The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1875-06-17
Out Among Our Farmers.

How nearly the town and country are rslat
ed, and how dependent farmers and business
men are, one upon the other, was graphically
illustrated In the EAGLE Office last Friday,
Mr.. Dan Hoover came up with bottle con.
tanning couple dozen Of green, black-striped,
yellow-dotted, wriggIing, thiu-sklnnsd worms
representing all stages Of development from q
maggot to a juicy grub two inches long, which
he had gathered from hts wheat field north Of
town, and which he feared were the regular
old "army worm" Inside Of two hours our
office was visited by more than hundred far
mers and business men-all eager to examine
and give judgment as to the character Of the
newly threatened plague. As some farmer
would mgubriously guess that they were the
Irregular thing, and no mistake" the faces Of
our business men would draw down to the
solemn length of stove pipe. So it kept up
all day with conflicting opinions, until we felt
sick at heart over the visions of another "aid
WINTER and its trials and disasters. In bed
that night we determined to knew the worst
Immediately, following which conclusion we
secured buggy early next morning and start
GU uoitucoSt, Wluuiu5 aUOut uitLoI auu bulJueT
until O'Clock in the afternoon found us at
Eldorado in Butler County. The next day
we continued on down the Walnut Valley to
Augusta, and from thence along the regular
travelled road home, where we arrived. tired
but happy, late Sunday evening. We had
travelled some sixty-five or seventy miles and
examined hundreds of fields OF wheat, oats,
rye and corn, and net \ single grasshopper,
army worm, chinch bug, Hesssn fly did We
see, or any evidence Of blight or rust. The
thousands upon Thousands of acres OF these
cereals were all that could be desired. We
saw fields upon fields Of wheat OF from twen-
ty to eighty acres each, standing from four to
five ieet high, and all nearly ready for the har-
yesters. We saw rye nearly six feet high and
oats in many fields standing so thick that it did
didn't have fair chance to wave in tho wind.
In the meantime other attaches of the EAGLE
Office had scattered out, north, south and west
up the Big river and down the Little river,
out to the Cowskin and back, by two roads,
over to Gypsum and Spring Creeks, and
around by Ell PAso, making in all, 147 miles
travelled. The same news was brought back
by all hands. Except In the line trayerscd BY
the hail storm, not single failure of small
grain field was found in any direction. Many
farmers were eating new potatoes, and corn
on an average had been plewed twice. BY
next Saturday the steady but rapid clicking of
hundreds of machines will be heard in every
part of this valley. In conclusion we have
only to say that worms in Messrs. Hoover,
Stafford and Smiths fields were not 30 bad as
at first anticipated, and it will take pretty
frightful stery to scare us again this month.
Luna, nights pale empress, was benignly
smiling through food of silvery light upon
W. c. Woodlands new home-Lake Side-last
Tuesday eve, throwing long shadows upon
the blue waters Of the beautiful lake, whose
surface rippled in harmony to the music of the
futtering leaves of the tall, dark cottonwoods
that skirt the western shore, when a large
number Of unannouuced friends and uuher-
aided admirers, descended upon him. That it
was premeditated engagement upon the part
Of number of the elite Of our city to appro-
priately christen that most romantic home
seat, appeared very evident. Friend Wood
man and his inestimable wife were not whit
disconnected, but with their distinguished
guests. DR.. Rea and wife, entered fully into
the spirit OF the occasion, when followed hours
Of unrestrained good humor, joyous laughter,
and social yepG,ts, sandwiched with delicate
ices, Strawberries and cream, and other deli.
cacies, and not till the startling whistle Of the
midnight train rung out upon the air, did the
happy party bethink themselves of the late |
ness Of the hour, and Of that other disagreeable
truth that they were only "old folks" Lake |
Side, its hospitabie host and hostess aud that |
nigh. will not soon be forgotten by the party |
who unanimously expressed the wish that such |
occasions were Of more frequent occurrence |
in the many other happy homes of our bright |
little city. and that the author of "Happy |
Valley" might olive long and prosper