West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-03-23
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6a33[l|9l8
The Great Limestone
Belt Of Kansas.
The Attractive Region of
the West.
BY Major n. inman.


The "Great Central Plains are n geo.
graphical feature of the State of Kansas.
Covered with remarkably nutritious yege.
tation, for centuries they were an immense
pasturage for countless herds OF buffalo, an.
telope and other Illuminating animals. whose
habitat was the far-stretching green prairies
that to-day forms one of the most beautiful
agricultural portions OF the Mississippi
valley. Less than ten years ago this region
was believed, by the mass of the people i'm
The East, to be an Improbable desert, but IL
IS now the acknowledged garden of the Con.
tinent This truly magnificent country can
claim the most luXuriant soil OF ali the
Great West" and n climate that approaches
perfection, at least. DIR. b. f. Fryer, one of
the most eminentsurgeons in the Army. and
who was stationed for years at Fort Harker
four miles from the Town of Ellsworth, de.
clared this to be the " most pc rfect climate in
the world" The whole country is trayersed
by series of constant streams, sweet and
wholesome springs and springfield pools
Delicious water is also always obtained in
wells, by digging, at east inaccessible DEPTHS
IL is already conceded that the United States
Is rapidiy becoming the granary of the world,
particularly In the production of wheat
Kansas, an Empire itself is taking the lead
In the cultIre of this cereal, and in n short
time will be acknowledged queen of all the
States in the production of this great staple
The State, especially her peculiarly wonder.
iul fertlie central area, comprised in what is
now known rs the "limestone belt" under
the test OF only few years, has proved to
the world the immense average its soil is
capable of. Each year increases the limit of
the wheatbelt, as the front er is pushed to-
ward the mountains, within which are found
the greatest possibilities, agriculturally.
1t is n remarkable fact that nearly All the
lands of the Kansas Pacific Railway are in
Guided in the limestone region under con.
sslderation, and that south OF this limit
IL ceases altogether, and the country
presents another geological formation
the soil of which is very sandy. and
which, though Mt present, from yfulincss Offts
reTy PrimnireneSs is capable of producing
good crops IN seasons OF abundant rainfall
lacks the inherent qualities of seli.fcrtiliza.
ton, and must rdpidiy dcteriorGfc. In this
particular the Smoky Hill Valley is i'm.
mensely superior to the arenacious lands of
the region south. which is drained bv the
Arkansas and tributary streams. |. is well
known by every farmer that lime in some of
It's combinations, constitutes the essential
Ingredient in all the more valuable grains
and grasses. Its presence in the il is con-
sequently to be considered as Il condition of
fertility. 1t also acts as II constitutional
ameliorant of much power, and, when mixed
with or underlying tough or viscid CLAY, il
renders them friable and consequently more
susceptible to the action of atmospheric
forces. Soil in which there is n due admix-
ture OF calcareous matter is not so liable TO
be injured or rendered plastic by an excess
OF moisture while under crop. The quality
or tho wheat raised in this great Limestone
Pelt is conceded, in all markets, to be the
nnest grain known. IL produces the familiar
brands of so-called Southern -four, for which
st. Louis is justly celebrated This is easily
accounted for, from the fact that the soil i'm
which the wheat is grown possesses n due
admlxture OF calcareous matter, which has n
tendency to make the hull of the grain much
fn RIM Teal -, IA.
quantity, and in richer quality, than i'm grain
grown on the lands which exhibit a de.
ficiency of this earth. All our millers will
testify to the peculiar aour-makng proper.
ties OF our wheat, in this essential, surpass.
ing that raised in other sections, and IL IL at
tributed entirely to the fact-which the anal
ysis OF the soil confirms--that this socalled
Limestone belt possesses all the requisites
OF the best wheat land in the world Sand
1T is well known, is in furious when il enters
too largely into the composition of cult.
waited soils; in other words, it is useless be.
yond n certain proportion. That the Cline.
stone belt" or wonderful wheat region of
central Kansas" as il is sometimes called
has the amount of slick or silica-the basis
oil Standardized in the proper proportion, is
tyVluent, from the Tact that IL requires pecu-
liar conditions to "lodge" the grain in the
held, even after the most terrific showers.
Considering the question Of the relative fer.
tllty, particularly In its connection with
wheat culture, present richness of soil and
endurance must enter as essential elements
oil success, and the capacity of the seIf.fer-
tilization OF the land, an ingredient not TO
be overlooked. The latter quality lime
stone region alone can possess, as only a
limited knowledge of agricultural chemistry
clearly demonstrates. Viewing the subject
OF wheat culture, then, in all its aspects, so
lar as Kansas rs concerned, an inspection of
the Smoky Hill Valley, and the arenaceous
region south, coupled with fair idea of what
the culture OF wheat requires, the conclusion
can lead only in one directiOn---to the in
hnitely superior advantage of the lime.
stone belt"
Prospectively, from purely physical
causes, this great inland region must reach
the position Of one OF the greatest agricul-
tural portions OF the United States. Only n
few years agO--not a decade here
was purely tentative. From absolutely no
dew eight years ago, this region is as favored
in that particular as any that can he named
From lying outside Of the rain belt" so
termed, this region has had to be "taken
In" The quantity of water i'm the streams
has augmented, springs have burst forth
where none existed before---in short lust the
converse OF that mete geological phenomenon
has been evolved here, under the march of
civilization, which takes in a heavilv.tim.
bered country under the same social condi.
tons
The following statistics Of the rainfall
clearly prove the accuracy Of the foregoing
statement:
The Fall Of Rain and Melted Snow, in inches.
at Forts Hays, Larned and Dodge, for the
last FIVE years, as shown by the Daily Mete-
geological Records kept by the United