"Snag Peak"
Round 8

By Popular Demand - the goal is to pick something that fits the category and will be the "most popular" answer. You score points based on the number of entries that match yours. For example, if the category is "Cats" and the responses were 7 for Persian, 3 for Calico and 1 for Siamese, everyone who said Persian would get 7 points, Calico 3 and the lone Siamese would score 1 point. The cumulative total over 10 rounds will determine the overall winner. Anyone may enter at any point, starting with an equivalent point total of the lowest cumulative score from the previous round. If a person misses a round, they'll receive the minimum score from the round added to their cumulative total. And, if you want to submit some commentary with your answers, feel free to.

NOTE: I always acknowledge an Email submission. If you've sent something in and don't hear back from me after a couple of days, send again or check with Tom. I let him know if I expect to be away from the computer for any extended period of time.

Eighth Round - 1930's Farm

1) Main Cash Crop: Corn 4, Wheat 3, Cotton 1, Sugar 1, Tobacco 1
2) Common Animal: Cow 4, Pig 2, Chickens 2, Horse 1, Dog 1
3) Common Piece of Machinery: Tractor 8, Plow 2
4) Biggest Threat to the Farm: Drought/Duststorm 6, Bankruptcy/Mortgages 2, Weather 2
5) Common Structure (not Barn) : Silo 5, Farmhouse 3, Outhouse 1, Stable 1

Individual Scores: :

CategoriesMain Cash CropCommon AnimalCommon MachineryFarm ThreatCommon Structure
01) Fred DavisCornCowTractorDuststormSilo=119+27=146
02) Kevin WilsonCornPig/HogTractorDroughtSilo=118+25 =143
03) David PartridgeWheatCowPlowDrought=118+20=138
04) Tom's MomWheatChickensTractorDroughtHouse=114+22=136
Tim & Sarah SnyderTobacco CowTractorDrought Silo=112 +24=136
06) Doug KentCornCowPlowWeather=118+17=135
07) Brendan WhyteCornPigTractorDroughtStable=111+21=132
08) Jim ReaderCottonHorseTractorBankruptcyFarmhouse=116+15=131
09) Tom HowellWheatChickenTractorMortgagesOuthouse=106+16=122
10) Mark StretchSugarDogTractorWeatherFarmhouse=97+15=112
11) Ward Narhi [[no entry received]] =69+15=84
12) Mark Nelson [[no entry received]] = 66+15=81

Top Score Possible: 27 Top Score Achieved 27 by Fred Davis!

1) Main Cash Crop: In my mind, this was going to be a toss-up between Corn, Wheat and Cotton. As it was, Cotton didn't make the cut. On the other hand, I hadn't thought of tobacco or sugar as they are extremely limited in the areas of the US where they can be grown.
2) Common Animal: I expected Cows to be the answer from everyone, but I was wrong. The other answers are more than reasonable, but just about every farm had a cow (and a few chickens, I'm sure, which would have been my second choice).
3) Common Piece of Machinery: As expected, Tractor took the top honors. I thought a Combine or Thresher to show up, but no one thought of them. I'm not sure that I've heard of a mechanical plow, it being more of something being pulled (by a horse, tractor, etc). But, I'm not a farmer by any means.....
4) Biggest Threat to the Farm: I fully anticipated bankruptcy/foreclosure to be the number one choice. This was a problem across the entire country while the drought/dust bowl was more of a regional effect. I guess that it had more of a lasting impression than greedy bankers.
5) Common Structure (not Barn): Yes, if I'd not exempted Barns, I was sure that would be the only choice given. Even so, I'm surprised with Silo as the top choice as that is more of a shipping structure than something found on a farm. On the other hand, Farmhouse was certainly a good choice. Personally, I expected a couple of fences in there (no one responded with that!).

Player Comments on the Round -

1) Main Cash Crop: [Fred] Corn (maize) E. of the Mississippi. West of the Mississippi, I believe Wheat would be the main cash crop, but my experiences have been almost entirely in the East & Midwest. [Tom] lotsa possibilities here: cotton, tobacco, corn.... [Kevin] Not much cash for cash crops during much of the 30s but corn seemed the most likely. Perhaps cotton on the south. Wheat in some parts, but I think corn will be the answer more people come up with. [WAY] You are correct in that!
2) Common Animal: [Tom] there was supposed to be one in every pot, wasn't there? (chicken) [David] thinking meat animal, but lots of choices. [Kevin] Perhaps not as a cash generating animal but people could grow more pigs than cows and eat them during the hard times so I'll go with pigs over cows. I guess I'm equating "common" with "lots of" since there were probably cows and chickens too and any one would be a good answer but I'll stick with pigs. [WAY] this time, the cows won out over the pigs.
3) Common Piece of Machinery: [Tom] without this (Tractor) most of the other machinery was moot. [Kevin] Perhaps a bit new at the time and expensive but necessary to work any reasonable amount of land and most farmers would do all they could to swing a tractor before some other piece of machinery.
4) Biggest Threat to the Farm: [Brendan] drought/dust bowl thingy. ( I thought that was a football game until recently...). Trivia: Grapes of Wrath was a popular film in Soviet Russia, and almost the only foreign film allowed in at the time because of its depiction of the oppressed poor. However, the Soviets had to ban it after they realized the locals were getting hacked off that despite their poverty and dispossession, American farmers could still obtain and run cars..... [David] but I think Banker's would run a good second! [WAY] and so they did. [Kevin] Hmmm. The depression of the 30s was a threat to incomes and reduced income could threaten a farm but there weren't that many buyers either. I interpreted threat as in natural threat and in the 30s the Dust Bowl was wide spread.
5) Common Structure (not Barn): [Tom] without a Barn, where's the farm? Farmhouse probably should be the next structure, but I'm going with the indispensable (outhouse). [Kevin] Afterall, you have to house that corn I said they were growing in #1. (Silo) [WAY] But, wouldn't corn go in a corn crib? I remember my great uncle's farm and the corn crib there (and the barn, a farm being somewhat out of a suburbanite's experience).

Player Comments on the Previous Round -

[Fred] I believe my "Steak" entry should have been included as a generic, along with T-Bone and Sirloin, into one category. All of these can be called steak. [WAY] You're right, they are all "steak" but the category was "Cut of Meat" and a T-Bone is a distinctly different cut of meat than a sirloin.
[Tom] last time, Del Monte was the brand I was trying to think of in a hurry at the last minute.... Couldn't bring it to mind, so went with what I could think of.... [WAY] for the record, that was Western Family.
[David] Much as I hate to use Walmarts on my last round, I have to say it was good I did because we don't have any of the other three chains mentioned around here, so any other pick I might have taken would have been worse!

Ninth Round - 1970's Movie Theater

1) Blockbuster Drama
2) Number of Screens in Theater
3) Blockbuster Comedy
4) Favorite Snack Bar Purchase
5) Cost of Regular Admission Ticket

Deadline: January 13, 2007 at high noon CDT.

And, due to popular demand, Email your next entries to Andy York


o-t-s home page
Lake Lillian turn 10
Misty Mountain Hop Solmath II builds
Snag Peak turn 7
Snag Peak turn 9