New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-06-03
Especial Correspondence Of the Republican
THE ARKANSAS VALLEY.

Resources dvantages-DIsadvantng
Peculiarities of Soil Cheap Lands,
Etc.
GREAT BEND, Kansas, May "a, 1876.
EDITOR REPUBLICANS:
During the last three months have been
examining the Arkansas valley, from the
Rocky mountains to the Mississippi river,
and frd it very much greater in length,
breadth and fertility than had expected,
and that portion above Little Rock is re-
markably healthfal.
From the Mississippi river up to Fort
Smith in Arkansas, about 400 miles, tbs
valley is from twenty to forty miles wide,
and extends through vast forests of oak,
ash, hickory, walnut, pine, ETC., which rea ch
to the Gulf of Mexico, and en- the North to
the prairies Of Northern Missouri. This
vast region has also inexhaustible coal
fields and very extensive beds Of iren and
other valuable minerals. About Fort
Smith the timber begins to decrease and
continues until at Wichita, Kansas, it has
almost disappeared except along the river
itself, for raore than 400 miles, to West
Lasanimas, Colorado, where it begins to
increase and continues to the mountains;
although it is principally cottonwood and
box elder until within q few miles of the
mountains, the pine and cedar begins. ALI
the valley below the Grand Canon in
Colorado, and in Ksness down to Kinslsy,
distance Of $50 miles, is an excellent stock
raising region, and already hundreds of
thousands of cattle, horses and sheep sub
sist here both winter and summer without
feed. The whole of the valley in Kansas,
east of Kinsley, is good for both stock rails
ing and agriculture. In Kansas the valley
proper is from ten to thirty miles wide.
! The high lands upon either side are kind
of second bottom, or low rolling prairie,
with Just enough undulation or swell to
| carry off the rain falls. The coil of
the valley which is chiefly sandy
loan is made of such mineral ele-
| ments as have been washed from the
Rocky mountains by the attriti0n of ages.
1t is a marked feature of this soil that it
contains much larger proportion of min
eral matter than the prairie soils of Illinois
and Iowa, which are chiefly vegetable mold
The great quantity OF mineral matter
\ especially iron and lime, in thu soil Of the
Arkansas valley constitutes the best wheat
! growing region on the continent. The min
eral substance enters 60 largely into the
composition of the soil here that the wheat
| and oat straw has such remarkable strength
that it does not fall or lodge, though il
| grows from four to six feet high, while the
| farmer is sure of from twenty-five to forty
bushels Of winter wheat per acre, for which
he can always get from 81 to 81 so pei
buehel. He can also raise large crops Of
corn, oats, barley. rye, all kinds of grasses
vegetables, vines and fruits.
The fact that Mr.. Love land, capitalist
of Golden, seventeen miles west of Denver
Colorado, recently bought 1000 tons of hsJ
and 10000 bushels of corn and oats along
the Arkansas valley, in Southwestern
Kansas. may serve to indicate the extent O
the market for the farm products Of THU
region.
Though the government land is mostly
claimed within fifteen to twenty miles o
the town, yet there is some land within {
few miles that may be bought of the Atch
ison. Topeka and Santa Fe railway at from
So to sS per acre for cash, or on long credit
Through the courtesy of Hon. d. N
Heizer OF Great Bend, have been enabled
to partially explore the valley of Walnu
Creek, which enters the Arkansas at thi
place from the North, and after fuller ex
animation will write about it.
| EXAMINER.