Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1896 — POP CORN'S DECLINE. [ARTICLE]

POP CORN'S DECLINE.

Not Eaton as Much as It Was ls» Former Days. “Yes. the pop-corn trade in this city has changed.” said a dealer to me a few days ago. “It seems to be dying out. Years ago we saw pop-corn on almost every corner; now yon must know where to go in order to get it. It is far more abundant at a country fair than it is here. Whether this is owing to the cheapening of candy or to a change of taste on the part of the people. I know not. I only know it is not railed for.” I found upon inquiry that this is the general opinion of the trade; none of the great confectionery stores deal in it. and I could only find it in grocery stores, little shops near schools and on the street stands. I liave been told that many manufacturers are going out of business, and that most of the different brands on the market are made by one man. whom I hunted up. “Oh. well." he said, “there are several manufacturers, and there are some quite good ones. too. besides myself; but there are uot one-half as many in the business as there were ten years ago. We take all the New York trade we can get. of courst*, which is not as much as it used to be, by any means, and then we go to other towns. We ship to all parts of the country. What is wanted to keep customers is a stock always on liand, so that you can fill an order within four hours of its arrival. Of course, we can pop twenty bushels iu an hour, but we can’t fix it up with confection in less than a day or two. for it must lie thoroughly dry before it is packed, 'rhe one great difficulty we have to contend with is the demand for new forms of putting up. Whoever invents a new way is sure of making money. Years ago we used to put it up in balls —the old-fashioned honey balls—but now that is only one form in fifty, and their sale is restricted to the Southwest mainly. At present trade is running on square bars. We put it up. ground tine and mixed with honey, with molasses and with syrup, or with whole kernels. Then here it is in square cakes and here are some where the kernels are cracked. But we must not put it up so that it will cost the consumer more than five cents —the outside limit. We sell some in bulk. It will keep a long time if no moisture can get at it. You can t tell whether it has been made six hours or six months, if it was well made and has been kept dry. “We pop in the old-fashioned way,” he continued, “basket over coals, and get our corn up in New York State. Although we can buy it anywhere, some farmers have furnished us for years, and send it to us by the carload. We use all kinds, but white is in greatest demand, though certain sections of country want red or red mixed with white. We require that the corn be at least a year old and that there be no smell of mice about it. We usually pay about two and a half cents a pound, but we have bought it for half that price. Even at the latter price it is a money-mak-ing crop for the farmers. Our business is steady all the year round. New York, however, does very little towards supporting us. for it uses coparatively little pop-corn.”