The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-09-17
Editorial Correspondence.l
T,AvTpFNCF Kansas. Sept. /

pened In Kansas during the week Of
the State Fair. BY attending 1t, L
was enabled to see the products OF
the country, and thus to judge in
some measure Of its agricultural
eapacity and attractions. An exam
nation of the articles and products
at State Fair is not the best and
most reliable method of ascertainiug
the producing qualities and the aver
age yield of the soil of the State or
district of country, because it is
usually only the best selections from
the richest lands thai are placed on
exhibition. And yet we may learn
from what we see What the soil c ~ do.
The growing season just closing,
has been an excellent one for Kansas
farmers. The danger to be appre-
hended, from past experience, is the
want of rain; but of this there has
been no lack this season-in fact, the
trouble has been, if anything, 90
much rain The people are rejoicing
in luxuriant and bountiful harvests.
1t is a good year for a State Agricul-
tural Fair In Kansas. And this en-
terprising people have sought to make
the best of it. The papers and the
citizens are in the very best of spirits
over their exhibition. The habit
with these progressive Western peo-
pie is extravaganza of language as
well as enlarged views and an exalted
opinion of their country. The Fair
is said to be complete success-an
exhibition in its leading features un
surpassed on the Continent-in Ger
tain lines of articles, as one of this
mornings papers says, never to be
surpassed this side Of the Rocky
Mountains" &c. / can readily agree
with the admiring thrOng in the SEN
timent that it is indeed very cred
liable display, especially in the pro
ducts of the SOIL And yet, if I was
a citizen, or writing for the benefit of
similar exhibitions in future years,
there are some criticisms and sug-
gegtions which might be made with
profit, especially regarding the grounds
and the management. But l will
notice only the matters which will
most likely interest our Indiana read
ers, who want to know all they can
about the merits of this new and
wonderful country, about which they
have heard so much from enthusiastic
citizens and land spectators and
agents.
That which first attracted my at
tention was the display of Stock, and
| was hardly prepared for as fine
show as was made, being almost ex-
clusively of home or native stock. In
the earlier settlement of the State, it
Is said that few questions were asked
as to breed or pedigree of the stock
which a man owned. The main ques-
ton was, how many head of cattle has
he? But of late years a change has
taken place. The long-legged, broad
horned Texas cattle, so numerous here
tofOre on the prairies, are giving place
to the thorough bred or grade, the
prevailing class being apparently the
clean-limbed Durham. Its a favOra-
Bile omen for the future of Kansas
farmers that it is not now so much the
number, as the quality, Of the stock in
which they are interested. The rails
ing of sheep has received very con
siderable attention In some parts of
the State, but not much money has
been made from the experiments thus
far, and considerable has been lost;
and it is not altogether settled ques-
ton whether it will prove very remu-
nerative. The display of sheep was
good, but some were imported from
other States. There was nothing very
remarkable in the entry of horses,
though there we're some fine animals.
Stock raising, as might naturally be
expected, Is in its infancy in Kansas
yet, but those best informed and most
experienced here anticipate large re-
suits from it in the future.
This has been fine year for the
production of cereals, as is attested
by the display upon the grounds at
the Fair. 1t is claimed here that the
statistics of the United States Com
missioner of Agriculture, Of the
average yield of Wheat for the past
six years, place Kansas higher than
any other State In the Union.
Whether this be so or not, the yield
the past season has been enormous:
but while the samples on exhibition
were creditable, they hardly sustained
In variety OF quality the wonderful
stories | had heard. The display of
both Corn and Oats was very fine and
were fully up to the Kansas high
water mark" [ asked a citizen, who
was an old Indianian, what he thought
of the corn producing capacities of
Kansas and Hoosierdom contrasted,
and his reply was that no country in
the world could beat the White and
Wabash bottoms for corn, but that
Kansas soil of good quality both In
the uplands and bottoms was nearly,
IT not quite as good; and that in Kan
sas there was so much greater surface
Of rich corn lands than in Indiana,
The exhibition which l saw yesterday
unquestionably proves Kansas to be a
grand State for farm products.
In vegetables the samples are of the
most magnificent proportions. Rather
than indulge in generalities, it will be
best for me to deal In figures some
what to convey correct impression.
There were beets two feet two inches
lopg, weighing eight and a half
pounds; onions four inches across
and averaging four hundred bushels
to the acre; cabbages three and a
quarter feet around and weighing
twenty eight pounds; potatoes weigh
ing one pound ten ounces; and a
pumpkin said to weigh 200 pounds.
And most of these vegetable products
came from Saline County, about two
nuQuT6Q MIi6S NSotf III bAG ui4OSG VI
what was formerly known on the maps
as 1.-The Great American Desert"
Ithas been a matter Of anxious so
icitude and grave doubt with the
people Of Kansas whether the soil and
climate were we'll adapted to the Gull
tiyation of fruit. The almost total
absence of it among the farming In
dams and the partial failures in some
of the, earlier experiments, together