Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1878-08-24
SHEPHERDSTOWN JEFFERSON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA. SATURDAY,
KANSAS LETTER.
lola, ALLEN Co., KANSAS,
AnO II 1879

would be good time for so doing. l
did not expect my first letter to be quite
as lengthy as it was, therefore will
not make this one quite SO long. Now,
Mr.. Editor, your readers must excuse
such mistakes as may occur, for | am
young in age as well as letter writing;
l am sixteen years old, and this is my
second letter TO paper, so | am GER
tainly excusable for some few errors.
will first give you au idea of how
long it took US to come out here. We
started i'll Martinsburg on the night of
the 4th of February last, on the mid
night train, q have forgotten the num-
ber) but we went through to Grafton
by breakfast the next morning, leaving
Grafton at nearly sunrise for Parkers-
burg, which place we reached at about
ten o'clock the same day: here We
crossed the Ohio river, LETT for Cincin-
natl, travelling through Ohio in the day
time; we reached Cincinnati about ten
o'clock on the night of the 9th; here
we changed cars for the first time. We
left Cincinnati for ST. Louis about elev
en- o'clock Oh the same night, therefore
we travelled through Indiana and the
greater part of Illinois in the night, but
saw enough of it to satisfy me as re-
CARDS the fertility of the soil we reach
ed ST. Louis at precisely noon on the
9th; here we dined, and took a full view
Of the grandest bridge in North Ameri-
Ca We left st. Louis at about one
o'clock for Kansas City; we passed up
the Missouri river as far as Jefferson
City; here we left the river, and struck
across the prairie on straight line for
Kansas City. We reached Kansas City
about eleven o'clock on the night of the
9Th; here for the first time we missed
our connection, aud had to lay over un-
til the bext day, the 7th, but l will war
rant You by the time you have travelled
thus far, without sleep or rest, you will
want to lay over for while. On the
morning of the 9TH we took good look
through the different streets of that
City, and at eleven o'clock on the Tth
we finished our journey, and arrived in
Olathe, in Johnson county, at eleven
o'clock and twenty minutes; here we
remained for one month and half.
Now j do not see why the people Of the
East hesitate TO come Hest, when they
can 90 in so short a space Of time and
costing so little for travelling. 1t costs
just $40 to 90 from Martnsburg TO
Kansas City--surely this would not
keep people from coming to Kansas; by
this you must not think that money
grows on trees out here, because it does
not; but there are hundred chances
out here to one in the East-you have
simply 10 work and il seems as though
you will be provided for. A person
coming out here and going into the
stock business cannot help making mon
ey, provided he has the energy to work
a lttle once in a while. You would
probably ask the question, what can
good land be bought for? / would an
swcr that just as good land as any can
be bought for 81 per acre, with seven
years to pay it in, or $500 cash; this
is all railroad lard, and has never been
broken yet. You could not certainly
expect to come out here aud sit down
and see money coming to you on wheels,
because it don't come that way-only
by the "sweat OF the brow" just like it
does in other countries but you see a
person can live on less money by far
than You can in the East-why do you
still hesitate? Is it because you are
closer to The National Capital! If it is
this, try and get it removed, so that you
can move with it. But you are not in
terested in these things, but you are in
teresled in the support of your families,
and those of you who cannot support
them in an eastern cline should try
some other, and | know that if you can
not support your families here, it is
doubtful whether you could do it in
Paradise or not. This is very strong
assertion, but don't believe a man can
live easier in any other place than he
can here.
will now try to give You brief de-
scription of our mode of farming, as
near as | can. We commence blowing
for corn here about the first of March
the most of the people are provided
with sulky plows, and consequently can
plow large amount OF land. Next
would be narrowing; we have no riding
harrows here yet, but there is said to be
a very complete one invented our har.
rows cover about twice as much ground
as your harrows, and are about half as
heayy-we have TO harrow our ground
but once; sometimes you find harrows
with wooden teeth in them, but most
have iron teeth-so you see it takes but
little while TO do your narrowing.
The next thing in regular order is plant
ing your corn; this is done by ma
chine drawn by horses; it is constructed
with two boxes-one on each side; i'll
these boxes is put the corn for planting;
it takes a man and boy to work the
machine-the boy works the lever and
the man does the driving; the land is
marked with a marker-wbat you would
call 'layiug off and the corn is drop
ped on the marks; it takes very good
guessing to get the corn down straight
every time; so this is the way We plant
our corn. The next thing is blowing
the corn after it has come up; the most
of the people out here are provided with
what is called ''riding cultivator," and
which are quite nice institution for
the business they are drawn by two
horses driven with a low of corn be-