The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1855-04-28

1
room for all necessary out-buildings. 1t
would be an advantage TO have the plan
SO that all the out-buiidings, groves and
Ierchards, would be on the west side of
the dwellings, so as to break the common
prairie winds. There should be school
house and shops in close proximity
Thus, you would have all the pleasures
and conveniences of village. with none
of its confinement, inconyenienees, and
poverty. Every family would have their
farm near by-the -farthest not over a
mile away. Thisis considered very handy
here. as many of our farms are from one
to two, three or Eve miles long.
1t is common thing for renters who
live in villages to go three miles to their
] daily work, and then get only one-third
of the crop.
To make the most of this plan there
should be small steam-engine to pump
the water, saw the wood and lumber,
grind the grain, as well as to thresh and
clean it, cut feed for cattle and horses,
churn, wash, turn the grindstone, and do
many other little jobs that poor people
from free States need to have done. This
engine, skillfully arranged, will-do the
work of two hundred slaves. This en-
gine and building, with the necessary
machinery, can belong to the whole
Company, or to one, as they may choose.
II it belongs to the whole, then those
who own it must cultivate the land of
him who runs it, as if he were working
on it himself. For the first few years it
will be immaterial whose land is worked,
as the grain must be divided equally,
when it is harvested, among all the la
borers, or families. Each one will be 4
obliged to labor according to his occupa-
ton, for the good of the whole This
will have to be matter of agreement.
Those who build and those who till the
soil are equally necessary to the existence
of the whole. 1
All the harvesting and moving must
be done by machinery, as well as the
sowing and planting Every place where
a labor-saving implement can be used it |
must be applied. This will be the un-
paid labor, or the slave-labor, of emf
grants from free States ; and can assure |
them it will not run away.
The illustration which | have made of |
16 families, may be increased proftably |
to Sd families. They can settle in cen
ter of four-mile square or Is sections, |
making their most distant land two miles
from the center.
This plan has none of the objections of |
community technically SO called and |
more than all its imaginary advantages.
There is but one obstacle to its success.
And that is, the ungoverned selfshness
of poor folks from free States, trifing
affair of not the worth of dollar will be |
a source of discord for months or years.
A pig breaks into garden and de-
stroys peck of potatoes, or hen flies
over the fence and steals chicken feed,
or some other equally trifling thing, and
entirely accidental, will create row that
calls for the greatest wisdom to allay-l
Then some men will get sick, and others
do not know as much as they might, and |
SO on through the whole chapter. /
The dread of such annoyances as
these keep people from associating and
uniting their labor as much as they 9th |
erwise would.
Poor folks from Slave States have
double the patience of these. They can
live in houses without windows, in neigh
borhoods without books or school houses;
can suffer their pigs to root up. their
struck k-patch," and sit in the door and
smoke, and never desire change. But
the trespsss of one hen or one pig incur
State will often run family out Of their
propriety.
Provided our emigrants are a class
who can overlook such annoyances, or
what is better, prevent them from occur
ring, viii next tell them how to fence.
First break up hedge-row, ten OF
twenty feet wide. around the whole tract.
this will keep off the prairie fires. Then
on the line of your land set out an Usage
Orange hedge also, on the side line of
the eroad. This will be good fence in four
years, sufficient to turn rabbits or cattle
Of any kind. Wherever you expect to
need fence, break up hedge-row and
plant it as soon as possible. Think of no
other fence except temporary ones about
the buildings.
As soon as it is desired, the land can
be divided into quarter-sections, and each
family commence planting out trees; &C.,
dc. Every one must be entirely at tliberty |
to go and labor on their own soil when I
ever they may think it for their interest t
to do so. But for short time the pro-
visions that are raised on any ones land,
must be divided among all the laborers.
There should be not less than an acre of
land attached to each house, besides the
100 owned as farm. 1t may be many
years before every farm viii be cultivated t
But it should be agreed that eyrey one
has as many days work due him to i'm
prove his land as he has performed for
others, to improve their land. and then
he is to give the same share of the pro-
duce to them that they have given to him.
This viii secure equity. twill also pro-
cure exchange of labor, and cooperation
when necessary.
come now to the building. Poor
peoples houses in new country are Of !,
ten of logs, without windows or door.
They are often built without nail, or a
foot of sawed lumber. A company of
emigrants who have had sense enough to
follow me thus far, have too much sense
to put up log house on the prairie. If
they can get lumber, they may put up a
balloon house, such as are common here,
and was described in The TRIBUNE few
weeks back-or they may put up one of
gravel and iime-o entirely of clay and |.
straw. Multitudes of such buildings
are to be found in the old Mexican prov
inces. The dryest and pleasantest house
TO live in that I ever saw, was solid
clay house, built more than twenty years
ago. by Abran Allen, of Oakland, Gin
ton County, Ohio, and he still lives in it.
He moved into the country when it
was new, and. with a boy twelve years
old. raised a crop and built this house In
offessunarler II isfvzs, skarsxx l,iert, and L