Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-06-19
Correspondence of the Rutland Herald,l
From Kansas.
MANHATTAN, Riley Co, Kansas
- 0.I 1870

...- MANHATTAN, Hlley 70, hanSds-
. ..-. June 9th, 1878.
Editor Rutland Herald !: = Having
been absent from home three weeks,
you must think by this time that my
promises that you should hear from me
were of the shoemaker variety, but my
old Kansas friends have kept me con
stantly on the move so that ] have had
no time to write. te.,
Times are very hard in Kansas Corn
which is the staple product of the coun-
try, is worth only from fifteen to TWEEN
ty cents per bushel, which is much less
than cost. 1t can't be raised here fer
less than twenty five or thirty cents per
bushel. Many of the farmers are pay
ing from II to2 per cent. interest per
month for money and have to mortgage
their farms to secure the payment of it.
They have found out that corn raising
will not pay and are all anxious to go to
raising cattle, Kansas is good country
for stock growing and this will undoubt-
edly become the principal business OF
the State. Cheese and butter factories
are starting here and New York
and Vermont will have to look to their
laurels in this line or else Kansas will
get ahead of them. | saw some butter
in Lawrence, made near there, by the
s.Howard Dairy" that will compare fay-
orabry with our best Vermont butter.
This company churn their milk as soon
as it is cold and make very superior but
ter which commands thirty-five cents
per pound at home, while common but
ter is worth only from fifteen to twenty
cents. | will defy any body to tell this
from Uncle John Pierce's best, if placed
side by side.
Notwithstanding the hard times, Kan
sas is steadily improving and the people
have great faith in her future, lmml-
grants in large numbers are constantly
coming into the State, and pushing north
ward where there are cheap lands, and
lands that can be sshomesteaded." The
State now has population OF between
five and six hundred thousand and it will
i not be many years before it will have a
million people. Don't think from this
that Kansas is at present in danger OF
being filed with inhabitants. BY CON
sulting the map you will find that it
is a very large State, and that there Will
be plenty of room here for immigrants
| for a long time yet.
Labor is cheaper here than ia the East
and think poor man can get a starr
there more easily than here but a man
nj moderate means, and with industry
and economy, can in the. end, | think,
do better here than there; but he HlASl
make up his mind, if he comes here, &c
rough it for few years and TO nave
very hard time. To succeed mere re-
ouires any amount of energy and PUCK
and a will that no obstacle can daunt. n
person going on to a new prairie iarhi
on the frontier, will get no return IRON
/ it till the second year. Inc nrst' yea
he has his cabin to build, and the prairit
to break and fence, which mas to ID,
:. over until the SECOND season, 1or Va!
turf to rot if broken early enough II
the spring sometimes cornis plaAbea upoi
it. and a crop of what is called s'soe
corn.n.is raised, but this is very Qncef
tain, crop, and no. dependence can o.
placed upon it. The frontiersmen, RS leaor a. q
General thing, are nearly all poor se
that they cannot afford to hire heip, am ls
a new conner among them can get no worl
that will pay him, so that man 1akins h ]:
mn a new farm needs money enough 7
bpv him a team, build his cabin, fence
mart m of his land and to purchase Ioo'
and and clothing for his family Tor at esa leas
enc year a half. The cabin Ia, ana ran,l;r dedr
he can build himself, puf i VII requil III
money to purchase materials 70 ao1 =; =
same. Unless man can, get mere VII WI.
money enough to do all this, say iroi