The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-01-10
RFom the Fort scott Monitor. ]
.gs HERD Law.

[FFom the Fort scott Honitorl
.qsdlnHs HERD Law "a >,
At FIRST thought one would suppose
that a herd Law could never be put into
practical use; butlwheEe ever it has been
tested it has succeeded admirably. In
Hancock county. Illinois. on the wide
prairies where the farms we're scattering
it has been thoroughly tested and proved
to be one1of the best experiments. 10
that county some ten yaars ago prairie
land could be purchased for SIS pee acre,
four OF. i've miles from settlements, Ow-
ing to the scarcity Of timbsr it Was drug
Ia the maiket, until soIuA enterprising
Yankees entered into q mstual contract
among themselves TO go beyond the set,
Elements and tackle the virgin soil. The
way they managed their little colony was
as follows: First they built houses, after
they were done they went to work and
broke, (this was in the spring of the year,
all the pairie they could before seeding
time, which was from one d two hundred
acres each. They then sowed all the
ground they had broken il wheat Up
to this time, they had bund no use for
x
but it was now apparent o all that some
thing must be done to guard against the
ravages of stock. They had expended all
their means in building houses, breaking
ground, aud buying seed. aud, of course.
had neither the means ortime, bsfore their
coming crop would be subjected TO the
ruinous depredations of the stock In tn e
surrounding country. They now went
TO work at building lots in which to pen
the few head of stock owned by each. In
the daytime their cattle were taken care
of by general herder. or in other words
a herder employed by these newcomers,
and at night they were put in their re-
spective pens. Tha. was the way they
managed their stock from gear to year,
except abou. three mouths in the winter,
when they were suffered 10 run at pleas
| ure through the different fields, but were
brought home at night as before. Har
vest came snd With it as fac crop OF
wheat as ever grew out of mother earth,
and as the fruits of their e st years Ia
Dor. they harvested, thrashed and hauled
to market enough wheat to pay for their
land, the buildings and other improve
men:s, and plenty left for ssed aad bread
They followed up this course for a few
years and became rich. This m ods OF
settling large prairies. in Illinois and 10
va, has been introduced with the best re
suits, and such settlements nave invaria-
bly, turned out to be among the mos'
wealthy and hourishing in the country.
If Kansas would adopt heard law that
would give settlers such an opportunity
10 till The soil, we venture the prediction
that the State would increase her produc
four fold within two years after it's en-
actment. The extra grain that would be
produced in single year by such change
would bring in dollars and csnts al
amount equal in value to all the produces
that has been raised in the State for fv'
years, and would not cost half as much
to produce 1t. Ay
The State would under such change
improve more 10 Eve years. than it will
under tie present system in fifteen. W.
know there are a great many who airead,
have their farms fenced that would op
pose such a law because they think
would be an injury to them, and would
he robbing them of all the fruits Of thei
improved ente, aud would put them OF
the came ground and footing as the settle
; of to-day, who mad not made a stroke to
wards fencing. whilst ne has been wor
ing for years TO get ready to farm. BIZ
> lei US take broad and generous view {
6 the matter, and So crifce something Tor Il
common good of the country at larg
= If you have more rails than you wal
, you can dispose of them to new settler
9 at good round figures, for they will wal
il them to build corrals for their stock, az
if you were to keep them yourself but
II few years would elapse when they W
b rot. and save for their use 10 the NEAR
d time would be dead loss to you.
q Let our Legislature pass law. allowi'
Y settlers to plow up the prairie and cul
lie vate it Eve years. Withuot being compel
a ed to fence their claims; allow them
re- herd their stock, and in the n eantinl
l. le; every settler plant hedge which
). the natural fencing for this climate. Th
would do more towards settling up, q
~ developing the resources of Kansas tn
8 ell the Immigration societies that cou
> be put in the field. no matter what the
!. endowments might be.