The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-12-11
For the Eagle.
The Cowskiner.


EDITOR EAGLE: Granger from
Cowskin has written ns-adied an
other feather TO the king of birds.
How cleverly. he has replied TO orr
statement of what it costs TO raise rorll.
by telling what it costs him and his
ucighbors TO husk and deliver theirs
to Wichita. lie might have added the
cost of Smelling. bagging and shipping
to Liverpool-of retailing and consnn-
ing after it gets there: for this would
have been equally applicable TO the
point of difference between ''Farmer
of Lone Tree" and myself. But it
seems the baby question crowded the
subject out Of his mind. Now | was
very careful not to correct one errone-
Gus statement by making another. |
know man up the Litde river to
whose movements have paid some
attention and who has raised patch
of corn the past season. 1t is now
nearly all cribbed and there will be
over eighteen hundred bushels of the
corn he raised. Had this been sold for
fifteen cents per bushel on the stock
he would have received fully 500 per
month for every month of faithful la
Dor that was bestowed upon the patch.
or course, cost of board, keeping up
team and implements has to come out
of the money received for crop. There
are scores of renters back in Illinois
wko would be glad to raise corn for
fifteen cents per bnshel, sold on the
stalk, and the land furnished them. In
fact, many are raising it for ten and
twelve cents, and then are doing bet
ter than they would paving from four
to six dollars per acre rent, and deliv-
ering their corn to town at from twen-
ty to twenty-five cents, the best prices
their towns are paving them at this
time. believe we can raise corn in
this valley just rs cheap as they can in
Illinois. five cannot, when our lands
cost us only about onc-tenth of what
theirs are valued at, why, then. this
country has little to recommend it to
the corn-grOwer.
My recipe is wanted. 1t is this: CO.
operation. "What 2" says my friend.
"Why that is what we are all working
for" Yes, cooperation, but not that
kind of cooperation which says eve,
the farmers of Sedgwick county, will
unite and make the people of Wichita
pay us fifty cents for our corn" when
no other market this side of Indiana
will warrant more than half that, UNI
less it is shellcd and in bags. This
kind of cooperation. as Mr.. Kelly init
mates in his article last week, would
have tendency to drive away con-
sumers and with them our market.
Not that kind Of cooperation which
calls the farmer from the pillow and
harvest field to form combinations
against the interest Of trade and COM
merce-of mechanics and merchants.
In the language of Thacher, we be-
lieve FARMERS should take firm stand
against all combinations" Not that
cooperation which says, FARMERS, you
are exercising too much muscle in ag-
riculture; you must quit it and have
your brains do the work" None of
this, but hearty cooperation of brain
aud muscle will accomplish the work.
If our Cowskin friend don't believe it
let him give it fair trial next spring,
and keep an account of the time he be-
slows on the crop. If he spends a day
in town, showing his certificate and
making terms" with the merchants,
let him enter il honestly IA day lost
and then let him tell us honestly how
he comes out
We are glad to hear from "Farmer
Doolittle' again. There seems to be
some reason and common sense in the
general makeup Of this man and less
of selfishness than is manifested by
many Of our farmers. Why, some of
them scratched the name of w. Il.
Smith from the republican ticket for
no other reason than that he lived in
Wichita. They can't take the EAGLE
because Murdoch belongs TO the town
Clique; they cannot patronize the ag-
ricultural fair for similar reason,
and thus it goes. Yet these men seem
to think the county rests directly up
on their shoulders.
/, with "Doolittle," think the coun-
ty ought to buy the bridges. The
present stock holders must feel suffi-
cicnt interest in the county to sell at
reasonable price. The river, coursing
through the middle of our county,
gives us more valley land than any Of
our neighbor counties can boast OF,
and this adds to our value as a county.
We should be very incomplete without
the west side, and the west side would
be ut loss without Wichita, and we
should buy the bridges and become
united. AS possible,
FARMER X.