Vol. LVII. No. 2550. 
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 10, 1898. 
*1 PER YEAR. 
A PICTORIAL IDYL OF THE WEST. 
A WONDERFUL PICTURE FROM CORN. 
The Story of the Great West Told. 
What a Railroad Did.—Those who visited the 
Trans-Mississippi Exposition at Omaha, had the op¬ 
portunity of seeing, in the agricultural building, what 
was considered by many to be the most beautiful ex¬ 
hibit on the grounds. It was made from the prosy 
products of the cornfield. That a woman from Illinois 
should have made it is no wonder, for the women of 
the world, even in aboriginal times, have been the 
chief conservators of art. It was one of a number of 
scenic displays made by various railway companies to 
attract the eye of the visitor to their respective local¬ 
ities. Most of the western States also made large and 
varied exhibits of grains, grasses and other farm 
products. It is thought by good judges that there 
never were so extensive, varied and elaborate dis¬ 
plays of grain and grass work at any other exposi¬ 
tion, as at this one. 
Pictures from Corn.—The scene depicted was 
one of western farming. There were 
two large wall pictures about 8 x 12 
feet, and two smaller ones, besides 
life-size figures of a farmer and his 
family seated about their table at a 
festive dinner. One of the large 
pictures represented a young settler 
starting on a treeless, fenceless, 
prairie homestead in 1868. He could 
be seen driving two yoke of oxen to 
a great plow, turning over the rich, 
black soil, while his wife was busy¬ 
ing herself about their little sod 
house. The companion picture 
showed the same place 30 years 
later. Instead of the ox team on 
the open prairie, horses were 
hitched to a wagon in front of the 
neatly-fenced yard. Cattle and 
other stock were in the pastures 
and barnyards. A commodious 
house and farm buildings were set 
among shady trees. The wife was 
at the front gate. Prosperity and 
plenty were seen on every hand. 
The two smaller pictures repre¬ 
sented the differences in travel. 
One showed the farmer walking be¬ 
side his wagon, drawn by oxen, 
going 15 miles per day, while the 
other was of a railway train that 
covers a mile per minute. All these 
pictures, including the frames, were made from scraps 
of corn, husks, blades, tassels, silks, stalks and ears, 
and in their natural colors. The earth, houses, ani¬ 
mals, trees and sky, with the distant clouds, were all 
of this homely material. It would hardly seem that 
the delicate tints and shades, which were more than 
equal to those of many fine paintings, could be made 
from such crude material; but it is true. They were 
not vivid, but soft and mellow, like the scenes they 
represented. In artistic design and delicate execu¬ 
tion, these pictures were equal to anything in the 
gallery of fine arts across the lagoon. 
In front of these pictures a table was set. The cloth 
was of corn husks woven and fringed with exquisite 
taste. Upon it were wholesome dishes made directly 
or indirectly from the products of the corn field. 
Turkey, ham, corn bread and butter, etc., and for 
embellishment, a bouquet of wild flowers. Seated at 
the head was the sturdy farmer himself, carving the 
turkey. The matron opposite was conversing with 
the newly-made daughter-in-law, while their two 
grown sons completed the family circle. All these 
figures were done in corn; their hair of silks, both 
dark and light; and their clothing mostly from husks 
of various shades. To the average visitor, they, at 
first, appeared to be real people, so well designed and 
executed was the work. 
The Story They Told.—Better than all, these 
pictures and images told a story, and it was a story of 
reality that can be verified 10,000 times by those now 
living upon the western plains. It represents hard 
work, perseverance and economy, and for a definite 
purpose—that of making a home. Such are the people 
who make up the bone and sinew of the Great West. 
These dumb things were not left mutely to tell their 
story alone. There was a dear old man past 70, who 
had the story in his own breast, and who told it from 
day to day in the most loving words to the passing 
visitors, throughout the whole Summer and Fall. I 
saw and heard and talked with him the very last day. 
He said, “ The farm is a good place to begin life. A 
good place to be born and grow up; to work and plan 
and enjoy life, and to die in peace and plenty. We 
old fellows will soon be gone, but there are young 
people coming up who will take our places. And now, 
boys and girls ”, he would say to the young folks who 
were stopping to look and listen, “ don’t leave the 
farm ! Stick to it! There is more in it than in a ma¬ 
chine shop, or a store, or a bank. It has made you 
what you are, and it will support you to the end in 
comfort, if you will do your part.” And there were 
hundreds of thousands of just such young people who 
passed by, and in whose memories this ideal picture 
will hang, perhaps forever. It is to be hoped that 
these thoughtful, truthful words, spoken in the most 
loving way, and sanctified by the gray hairs of the 
aged farmer, will sink deep into their hearts also. 
It maybe said with pleasure that this characteristic 
scene, which is so exquisitely portrayed, will appear 
at the Paris Exposition in 1900—for it has been secured 
to become a part of the exhibit of our Government 
there. h. e. van deman. 
R. N.-Y.—The soundness of the advice given to stick 
to the farm, is emphasized by the large number of 
men found in our cities who are hoping some day to 
get enough to buy a little place in the country on 
which to live. Most of our wealthy men, too, have 
farms to which they turn for rest and recreation. 
UTILIZING THE WHOLE CORN STALK. 
KANSANS GIVE LESS WASTE THAN YANKEES. 
Not an Idle Bit in the Stalk. 
Why Cut By Hand .—On page 734, I gave some 
reasons why I preferred to have my corn fcdder cut 
and shocked by hand, and I mentioned some objec¬ 
tions to the twine binders. The most serious objec¬ 
tion to them, is that it is almost the general practice 
to let the bound fodder lie on the ground for several 
days until it has cured somewhat, as it is very heavy 
to handle when green. While these bundles are lying 
on the ground curing, an enormous risk is run, as 
should a heavy rain come as it did this year, almost 
all of the fodder would be spoiled, and spoiled fodder 
is an abomination. At five cents per shock for 14 x 14 
hill shocks, the cost of shocking corn by hand is 80 
cents per acre, and at two cents per bushel for husking 
standing corn, an average of 40 bushels per acre would 
also cost just 80 cents per acre ; thus it does not cost 
any more to put corn in the shock than to husk it out 
standing. The principal objection to shock corn has 
always been the work necessary to 
put the corn in the crib and the fod¬ 
der in good condition before the 
stock. The uneaten stalks were 
also a detriment to hauling out the 
manure, as it took a year for them 
to rot. 
The Machines for Tearing-.— 
In a good tight lean-to against my 
barn, I have a three-horse tread 
power, 60 feet of belt and a cutter 
and thrasher combined. Three large 
horses are put into the tread mill, 
and the brake applied by a rope and 
pulleys that are in reach of the man 
that feeds the machine. The other 
two horses are hitched to the Handy 
wagon, and driven to the field for 
fodder. A load is put on in less than 
10 minutes, and driven up to the 
window, that slides to one side ex¬ 
posing the feed table, which comes 
up snug to the window. The driver 
reaches in the window, releases the 
hook from the fly-wheel of the 
thrasher, and the machine starts up 
at once, and almost at once reaches 
its full speed. The driver puts arm¬ 
fuls of fodder on the feed table, and 
a shock goes through in three to 
four minutes. The cut fodder, in 
lengths of about two to three inches, 
passes through the thrasher cylinder, where every 
piece of stalk is hulled, or the shives torn off from the 
pith, the corn all shelled from the pieces of cob, the 
cobs all torn up, and the cut husks and leaves all 
shredded. Then this mass passes out on to the wire 
shakers, then on the vibrating screens, then over a 
powerful blast of air that thoroughly cleans the 
shelled corn from all light material. Then the shelled 
and cut corn and particles of dirt pass over another 
vibrating screen which takes the cut corn and dirt all 
out, and the shelled and cleaned corn passes up eight 
feet and over into a bin that holds 500 bushels. The 
shredded and cut fodder has been carried, in the mean¬ 
time, by a carrier up into the second story of the 
stable, where 20 tons are stored before the carrier 
chokes up. Thus one man with this machine and five 
horses puts the corn in a bin in merchantable con¬ 
dition, and the cut and shredded fodder up into the 
barn loft, just as fast as he could unload the fodder 
by the armful were he to put it on a table by the side 
of the wagon. 
How It Is Fed.—This thrasher and power cost 
me $500, but they will last a lifetime, and enable me to 
