The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-03-01


pure that one may lie down at night any,
where upon the prairie grass, waking IL
the morning with hair and dress drip
ping with dew, and yet never take cold
1T seems only yesterday that Stepher
A. Douglass introduced his bill organic
ing Kansas and Nebraska, and We al be
gan to ask, where are they, and wha
Indians inhabit them 90 Nine years ago
l found only the rudiments of civiliza
lion, the scouts and spies of the great
army of settlement, eamped here and
there. Now encounter in full opera
ton, all the institutions of commerce,
society, government, education and re-
ligiOn-school houses spriuging up on
every prairie, beautiful homes dotting
every hill and valley hamlets With neat
churches. ''their taper fingers pointing
to heaven ;" great cities of brick, and
lighted with gas universities, with their
senior classes just ready to graduate ex-
tehslYe manufactures, net work of rail-
ways spreading over the State, aud these
lonely Prairies of dozen years ago, TEEN
ing with tue busy life OF a quarter of
million of people. aa a
Ii political economists be right, and
the people are happiest where corn is
mos! cheaPly raised, Kansas ought to be
the worlds paradise.
Population. like water, seeks its level.
Before the rebellion, 5000, 600 whites in
our Union had moved from the States
where they were born. Fully nine tenths
OF them had come westward toward this
wonderful valley, which already begins
to feed the world. If our past ratio Of
increase continues, the close of the pres
ent century will see in the United States
1o7 100000 of people.
The best farming region under our
flag is the Choctaw and Cherokee Indian
country, Immediately south of this State.
With as rich soil as Kansas, it is better
watered, better timbered, produces cot.
ton on the river bottoms, and stock re-
quires no feeding in winter. Young
calves and colts are branded, and turned
on the prairie, and the owner never looks
for them again until they are large
enough for beef or for work. Second
only to the Indian Territory are the Will
lamet Valley of Oregon and the State OF
Kansas.
See what is already accomplished here.
In 1853, there were not 100 white inhab
itants. There was absolutely no property
except wild land. Kansas, real estate and
all, would not have been sold under the
hammer for S 900 900. Nothing was
produced except little corn and beef by
missionaries and Indians. Now, Kansas
contains 200, 900 inhabitants. The as,
sessed value of her property is $1,000
900. This gear she has sold more than
a million dollars aOorih Of cattle to Illinois
traders. Twenty years hence, our first
farming State will be the present Indiar
Territory, the second Kansas, the third
Illinois.
The steady tendency is toward great
farms carried on by machinery. People
begin to understand that raising corn and
cattle is most profitable on the largest
scale-like the manufacturing of cloth
or the building of steam engines. In
Coed stock companies with a capital oil
1926. 600, to ESQ, 900, may embark in Kan
sas farming with more certainty of rich
returns than in any mining or manufac
turing whatever.
In general, the soil is we'll titled, but
still one sees far too much slip shod far
ming. The improvements most needed
are: l. More, larger and better barns.
For lack Of them stock suffers greatly
during winter. II. Increase OF shade
and fruit trees. III. More beauty in
! dwellings,. Houses are plenty-homes
few. Everywhere the eye ID panied BY
these dreary, slovenly. log houses, with
the Jet black soil bare ali around them,
and the stiff frame dwellings with naked
walls and glittering white paint all stand
/ ing right beside the road, after our detes
table national fashion. Beauty at first
} cost is as cheap as ugliness, and a grea
deal more remuneratiVe afterward. 10
a new country settlers are poor. Mea
and raiment, sheltering for the head
keeping the wolf from the door, are th'
first inexorable necessities. But thes
Kansas dwellings are palmer and ugliel
than those of Iowa, Wisconsin anC
Minnesota.
Set them back 100 feet or 100 yard
from the road, then, though the home b.
only a log cabin or board shanty, have
green sWard, not naked dirt, about it
plant trees in front, open a flower patel
for the boys and girls f; throw littl
stoop over the front dooor, or bay win
dow into one end, anything to break this
square, dreary, coffin like appearance
Let rose bushes smile under the window
and creepers climb to the caves, aud Gle
mats fringe and entwine the doorway
Make real home, be it ever SO homlyr
and let the little ones grow up under ils
meIlowing and refining influence.
I Among these green prairies, dreamy
hills, wonderful skies, and exquisite flow
ers, surely AN may learn this frs
lesson of Nature. She wears no disha
billie. She appears in full dress. even il
solitudes. She loves beauty for its Owl
sake. Before her simplest children Q
the forest she outdazzles Solomon in al
his glory. Through myrids of years IN
seen by human eye, she wears robes o
purple and gold among her bounding
deer and singing birds. A. D. R.
The great California rain continues t.
: develop Items" A meteorological o
Sacramento (Dr. Logan states that th
) fall at San Francisco was at the eontinu
> Gus average rate of o 386 inches per hou
I for twenty hours greater rain be had no
! been able to find on record in any par
} of the world yet which sinks into medi
oerity in comparison with rain reporte
, / - NJ. Hitv waaE late. (nao OF