172 



7 HE IRRIG. 1 TIO V A G E. 



practice in the art of soil preservation, 

 which has filled up the West with careful, 

 painstaking husbandmen. The sons, in 

 turn, have an ambition to become farmers, 

 With several good crops and a' strong 

 bank account to his credit, the Western 

 faemer finds himself in a position to 

 gratify the desire of the younger and 

 growing generation, and has been looking 

 for the "adjoining quarter" for that pur- 

 pose. This may be interpreted to be the 

 forerunner of the active demand in the 

 far.m lands which will manifest itself this 

 winter. 



In the meantime new farm mortgage! 

 will grow scarcer and they will be re- 

 stricted almost to refunding loans, partly 

 paid off, and the balance to be refunded 

 on a more favorable basis of interest, and 

 such mortgages as will represent a balance 

 of purchase money for new land bought 

 by farmer who has faith in the same and 

 knows its value. Such securities admit 

 of no doubt and it is but natural that the 

 demand for them should become brisk. 



Even in Western Kansas and Western 

 Nebraska, which sections were never 

 intended for agricultural pursuits, the 

 changed conditions appeal to the most 

 discriminating investors. 



As water finds its own level these 

 Western counties have adjusted theeselves 

 to their possibilities, with the stock and 

 their dairy interests flourishing beyond 

 expectation. Here, also, values hare 

 been enhancing, business is progressing 

 very satisfactorily, and a condition of 

 financial stability and contentment exists 

 which must be a revelation to the holders 

 of some of the defaulted Western 

 securities, which may yet redeem them- 

 selves wherever properly nursed and 

 cared for. 



Western farm loans and farm lands are 

 the peer of any securities offered, and 

 to-day the investment world attests to the 

 truth of this allegation by the unlimited 

 confidence which is once more being 

 aced in them. 



MONEY IN POP CORN. 



The demand for pop corn increases every 

 year, yet k the crop is never equal to the 

 market. Good corn sells on the retail 

 market today for five to six cents a pound. 

 Farmers do not consider the profits of this 

 special crop or there would be more grown 

 for supplying home demands. -An acre 

 will produce from fifty to one hundred 

 bushels of salable corn and a ton or more 

 fodder. The corn weighs 56 pounds to the 

 bushel and never sells for less than $1.50 

 to $2.50 a bushel. The folder will pay for 

 the cost of growing and the corn be left as 

 a fair profit after paying rental and interest 

 on the land. From those who make a busi- 

 ness of raising pop corn I learn that a poor 

 crop will bring $100 an acre, and many 

 get double that sum from an acre every 

 year. 



Pop corn requires about the same soil as 

 that demanded by the sweet and field var- 

 ieties. A sod or vegetable mould, contain- 

 ing more sand than clay and having pre- 

 vious clean culture is best adapted to corn 

 corn growing. If plowed in the fall or 

 winter and left to freeze until the spring 

 weeds begin to grow before planting the 

 land will be in fine condition. As the 

 plant ripens during the hot summer months 

 the use of nitrogenous fertilizing element* 

 is not very beneficial, but there is no field 

 crop that yields better returns from liberal 

 application of potash and phosphoric acid. 

 Numerous experimental stations report 

 that potash alone has increased the yield 

 of field corn over 20 bushels per acre, and 

 added one half ton of fodder. The increase 

 in pop corn is more marked by using 500 

 pounds of a fertilizer containing 10 per 

 cent potash and 8 percent phosphoric acid 

 than by any other means. 



There are different varieties of pop corn, 

 all possessing merit as marketable crops. 

 The white rice is probably the most in de- 

 mand, but yellow or golden, gives perfect 

 satisfaction to those who purchase by the 

 carload for commercial purposes. The 

 Mapledale Prolific is a very choice variety 



