The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-08-20

DENT EELiOHTENS EVERY BoDh'
WINFmLD. CowLEY COUNTY,
August ?, 1870.
EDITOR TIMES In one of my
back communications, IL will be re-
membered that l stated that il had
been discovered that rye could be
raised successfully on unbrOken sod
and that two years OF such cuitiYa-
ton will entirely subdue the grass
roots, aud prepare the soil for easy
. culture. This portion of my cores
pondence has been pretty generally
copied by the state press; and by
The EMPoRIA News, with the fol-
lowing sharp and pertinent criti-
cism:
"This, If true, is so important that
the kno wledge of il should be spread
without delay, and our prairies all
turned into vast rye fields. Will the
Leavenworth Times verify this
statement of its correspondent, by
explicit testimony, or else pro-
nounce his story canard. Let us
have all the facts, before the time
for fall planting"
Now, Mr.. Editor, you are in for
IL. Can you endorse your cores
pondent, as a staid, reliable gentle
man, not given to quiFks and hyper
bOIic recitsls?
But this question is indeed, an
important one, and demands an
earnest and thorough investigation.
For, If it be true, that our Kansas
prairies can be brought under sub
iugation il. this facile manner, ac-
companied Withal, by q good pay
ing profit, 1t ought in all reason and
good faith, to speedily settle the
cheap lands OF Kansas, with an in
dustrious and intelligent pOpula-
ton. When q man can homestead
lands free from forests to be cleared
and roots to be grubbed, or pur-
chase it for the trifliug sum of 81 20
per acre-land that will produce un-
der decent cultivation, forty bushels
of wheat TO the acre-land, upon
which the seed, when scattered on
it's unbroken surface, and scratched
over with harrow, will yield y
profitable return, and at the same
lime fit the soil for garden culture,
there is no good reason why any
healthy individual should long be
forced to scratch poor mans head,
or, kiss q poor mans wife!
But the News editor wants evil
dence. Well, he shall have it. l re-
fer him to Is. w. Setter, Chas. Sew
ard and |. f, Moore, Esqs., the lat
ter one of the proprietOrs of the
"Funnel Mills" and all responsible
farmers of this township. Also to
N. Wilkie, Esq, an extensive far
mer of Douglas, Butler county. l
could name others IL necessary, and
will add that it is generally under
stood by our farmers that fair crop
can be raised in this manner; and
not only of rye, but of wheat. MIR
Seward, above referred to, will tes'
tify to having seen good crop o.
wheat raised in this way. The heads
were not quite as long, but they
were we'll filled, and the stand wal
heavy. Your correspondent hal
enough of confidence in its success
to plant one hundred acres OF raw
prairie, the coming fall, to both rye
and wheat.
But, il is reasonable, in the alb
sence of experience. II is wei
known that prairie grass will readil!
succumb to any other heritage. Clos
pasiurage will kill il out, and weed
or other grasses will take IT'D place
Unlike the timothy, or blue grass, /
does not form a mat, but leaves
considerable space OF bare earth be
tween its blades.
From the best knowledge | cal
clean, l have become thorough,
satisfied that mOwn, unbrOken prai
rie, sown to rye or wheat, and wei
narrowed, will produce a fair crop
(better, perhaps, of rye), and viii
prove the easier or cheaper mode O
reducing raw prairie to desirabl
culture. Ii the grass be burned oil
il will be better. Some cut 1t oil
with a machine, and burn it on tn
ground when dry. Many farmer
ON the Walnut have sOwn rye oil
their timbered lands with great re
suits, il furnishing excellent pastur
age for stock during the entire win
ter. d. Nj. a.
This, as we said before, we regar
as the most important discovery ye
made In Kansas. We begin to be
lieve, AMI trust that our farmer
will all test the question TO some ex
tent this fall. Try a few acres, q
least, and report the results to Til
News. Herd laws, harrows, and ry
enough for seed, is the future bon
ANA of agricultural wealth loomin
up for the prairie state.