The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1875-09-30
For the Eagle.
A Visitors Opinion.


tiers of Illinois. One Of the most re-
markable things to be observed on our
trip was to see how fast your country
is being settled up and its great agri-
cultural resources, which once seen
cannot fail to be appreciated by all
who See it.
A trip down the Atchison, Topeka
81 Santa Fe railroad reveals the fact
that at no previous time has the State
Of Kansas been so beautifully blessed
with crops of all kinds as at present.
Notwithstanding the early part OF ths
season in some of the eastern counties
in the State, bordering on the Nilsson
ri river suffered greatly from the de
vastations of the grasshoppers. This.
however, was only temporary aud the
pluck and energy OF The farmers have
overcome that TO a great extent by re-
planting and have succeeded in getting
fine crop of CORE ifthe frost only holds
off for reasonable time. AT present
prospects are very fine and everyon is
cheerful and hopeful and with pleas
ant fall grsshopper-pauperism will
speedily become thing of the past
The wheat crop of Kansas, which is
bouDtiful and worthy of special notice
both as to quantity and its superior
quality. The climate of Kansas for
the production Of wheat is perfect.
The winters are not severe enough to
kill it, and the rains come in good
time to perfect and mature the crop.
| am informed that wheat has never
failed here entirely since the settle
ment OF the State, aud is considered a
certain crop, twenty-five to forty
bushels per acre being the common
average.
We always liked Kansas, but never
as since this last visit with her people
Think Of such an average of wheat
on land that can be bought for from
five to ten dollars per acre, wheat that
will bring one dollar bushel and the
entire cost OF cultiyating amounting
to less than nine dollars per acre, in
Guiding everything from breaking the
prairie to threshing the grain. Think
of paying for coed farm with the
production of single year. Think of
such grain crops being, not simply ali
occasional freak of nature. but of Gus
tomary occurrence.
Think of these facts my eastern
friends who have spent your best days
in the woods aud mountains, grubbing
and picking stones and blowing up
and down the hills, among the stumps
and stones, scarcely being able to raise
enough TO supply the actual necessities
of small family from year to year.
Think, you young men who are just
now approaching the fearful respon-
sibilities of mature life, and upon
whose shoulders your share of the re-
sponsibilities of the rising generation
must fail. Don't think Of wearing
your life away OH rented farms, among
the stones and hills as your parents
have done. eking out Il poor, miserable
while you could buy letter
land here with the rental money you
pay out every year. Read and consider
my friends and govern yourselves ac-
cordingly.
Come and see it for yourselves.
Don't think | am writing this to de-
ceive you, or that have overdrawn
this picture simply because | am per-
sonally interested, or myself deceived
That could not well be as my own
lifelong experience in ii prairie country
would certainly not allow me to be
thns deceived in the great and glorious
future of Kansas.
As settled, when a boy, in 1881, in
the center Of the great prairie State Of
The best agricultural State IL
the Uuion, and in the center of the
best county in that State, near the
spot where now stands the beautiful
evergreen city of Bloomington. the
fourth city in population in the State.
At that day il was wild wilderness,
the home of the savage and wild
beast: to-day a city of $4,000 inhabi-
tants: truly an agricultural city, sup
ported entirely by agricultural inter
ests. Uatil lately, on account.o water
supply, manufacturing interests could
not be encouraged to any great extent;
now the city has water works and can
offer great inducements to manufac-
turers. At that day we had no rail-
roads or telegraphs or improved agri-
implement together with all
other modern inventions and improve
ments of this The nineteenth century
to assist us in improving and develop
ing the agricultural resources of that
country like you have to-day. Bone
md muscle was the one developing re-
of that day. We had to go
eighty miles to mill with an OK team
or eat pounded corn and potatoes.
W had 10 market at home like you
awe here. We had to haul our wheat
With OK teams one hundred and fifty |
niles aud sell it for thirty-seven and |
'ne-half TO fifty cents per busbel i'll
chicago, then small town situated |
IN the west bank of Lake Michigan, in
igniicant then in size aud population
TO the now beautiful five
-ear-old city Of Wichita, situated near
he geographical center of the State of
Kansas in the beautiful Valley of the
rkansas. at the forks of the big and
title Arkansas rivers. 1t is the county
eat of Scdgwick and contains popu-
alton of four thousand inhabitants.
t is beautiful city only five years old.
Like an old city its improvements
re wonderful Its public buildings
re I'D with the times. All sorts Of
.gitimate business are represented
ere. The city commands the trade of
larger scope of territory than any
Their town in southwestern Kansas,
eing situated at the terminus of the
Duth branch of the Atchison, Topeka
, Santa Fe railroad.
Wichita supports two weekly papers.
he EAGLE, edited by Murdoch Il
rother is large, elegant paper. equal