The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-09-24
EMPORIA NEW S.
FROM CALuFORN1A.
Ekansns I-rIgatIOn AgaIn.

flight OF the thermometer in July
aud August was 50 degrees. So
much for sea air and the Japan
current. Kansas can never expect
such q climatic uniformity. She
is in the heart of the con
,inent, upon the edge of the
great arid plateau, and must ever be
the scene OF great climatic extremes
Drouth and deluge must alternate
there; there must be intense heat
and fearful winter "northers." The
agriculture of Kansas ought to be
adapted TO this fact. This is a year
OF deluge, but drouth and hoppers
will be occasional visitors hereafter.
One thing is worthy of notice =
The da'e of the dry year is always
an even number. Whether or not
'there Is luck in odd numbers" 1t is
certain that 1860, "a, '66, '6S, 10 and
IA, were years of drouth, more or
less injurious; and I cannot rec
ollect that a severe drouth has ever
occurred in the odd years.
Here are few deductions, and
hints from the above:
l. Sow alfalfa. This superb forage
plant stands the six months drouth
of the San joaquin valley, when the
earth is baked all the way down to
the central fires. 1t will endure the
six weeks' drouth of Kansas.
2. Substitute barley for corn in
even years, and in all seasons
throughout the western half of the
State. The average rain fall at FIT.
Wallace is but eight inches. 1t il
folly to plant corn there and on the
Medicine Lodge in three years out
of four.
3. Irrigate for strawberries, pota-
toes, and all garden vegetables, es-
pecially in even years.
firmly believe that the observ-
ance Of the above suggestions would
save the State millions annually.
1t is folly TO go doggedly ahead,
practicing the Illinois methods OF
farming, especially, in the hard-pan
lands of the Neosho and upper Wal
nut. 1t the KaDsan pioneers had
equaled those of California in prac-
teal sense and willingness to con-
form To- the necessities of the case
kaEsss would have been vastly
wealthier than she Is to-day.
have received many letters from
Kansas people asking Information
about California. will answer q
few OF these inquiries now.
l. Lpborers are as much respect
ed as in "Ihe states," and are hotter
paid, but more roughly treated.
Food is good enough, but the farm
hand must bring his own blanket,
and scamp out" under a tree OF
shed. "Ranch-hands" complain that
they are not usually furnished with
beds. The fact is, that the ranch
owner probably began as a miner,
and has worked up to his thousands
over q rough road and he sees no
necessity for treating hands more
tremendously than he was treated.
There are here few representa-
tives of the "hard-fisted yeomapry'
of the east. The farms are all
ranches-vast tracts owned by joint
stock companies, and worked by q
motley crowd of white, yellow and
black, laborers. The social life, the
intelligence and religious spirit,
seem to cluster about the large
towns. There is q good aud a bad
side to this fact; but it is certain
that California lacks the conserva-
tive influence of the Industrious
religious, thoughtful rural popula'
ton of the east. Per contra, this IL
woman's paradise. The typical far
mer's wife OF the cashier face
wrinkled, her hands psrbOIled, hel
frame bent by incessant washing
ironing, baking, scrubbing, cooking
churning, and cheese-making Ii
unknown, or almost unknown, here
The ranch belongs to a company
the wife boards at a city hotel, per
haps, while the husband draws div.
idends on his stock. The strong life
of the State clusters in cities. l SEE
nothing of the associations that used
to gather about the old rural home
stead of the east-scenes made pre-
.cious by an unbroken family life o
many generations.
"Is California q place for teacher
to locste2" Wages are higher, Blu
the requirements are higher also
There is no room in the lower story
Boarding is costly, and, in the rura
districts, quarters are rough. II
general, would say that here, a
elsewhere, there is room in the up
per story. But it should be remem
bered that the matchless climat
which have described is limited I
the regions along the coast. The in
terror valleys are now burning an,
.glaring with q fierce, cloudless heai
1 cannot see why one should, on an
account, exchange for such scene
the prairies of Kansas. And
should be remembered that tn
State is thronged with semi-inva
ids, who are weary and heart-sic
enough, finding no remunerativ
employment for their enfebled en-
ergies, and perishing of mere dis
couragement aud despair. This
no place for dainty palates and lii
fingers. If you have pluck enoug
to dig dirt camp under q cactU
bush, cook the ration you have carr
ed by your own hands, and face q
corners without apology, this a goo
enough place for you, young teact
er. There is wonderful amount
culture 10 be gathered from theG
surroundings, aud ii you are strOn
enough, your turn of success wi
come. But don't come to Californi
expecting to succeed when you haI
failed elsewhere. Stay where 20