ''
Arthur, Iowa.-A small district in
Iowa, not more than twenty-five square
miles in extent and lying in the coun-
ties of Sac, Ida and Woodbury., holds
the popcorn market in its grasp. This
statement may appear startling at first
glance, but it is true nevertheless, for
should this district be cut Off from
communication with the outside world,
latter would be called on to face the
horrors" of a popcorn famine.
Possibly enough of the popcorn
filler" might be assembled from re-
mote parts to prevent rioting on Wall
street, but with the Iowa supply cur
tailed, prices would soar until most
of the people would be compelled to
drag out a popcornless experience and
only millionaires could afford to eat
popular CONNECTIONS made of the grain
and peanuts.
TO this section of Iowa the pop
corn means food, clothing, shelter,
fuel, chewing tobacco, and in some
cases automobiles. 1t is the principal
business of a majority of the farmers
here, and virtually every one in the
district is interested in popcorn. Ev-
erybody is full of popcorn, both physi-
cally and mentally.
Something like 100000 pounds of
popcorn are procured in this Iowa dis
trict annually, and that is said to be
the bulk of the total production in
this country The amount may seem
small, but when it is considered that
popcorn eating is almost exclusively
an American habit like that of chew
ing gum, and that $4,000 900 pounds of
popcorn popped, probably would make
a popcorn ball SURPRISING the earth in
circumference, it is not to be sneezed
at. The cultivation of it has reached
such proportions in Iowa that gigantic
elevators and storage cribs may be
seen at railroad stations in this dis
trict, and there is an extensive broker
age business in the commodity. 1t il
only in the last thirteen years that far
mers have given serious attention to
its production.
Generally speaking, popcorn will
grow anywhere field corn will, and it's
drought-resisting powers are said to be
superior to field corn. But for some
reason there is wide variance in the
popping qualities of corn grown in diff
ferent localities. In the immediate vi.
cinity of this favored Iowa district,
popcorn has been grown in quantities
unsurpassed elsewhere, but was found
to be of no commercial value.
Popcorn is good for just one thing
popping-and when it will not pop it is
a dead loss. The grain is SO hard and
fiint-like that live stock cannot masti.
cate it nor poultry digest it, and while
it might be ground to meal, it is said
to be far below field corn in nutritive
value. The popcorn grown in the Sac.
lda-W oodbury district is said to pop
80 per cent while that grown in ad-
Joining townships would pop only
about 80 per cent. II is because Of
these things that the one district has
practically a monopoly on popcorn
growing for the market.
Under the most favorable conditions
corn is always measured by pounds,
never by bushels-tO the acre. If the
grower has the means of marketing
it in small quantities to the best ad-
vantage he may obtain three or four
cents pound for it, which means that
it might be possible to receive gross
return of from $40 to $l60 an acre.
The average production, however is
9, 500 to $500 pounds to the acre, and
the grower viii be lucky if lie gets
better than $3.50 a hundred pounds
for his crop, marketed in quantities
through the elevator companies or
large buyers.