Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-04-13
LETTER FROM KANSAS.
NEosHo RAPIDS, KANSAS, Mar. "a, 1877.

iCu III tHio SeCtiOu. we nave Hdu
u ny mild winter. Mercury has been dow
e to zero but once, | believe have n
had more than three or four inches
snow at any one time, nor has it Taste
more than three or four days. 1t h;
been very favorable weather for white
ing stock i; but there was but little mol
than half a crop of corn raised, and
is selling from fifty to sixty cents. A
a consequence but little corn las bee
. fed, and stock, as a general thing, is j
bad condition, as prairie hay will nc
fatten stock that has no shelter fror
storms
The times are as dull as ever, ant
money as scarce. Money has been WORT
almost any per cent. during the winter
| knew one man to offer almost one hund
red per cent. with good security. Their,
is but little work to be done here during
the winter-we have no numbering tc
Go. A few find work digging and draw
ing coal ; but they have to strip off from
four to eight feet of earth to get one foot
OF coal, and then draw it twelve or fit.
teen miles and sell it for eighteen cents
a bushel. A coal vein has been struck
at Jay, in this County, three feet in
thickness, at but a short distance under
ground, and must prove to be a very
valuable discovery. The improvement in
horses, cattle and hogs, is at present re-
celving considerable attention in Kan
sas. Among the emigrants to Kansas
within the last few years, have been ma
ny men of means, some of whom have
brought fine herds of short-horns, and
thoroughbred stations with them from
the older states, and others are having
them shipped here. As yet they are an
insignificant minority but they build
good stables, feed literally, and their
stock furnishes the argument at the
county Fairs. With the majority of
Kansas farmers, improvement in stables
Is as necessary as improvement in stock:
for, without the former, the latter would
be next to an impossibility. The aver.
age Kansas barn q learned this by OBJ
servation) consists of four or six crutcb.
es set IN the ground and poles laid across
on top, few brush laid on the poles to
keep the hay from coming down through.
and then hay is stacked on top and slabs
and pieces of boards placed up at the
sides with the earth for floor. A hav
roof will shed water pretty we'll if prop
erly made, but generally they are allow
ed to settle year after year without re-
pair till they get nearly fat and, tho
they stop the force of the storm, it all
gets down through eventually.
At present they are agitating the
question of building one or more facto-
rles Tor the manufacture of Agricultural
Implements in Kansas. The CHANGERS
are taking the lead in this movement
Some twenty of the leading manufactur-
ers OF farming tools in the West. refused
/ to have any dealing with Changers ex-
cept through their regular agents the
Changers resolved they would not buy
OF them through these agents, and are
going to work to furnish themselves with
TOOLS They have one factory already
at Lawrence. If this action of the Plow
King should start Kansas to making the
things which she now ships from ILL
no's' 1t would be one of the best things
which ever happened to the State.
The Changers are taking Kansas bv
storm. At the commencement of the
year 1873, there were but ten ORANGES
In the state, | believe. At the meeting
OF the State Grange, Feb. 18th. 1874 |
1t was stated that there were one tbon.
sand and fifteen. happened to be elect.
ed a delegate to the State Grange and
will try and give brief account of if
There were one hundred and sixty-eight
delegates who were masters. one from
each County at large, and one for each
eight oranges. Beside the deleeates
'nere were masters and postmasters
enough present to swell the whole mum.
Der to between four and five hundred.
Only delegates had vote and their ex
penses paid. The session lasted four
days with meetings forenoon, afternoon
ana evening The total membership of
tne order in Kansas, is about thirty
thousand Among the things proposed
were a Changers Fire Insurance comma
n.y. and Life Insurance company. 1t was
also proposed that farmers should mite
III building or hiring grain elevators. so
mat a farmer, if he wished, could store
MS surplus grain, and use his certificate
OF storage as security in raising money,
instead OF being obliged, as many are
noW' to sell their grain as soon as bar-
vested for what they can get. Tn Kan
Sas the Changers have a system of stock
anu al crop reporting which is very useful.
Monthly reports of everything for sale
ano' as near as possible. the prices are
sent In to the State Grange from each
county and these are printed and sent
20 every Grange in the state. so that one
wishing to buy grain. potatoes, stock or
OF the kind, knows where If ;s