The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1878-03-14
Kansas State Board Of Agrieulture.

Hon. Alfred GRAY, Secretary of the
State Board of Agriculture, is now en-
gagged i'll the preparation of the Bien-
NAL Report of the years 1878. The
Secretary, in a circular letter, says:
zone feature of this report will be
an accurate and minute description
of each county, by townships and
cities as far as practicable, showing
its progress in the various industries,
schools, wealth, ETC., from the first
settlement to the date of going to
press of the report. These county de-
scriptions will be profusely illustrat-
ed with engravings of prominent OBJ
jects of interest. Through these de-
scriptions and illustrations we hope
to mirror with accuracy and precision
the past and the present, so that the
immigrant may have guide. and the
future historian an array of facts and
incidents relating to the early settle
ment of the several counties, many OF
which will be buried in oblivion un-
less collected and put in form while
the first settlers remain TO give per-
senal rccollections."
To accomplish this purpose, Mr..
Gray has prepared and elaborate form
for reports from each city aud town.
ship, embracing in detail information
upon water power and to what extent
utilized; coal; artificial timber, acre
age, varieties, and names of grower;
building stone, ores, ETC.; wages of
laborers and mechanics; fences, var;e-
ties and cost; herd law; industrial ex-
hibit, namo and kinds of bushes, mum
Der of business houses, amount trans
acted during the year; school houses,
where located, when built, etc; his
toric incidents. when, and by whom
first settlement was made in the town
ship or city, whe,., where and by what
religious denomination the first
church was erected, when, where and
by what school district, individual or
association, the first school house WAS
erected; first newspaper published,
and succinct history of county news
papers from the first published to the
present time; date of first marriage in
township or city, and names of con-
tracing praties; name and date of
first child born in the Township or
city: first business established and by
whom; first post Office in the town
ship, when and where, and name of
first postmaster; together with such
other historic incidents as may be of
public interest.
These reports, together with the
statistical reports to be made out by
the township assessors, will furnish
data of great interest TO the town
ships, counties and State.
The task is an onerous and gratui-
tous one, no pay beisg provided for
the labor required, and for this rea-
son, as well as the pride which every
citizen has for his own home and TO-
cality, and q atural desire for full
and complete exhibit in the forthcom-
ing Biennial Report, it is hoped that
all will take an earnest in this matter
and furnish these gentlemen with all
the information they can: not waiting
to be called upon, but feeling perfect
ly free to send it to them.
Those who have been so fortunate
as to examine the previous reports of
Secretary Gray, especially those fer
1875 and 1876, will readily appreciate
his well directed efforts to make the
Biennial Report for 1878 more
complete success than the former. For
the pride of the city, townships and
county, we trust that all viii give the
project warm encouragement, and
that The "pioneers" and "old settlers"
will open their fund bag Of informa-
ton and deal it out with liberal
hand.
Mr.. Gray is very anxious that that
the several township reports be com
pleted and returned to the county
clerk. on or before April 1st.