The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-08-09
FARMING BY CONTRAGTS
A New System of Farming in Central Kan.
sas-Wheat Fields of Four Thousand
essWOrked on Contract. = -.

The readers of the Tribune will doubt
less be surprised at the statement that
there is place in the Unitedb States
where farming is done on the same plan /
as here in Dickinson County, Kan, and /
where, exceptsina California, it is done
on SO large a scale.4 Thespeculiarity OF +
the country consists in what is called
the g contract ,system"-that is, where
the owner of the land hires all his work
done by the acre, the man who does the
work furnishing his own teams and i'm
plements. The plan was first tried by
Mr.. F. c. Henry in 1878, when he had
500 acres of prairie broke and put in
fall. wheat 1T was reaped in 1874,
yielding nineteen bushels, per acre.. The
same land, with 700 acres more, was
sown in the fall of "a, making the great
1,200-acre fenceless wheat-field that was
so much written and talked about at
that time, being, | believe, the largest
field of wheat raised anywhere east of
the Rocky Mountains up to that time.
This year Mr.. H., has in about, a, 900
acres, all of which was done on the same
plan. Many Others have gone to work
on the same system, farming to wheat
from 800 to 5000 acres this year. The
wheat is just beginning to ripen, and if
harvested safely will be much the best
yield and much The largest acreage ever
harvestedEin. this county, And the.
amount of ground now being prepared
for fall seeding indicates that the acre
age next year viii far exceed this. =
Many of. the readers of the Tribune
would like to know the profits of. this
method of farming. / will give it as
nearly as can. We will take the bare
prairie to start with. 1t costs 81 90 an
acre to get it plowed the first time Z say
$1.25 for seed, and 81 for narrowing
three times, which would mrke $4.75
per acre An average crop is eighteen
bushels. 1t will cost about 81 to harvest,
| thresh and market it, or say SO per acre
| for all the expense connected with the
cfopAleaving net profit Of 80 per acre,
| with eighteen bushels per acre, and the
price 81 per bushel. And your real in
vestment is only the expense of putting
in, or $4.75 per acre. The harvesting,
threshing and marketing can be paid
out of the crop itself. That is certainly
a good showing for. land that can be
bought at S4to $40 per acre, and the
yield in this country is oftener over
eighteen bushels than under. -~-e
But. the contract system has other adj
vantages-public or social advantages
may call them. 1t is not only very
profitable and easy way. of farmine
large bodies of land with comparatively
small capital, thus paying the large
landholder handsomely, but it is great
benefit to the smaller land owners and
poorer farmers. 1t gives them a chance
to do some cash work. Cash is the thing
they need, and in this country in ad
dition forgetting in theirown smallerops,
they can take contracts from the con-
tract farmers, and thus there is mutual
advantage. A great many peopleAin
fact amajority--comeat to the West very
poor. They have no money. and till
! they raise a crop they have . hard life.
Now, with a few of the large contract
farmers in a neighborhood, it is very
/ different. The new corners can 80 get 8
I job'' at oncea In May or June prairie
is to be broken and. corn planted and
cultivated; then comes harvest, thresh-
ing, hauling, Flowing for, fall wheat
drilling, narrowing, ETC., all of which j:
cash work, and a Godsend to hundred:
of the poorer class of emigrants.
When we consider the quality of tn,
land in Central Kansas, the price ant
terms on which it can be bought, til,
expense at which. it can be worked,
question whether there is another place
in the country which offers the sameiin
ducements to either rich or poor peepl
who think of changihg g their location. 4
section of good land can be bought OF
eleven years time if desired at from, s.
to s 10 per acre, according to distanc
from railroad. For $1,000 the who'll
section can be broke and seeded t,
wheat. 1.-THE crop is anayeragesit vii
more than pay for both the slaberss an
! the land the. first Year. rLiaiplayaH case
!. this has been done. A man having, say
81, 600 or $4,000, can easily purchase an
seed a section, on the contract system
= But if he takes a quarter or half section
: and, instead of having itaH producing
something, improves sixty or eight
!, iaeresGeaeh year, and lputsihis money il
!, teams and, machinery, etc, he will max
!, slow progress compared with the ma
!. who owns nothing but his land aud put
, all his money in cropsa This method 9
J farming is also much facilitated by tn
: Herd law Farms do not need 70 b
: fenced here. The man who owns stoc
is responsible for his stock, and part 9
his responsibility is to keep it off hi
neighbours crops s5This' is great &C
!, vantage. to "a shewi country sAH th
7 money and time, that would. otherwis
have to be spent in fencing can now b
:, devoted t. buying more. land and in ca
, /, tiyation. And It costs for herding bl
: aitithe ofwhat fencing would cost.
faot all tho stock in This county is nj