The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-25
THE ARKANSAS VALLEY.
Resources Advantages Disadvantages
culiarities Of Soil-Choap Lands, etc.

Resources Advantages Disadvantages
culiarities Of Soil-Choap Lands, etc.
GREAT BEND, May 18th.
Editor Rutland Globe during the
last three months have been examining
the Arkansas valley from the Rocky
mountains to the Mississippi and find il
very much greater in length and breadth
and fertility, than | had expected, and that
portion above Little Rock remarkably
healthful. From the Mississippi river up
to Fort Smith in Arkansas, about four hun
dred miles, the valley is from twenty TO
forty miles wide, and extends through
dense forests of oak, ash hickory, walnut,
pine, etc, which reach to the Gulf Of Mex
leo, and on the north to the prairie OF
north Missouri. This vast region has also
inexbaustible coal fields, and very extern
sive beds of iron and other minerals About
Fort Smith the timber begins to decrease
and continues until at Wichita, Kansas, it
has almost disappeared along the river it.
self for more than tour hundred miles to
west Lssanimus, Colorado, where it beeina
to increase and continues to the mountains,
though it is principally cottonwood and
| box elder until within a few miles of the
mountains when the pine and cedar begin.
| All the valley below the Grand Canon in
| Colorado and in Kansas down to KinsIey, u
distance of three hundred and fifty miles,
is an exdelent stock raising region. and
stock already subsists here 10th summer
| and winter without feed.
The whole of the valley in Kansas, east
of Kinsey, is good for stock raising and
agriculture. Ia Kansas the valley proper
is from ten to thirty miles wide. The
higher lands upon either side are kind of
second bottom, or low rolling prairie, with
| Just enough undulation or swell 10 carry
off the extra rainfalls The soil of the val
ley, which is chiefly sandy loan, is made
up of such mineral elements as have been
washed from the Rocky Mountains by the
attrition of ages. l. is marked feature
of this soil that it contains much larger
proportion of mineral than the prairie soil
OF Illinois and IOTa, which are chiefly
vegetable mould. The great quantity Of
mineral matter, especially iron and lime.
in the soil Of the Arkansas valley, cousti-
tutes it the best wheat growing region on
the continent. The mineral substances en-
ter 30 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 it grows from four to
six feet high, while the farmer is sure of
twenty-five to forty bushels of winter
wheat per acre, for which he can always
get from 81 90 to $3.50 per bushel; he can
also RAISE large crops of corn, oats, barley
rye, all kinds of grasses, vegetables, vines
and fruits.
The fact that Mr.. Loveland, capitallst
of Golden, seventeen miles west of Denver
recently bought twelve thousand tons OF
hay along the Arkansas valley, south
western Kansas. smay serve to indicate the
extent of the market for farm products OF
this region. Though the government lane
is mostly claimed within fifteen to twenty
miles of the town, yet there is some within
few miles that may be bought OF the AT.
: Gibson, Topeka and Santa Fe railway, g
from three to eight dollars per acre fol
cash, or on long credit.
Through the courtesy of Hon. ID. N.
Hiezer of Great Bend, have been enableC
| 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.