The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-05-05
KANSAS DROUGHTS.

The editor of the Fort Scott Monitor,
on his recent excursion down the NJ. X.
& T. r. r., was Intercepted by some
eastern parties about our droughts.
Says the AonitOr::
Going down there were, as there al
ways are, few strangers who wanted
10 know about the drought. IAN
impression had prevailed" they said,
"that Kansas was subject to droughts."
We told them we had lived here four
teen years and had never seen drought
so severe as New York and New Eng
land had had during that time; that We
lost as few crops from dry weather as
the Wabash valley, the Genessee valley,
the Hudson or Connecticut valley ;
that wheat never failed, grass never
failed, stock never failed-and various
other facts. These statements, of course
were not believed, although the doubt
ers had never been in Kansas before
and had no reason under heaven for
disbelieving the word of q candid OBJ
server of considerable experience.
They said: at seems to look pretty
dry around here" The crops are in the
best possible condition, wheat, rye and
oats never having looked better in any
State at any time since there were such
things as wheat, rye and oats. We ha d
rains and SHOWS in winter, and have had
them all the spring in -bountiful album
dance. 'Seems to me it looks pretty
dry around here" was, however, the
conclusion these fools had agreed to be-
ljeVe in and abide by-they knowing
more about it than the records kept by
the military authorities at Fort LeaVen-
worth nearly half a century and at Fort
Scott more than q quarter OF century,
and showing that all this part of Kan
sas is generously rained upon. In view
of these facts we were glad to see it
rain all the next day. The "droughts"
! had not brought their umbrellas with
them-only their idiotic and narrow
prejudices-and they got wet and mud
DIV in Chetopa, and drenched in rain
and despatched in mud at the end OF
| the track. God took their punishment
! into his own hands and will propably
keep them soaked for q month. The
next time we meet such an eastern fool
we shall throw him into the river or a
mud puddle. 1t is idle to talk to them.
A very little observation would teach
any person capable of being taught that
| Kansas is constantly gaining in the
matter of m oisture over Virginia, Penn
sylvania, New York and New England
Here our forests are growing-ther6
| they are disappearing. 1Hc LTc0less
character of the prairie States was caus-
4 ed by the fires annually set by the In
| dians. The moment the lands are fen
ced and protected, forests grow spon
taneously. Our older counties already
have acres upon acres of trees forty fee
high that have grown since the passagt
of the Kansas-Nebraska bill. Orchard
and hedges are now seen everywhere
the climate is becoming more even, thu
ffeshets less rare, while the moistur,
is more uniformly distributed through
J the soil. 1t is theeast and not the ives
that may well feardroughts and fresh
cts. This obvious fact was Reen b,
Bayard Taylor and intelligently note'
when he visited our state five year
ago. 1t was seen by Fred. Law Ohm
, stead, in Texas, when he visited tina
I State in 1856.
!. We long ago stopped talking abou
"droughts," and beg pardon for hSyin
required to the subject. The immigraI
who takes up land in Kansas save
thousands of dollars in being able {
plough and raise crops immediatel!
instead of spending years in ciearin
the land. He can grow his forests an
his orchards where he will; and the
v grow so rapidly that he will reap az
# vantages from them in five wears. an
a have forest, fire wood and fence raj
in ten years.