New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-07-20
CENTRAL KANSAS.
YHE WHEAT CROP AND HARVEST.

...r,c c,,, ,Sors--v-HRAT-GRo BY CONTRACT
ABILENE AND THE COUNTRY AROUND IT.
-, 49, ,cc,sroS,t copRrspoNnRNr or TIE TRIBUNE.l
,r,rrxr. Kas.. July 1.-The wheat harvest
a., central X aIsas is ia fu progress The yicd VIII
,nl exceed the average OF the past three or four
.,rs and The farmers arc busy ard hopeful f"Iin
Inn En- sharp demand at good wages and viii he Tor
8 ,,>t two or three weeks. Perhaps l can give no
,tto Illustration Of the liberal opportunity Tor WORK
than the fact that apparently hncihsoht l"i"'Ni
Of S,n9 a fcw nios west Of this place. o!'ced me g
Ills morning 10 Shock wheat for him uh'l sun
,ot The country around this city OF The flaihs Is
60. rolling wcll-watered aud wooded prairie ana rom
mel, elevation in the rear on the town, panorama
r,r long Journey is unroilcd In every direction arc
tho Golden wlcan Ids ia blocks from 100 20 1coo acres
while t. Che Southeast in iu view is one un'ioAeh ne"
Of 1890 acres q wheat. the property OF slheo o"ci
snaiier squares OF OATS and barley reeNe inc scVo'
While greater sti in tEan al the TILED neids' '"e
,s.r Green prairie svcoys away 20 the horizon beaut-
M i'm neor view with varied and brilliant ho"ofs' III
el directions "headcrs.' rcapcrs and thrcehoie are ~
-t-su Mountaineering having been reduce" u INC
oiucc OF machinery and the grain ciiaIc "u s'cN' ="
earlier DAYS being entirely unEnoWn'
,,.o. now brings at the elevators along the railroad
o., - o. TO - 10 Per bushel, and should the anucl-
od fsrcin demand continue, the farmers OF this ana
siping counties will mark this as one OF the" "oS'
,r.ncro,s aud successful years. What Is true al Ap'
II Ia eoraUv true at several other principal p'lh'S
,cr tbc lire q the railroad. Saline County, with pop
1,,,p not over 5000 will harvest fully one million
,.,,heIs ~ wheat this month, aud AT New Cambria
,~oro seven years ago sod had been 'Who'' '''
Dorueycrs. father and three sons pioneers VI ''O
colony viii gather 100000 bushels OF pf"uc
I,ptcr wheat This country. it should tie horhe
IN mind is The same through which MI Greeley
Travelled eighteen years aeo thenfar hey "nd the i'S oi
civiy,tiop and predicted that nothing could ever DC
made 10 crow that tiled crops were hnposSp"' 81"
tat only grazing and caiteIasag couid be ui'Nei'A
with any hope o. profit Later than mat rs experience"
oleryes and ronticrsmen as Gems sherman and SheT-
idau demonstrated with tic railroad Officials ioF "''eiup'
ine 10 induce emigration tncT, believing that settlers
must inevitably starye On these arid and apparently
sterile uiajus Events prove and every season confirms
The correctness Of the old pioneer who asserted '' '
soil was good and would produce good crops oy' Saiu
he "You must take tire roof OF hist. VI'ln"to
chance is steadily going Tho annual rahiau Is 4"
crcasng Moro moisture Is retained IN the soil lie
hard ,pacteG prairie which turned OF wafer almost rs
rariily as it fell is being broken up and the
great forces OF Nature arc doing On grand
scale what the iuisating canals OF Utah ana
Col.roGo Go picccHoal. Tie short thick buffalo
grass. which has covered tic plains with dense
th.teh through which 10 dew moisture could pene
tr3te is dsappeain. with Tie aI0a 90 which u gives
forege and ina its stead follows the slender succueut
bluegrass striking its roots deeper and opening the way
for tie dcws and rains 80 pcrc0lac tho soil The fctr"
erosion TO the West % The 5GFlOgrass is along we'll
defined line nj the rate OF about five miles year.
H. the method OF raising wheat revolution Is Tar
advanced hardly less important than the existence OF tie
crop Itself. Within five years what Is known
o. the " contract system las developed MI
III probably now tbrecfourtns, not more, Of al the
wheat raised i'm this aud adjoining counties, this season
VIII be raised on that plan. Ii is simply raising wheat
b. wholesale. T. C. Henry, WHO has gained and earned
tbc tide OF the "WlcatEug" OF this state, first intro
duccd the system three four years with 1900
acre field which Lis net profits were nearly $4,000
and this week he has small army harvesting the lOCoV
acre, which were seeded under his contracts last year.
The average WELD viii bc less than 20 bushels per acre,
and Mr. Heury's total harvest VIII uctfa mucn short ola
quarter ~ q million bushels Of grain Tie system is cx
c,edu1y simple theory, and in competent hands uii-
doubtely gives tie largest return and the cheapest pos
eic production OF wheat Tie contractor in the hrst
place obtains tue laud from the railroad company, or III
Giyduas have government; titles and then contracts
Fl SOD mach per acre for breaking thc sod ana making
ready fer the seed. for harvesting and tlrcsmg. Eac1
portion OF the labor may be performed by
tn same persons or lot, just as 1t happens;
fixed price pcratre, governed by hc ruling rates in the
markets. is aced upon, and TO further discussion OF
wages ~ compensation is necessary. The average az
ercrat, cost Per acre OF wheat raised prairie sod
undo te contract Syst0n Is 80 CO., and the crop ~
low cstuatc win twice that amount Tot Ec second
year tie expense az preparing the ground fer the seed is
merely nominal tie p,owinc beng frequently omitted,
an tLe grain drilled ia. Doubtless tEs state
mont OF contract farming MY fceln 70 pc
siUpio ana easy m.iNoN OF &C
curing fortune ia whcat-raisn2, bat it Is open to
al tie Ccutir Eci-s amt liabilities of any other ii,i
Ir,ur bad mon y AVID brains begin with; ana win
tese wen Ia hand MAZE fortunes mere. Mu'a
the j. to tc mani he could make In0"ey
!. irc ~ ;r1c case his latest e5riiar, IS
ploWHg By steam, and ueX week Tie frs seal,-poW n
Tcr an acre uer hour is ,Id 10 Ire far progress for
To gang O. ploVs dawn l3 tac steam-ensnc.
Abilene would DO called in the East pretty village;
here thcy il "uaft town." aud assert advantages
o. trade and prospects lo the future which generally
conceded over IL rivals Junction City TIC Eaa: and
md Solomon the West It is 1G3 miles west 81 Kansas
Civ abou; six mics north q the Smoky Hi River,
which here makes wide dctour. and between two OF is
mos important tributaries IL th.s State the Republican
and the Solomon! Tie Kansas Pacific Railroad runs
through IT, and fills course, very important function
In all the OF de town -Four wears agoAOeae was
the great receiving point for the immense herds Of Texan
cattle which, driven the plains to tie Southwest,
took iH hero spOration "a the Eastern markets
Then the town. n to t.G o. the time TO be credited,
rough lavlcse aud disof'erly the most unrc
STRAINED "cow-2uuchcr" could DEERE and quite TIE o.
pose OF tho peaceful, wcl!-;crllatcd and quet vi
lace Of today THO cattle TRACE has b. tie corts % her
own cltiz.n- boon almost entirely removed fOm ALI
lcne Some Of II j. detained ~ the Atehiaon and Topeka
f0uc % Ills ed stations further west along tho
ana adjoining counties from the cattle trace, ana suti
tuiing wheat growing for st0ck-rsng. Tic principle Of
tie a is iply that Use stock, and uOt the crops,
b. fenced ~ ana that damage 70 crops by stock running
nj largo muse zee Idt tor hy tpcir Gner Fences become
nance arr ana uIso%n, aad ule fathers TINS
saved Vhat would Otherwise We "a heavy expense.
Each couu'y adopts and eniores the act for
would hc expected. tic domain under IL cnAI!ol
g. lcpdy extEdpr Westward. driving me cattle AMI
cattle trade refors wyoming as 800 ierdlaW, ana TIE
st1cl-rCwers therefore pushing tA,ir rang lutacr
and further into iAe mountains aud up amoEr tie foot
Iil- ain Cet Il tho y0rgc OF tho aCI Hills mining cOiu