The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-09-26

by the Government, years ago. 1t is q low,
rocky bluff located about fourteen miles
west of Great Bend, few yards north of
the railroad. At Great Bend great ricks of
buffalo bones are piled up for shipment to
the Eastern cities where they are manu-
featured into bone dust; and at every sta
ton between this and Granada, the term-
nus of the railroad, huge piles of bones
principally of the buffalo, are collected by
the side of the road. Bone gathering is an
important business here. Two years ago
when the western division of the road was
first opened, the slaughter of buffalo was
so great, and the animals SO plenty, that
beard it said that person might have
walked one hundred and fifty miles on buff
falo carcasses and bones The animals
were shot down by hundreds and thousands
by hunters for their skins, and travellers for
wanton sport from the cars. Since then
few have made their appearance near the
road, and they have to be sought some ten
or twelve miles south Of the road, and there
the proving Indians are met with, who
watch every opportunity to murder s.rag-
glers, or weak parties of travellers and
hunters. A few miles from Pawnee Rock
we passed farm of eighty acres which
seemed to be hedged with castor beans, a
row of these plants forming dark green
line round the entire tract; but nothing else
green appeared on or near the place. Cas-
tor beans, broom corn and sorghum are
proof against grasshoppers. They don't
relish these plants, and let them severely
alone.
Larned is the last town which marks
the agricultural region as at present de
veleped, or attempted. 1t is two hundred
and ninety miles from the eastern border
of the State of Kansas, and the country
has assumed much of the character of the
dry plains; yet, it is claimed by the railroad
company that the rain fall is sufficient at
kinsley, three hundred miles from the east
ern border of the State, to supply crops
without resorting to irrigation. Emigra-
ton has not pushed to the latter place in
numbers sufficient to test the question.
About Larnard the Government land has all
been taken up, but the men who run before
civilization and squat and pre- empt all the
Government land they can get hold of, are
generally more greedy than industrious.
They are as general thing poor class of
farmers, and make no improvements, being
always ready and anxious to pack up and
go West to better their condition. They
will 60 hundreds of miles to get a new farm
for nothing, in place of improving what
they already have. The men who follow
them purchase their half paid for claims
and buy up the railroad lands, are the men
who build towns, open farms, plant trees,
and reclaim the wilderness from the wild
beast and wilder Indians
The Arkansas river in many places
seemed almost dry, but by digging down
to level with the river any where in its
wide valley, either in the first or second
bottom, water is found in abundance, sweet
and good. The under strata along the
whole course of the stream, from where it
leaves the mountains till it reaches the low
lands in the region of Western Arkansas.
is composed of a gravelly soil, through
which the water flows beneath the surface,
the stream never overlooking its banks;
consequently no sign Of marsh is any
where found on its borders This bottom
reaching far into the dry plains, it is pro-
badly would produce good crops of wheat,
and perhaps other grain without irrigation
At any place irrigation can be had from
the river by running canals, but the fact
that stock will always pay much better
than farming, everywhere west of Kinsley,
at least, and we presume west of Larnard
is strong reason for those who own the
land lying on the river to engage i'll stock
raising. They then will virtually own the
whole back country of the plains, for as
many miles as their stock can range, with
out paying for 1t or being taxed for the
land.
AT Great Bend and west for fifty or sixty
miles peculiar feature of the country is
ridge of sand hills on the south side of the
river. These sand hills have many springs
in them and water rises near the surface
to their tops. Large quantities of wild
plums grow among these hills, and it is the
opinion of hortculturists that this in the
near future will be the region where plums
and grapes will be cultivated most extern
sively, and produced of a superior quality.
At kinsley, which marks the dry line,
large field of corn had been planted and
until the grasshoppers came down upon it
was at least green. The stocks indicated
a short, stunted growth, but these locusts
of the plains stripped it clean of blades in
few hours.
The railroad company have several lots
between Larned and Dodge City fenced,
where they are experimenting in growing
several kinds of grain and trees. The
grasshoppers and exceptionally dry season
made the experiments of the present year
Improbable and unsatisfactory.
AS Dodge is approached, the country
assumes more and more dry aspect, buf
falo grass two or three inches high clothes
the plain with a sickly yellow tufted carpet,
the shantes of settlers disappear and the
country looks a thorough Wilderness The
wheat planted as an experiment by the
company at dry ridge grew foot or SO in
hight, and then succumbed to the dry sea-
son and died. Farming without irrigation
is evidently played out when the dry ridge
is reached. Fort Dodge is passed four
miles east of Dodge City, and a good view
of the fort and barracks can be obtained
from the cars, and here the river is again
approached-the railroad having diverged
from the stream some fifty miles back to
avoid deep bend and shorten the track, -
and the green grass of the bottom and
fringe of cottonwoods and willows on its
banks relieve the brown monotony of the
arid plains. Dodge City is a town of
twenty or thirty frame buildings, contain
ing an estimated population of three hun
dred and with nothing prepossessing round
about it. Huge piles of buffalo bones are
the only articles of commerce to be seen.
But there is no accounting for taste. A