Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1877-07-28
FARMING BY CONTRACT.

Acres Worked on Contract.
Letter from Abilene to the Chicago Tribune
The readers of the Tribune will doubt
less be surprised at the statement that
there is place in the United States
where farming is done on the same plan
as here in Dickinson County, Kan, and
where, except in California, it is done
on so large scale. The peculiarly of
the country consists in what is called
the " contract system"-that is. where
the owner of the land hires all his work
done by the acre, the man who doe, the
work furnishing his own teams and i'm
plements. The plan was first tried by
Mr.. +. c. Henry in 1873, when he had
500 acres of prairie broke and pat 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 IA, making the great
1,20O-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.. ii. has in about 1900
acres, all of which was done on the same
plan. Many others have gone to work
on the same system, farming to wheat
from 500 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
harvested in this county. And the
amount of ground now being prepared
for fall seeding indicates that the acre
&. al
Many Of the readers of the Tribune
would like to know the profits of this
method of farming. | will give it rs
nearly as can. We will take the bare
prairie to start with 1t costs $3.50 an
acre to get it plowed the first time: say
Sl.25 for seed, and 81 for narrowing
three times, which would mrke S475
per acre. An average crop is eighteen
bushels. 1t will cost about 81 10 harvest,
thresh and market it, or say 80 per acre
for all the expense connected with the
crop-leaving 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
good showing for land that can be
bought at "a to 80 per acre, and the
yield in this country is oftener over
eighteen bushels than under.
But the contract system has other adj
vantages-public or social advantages l
may call theE. II is not only very
profitable and easy way of farming
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 chance
to do some cash work. Cash is the thing
they need, and in this country, in ad-
dition to getting in their own smallcrops,
they can take contracts from the con-
tract farmers, and thus there is mutual
advantage. A great many people-in
fact majOrity-come to the West very
poor. They have no money, and till
they raise crop they have a hard life.
Now, with few of the large contract
farmers in neighborhood, it is very
different. The new corners can "get a
job" at once. In May or June prairie
is to be broken and corn planted and
cultivated; then comes harvest, thresh-
ing, hauling, blowing for fall wheat,
drilling, narrowing, ETC., all of which i;
cash work, and a GOdsend to hundreds
of the poorer class of emigrants.
When we consider the quality Of the
land in Central Kansas, the price and
terms on which it can be bought, the
expense at which it can be worked,
question whether there is another place
in the country which offers the same in.
ducements to either rich or poor people
who think of changing their location. A
section Of good land can be bought or
eleven years, time IL desired at from o.