The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-03-10

nishing and setting posts and then We
shall ses whether they viii consider
such RATES - being the real value for
such work. Bat, then, We are wander
Ing from our subject. Thinker, after
enumerating our fences sc the outside
figures, the stock interest at the low
est possible figures, and estimatin z
every bushel of produce raised, not re-
serving pound for feed or home con-
sumption; after all this he takes the
liberty Of charging ten per cent. inter-
est upon the cost Of our fencing and ten
per cent. for annual repairs (S3, 24s,-
500 as being the, annual tax paid to
keep $4,000 600 In cattle from eating
~, OOO, 600 Of farm products. We
have not the statistics ct hand to prove
the assertion that we are about to
make, but from the population of the
State, we will be safe in stating that
there are less than 100, 900 farmers in
Kansas to-day. This would place our
annual tax for interest and repairs on
fencing at about 50 cents per head.
The land agents nor country editors
cannot make US county boys believe
that the interest on the real cost,or that
the annual repairs of our fencing will
average any such figures.
Again, estimating our products at
$44, 100000 and our farming popu-
latlon ct 100000, would give each
farmer 10 per cent. fer repairs.
Ventilator, one Of the herders. pro.
claims that to fence sixty acres the
cost will be four hundred del
lars; at ten per cent, for repairs
would be $40 per year to keep up
the fence around 60 acres, an aver
age Of $40 as . value of HE
crops. Let US see. Can we farm.
ers draw this much from our pro-
ducts alone, on an average? We
think the answer would be most en-
phatically, NO.
Once more. There are in the
State only 1900, 600 acres Of land in
cultivation. ''The money invested in
perishable fences would double the
area Of cultivated land, or in other
words double the $4,000 coo of
products raised the present year,
Real Estate agent this is all bum
combe. The farmers Of Kansas to.
day have spread themselves over
more land than they can properly
tend.
Do you suppose for . moment
that If our fences were annihilated,
that with this incubus OF our
shoulders, we would all ct once have
the ability TO work double the
amount Of land and consequently
double the amount Of our products.
Bah this is something like Buck
eyes argument. If the people Of
Kansas prefer their score and Q half
of ''bull whAckers, with their Is. 900
steers to 100 times 1900, 800, 900
industrious men, ETC., ETC., what
"balderdssh'' "we'uns" can write.
But suppose, for the sake Of argu-
ment, we grant your proposition to
do away with fencing entirely,
What would become of the $50 OO0, :
600 of stock interest, the very bone
and sinew, the real backbone Of the
Kansas farmer to-day2 Why al
this gush and hifaIatin buncombe
by the speculator, the land agent
and the editors who take she imag.
mary view Of tee benefits to be de-
rived, a. against the real settled de-
ternined view Of the actua
settler, the farmer and stock raisel
combined, for we do combine
stock raising and farming. It il oul
interest to do 50. When We fail j.
crops the increase in our stock pay
our taxes and brings 10 through
What would we have done in 1873.
without our stock INTEREST," WI,
We would have been on the point o
starvation, IS cur brethern Of tn
new herd law counties were. Thi
agitation % 10 carried on in the old
Or portion Of the State is the mos
absurd thing ever heard Of. Why
Because On the one hand il is Prin
cipally done by that class Of peopl
that haYe not the remotest ide8 o
! farming or stock raising doing thei
utmost to create Q war Of feeling Be
, tween the two, when in reality the
are one. The largest stock raissF
in Lyon county county to-day ~
the most extensive farmers. Il
necessary that they 60 hand in hand
The small farmer works into stoc
just - soon - he can buy . pair {
sucking heller calves, and he show
his good judgment by doing 50.
DI Let "a zee how the account sten6
0 with this county. Our fences col
, $685., 6O6. Our cattle are $457, %:
Z Let rs stop . moment, thinkin
{ friend. Next spriHg as soon a. q
. prairie will afford pasture for q
4 horned cattle. hitch up yeur mn
and take . stroll lever the seespetet
e prairies. Fret scrafinize our sha
Q fence, taxa eRt yOur pencil ead no
book, and estimate on the real col
Then turn your gaze upon the d
= merous ''bovines" quietly feedin
. and AK yourself the question So
= there be thres-fourths - Nuch NO
= ey value In the sham fences, g the
q IL in the numerous herds Of sle
: cattle" Take this trip, nsigkb,
= land altar making the compaTis
please repert in TR NEws, uad
tha hsad o. ssThfnksr."