The Wichita city eagle., 1878-07-11
For the EAcLE.
WHAT OF THE ARKANSAS vALLEYi
PRA1R1E GROVE. July 6. 1878.

PRAIRIE GROVE, July 6, 1873.
| ED. EAGLE:-I have sometimes
thought that the Arkansas Valley de-
partment of your paper was entirely
overdone; not that it was untrue, to
any great extent, but so much written
on the same subject is apt to lose in
terest. But l will venture to give ut
terance to few thoughts: Every OBJ
! servant person feels SO astonished at
what he sees all around him, that he
feels that he must give utterance to
his thoughts in some way.
Some six to eight years ago the pio-
neers of this valley came here to try
an experiment which was thought by
a large number to be an exceedingly
risky one The idea had prevailed to
such an extent that these plains were
an almost barren desert, liable to be
oyertaken, periodically, by all the
worst agricultural enemies, such as
drouth, and all manner of destru ctive
insects, etc., that the problem with us
was, will this county be q self-sustain-
ing one; can the agriculturist meet
with enough prosperity to carry him
through his adversely or, in other
words can he raise enough the pros
porous year that might come, to carry
him through the adverse year that
would surely follow? With such
thought as the above, we concluded to
take the country Oh trial, as we were
all too poor to take any country that
had been tested and been found to be
desirable. And the time is not far
distant when those who, through care
lessness, idleness, or mismanagement,
failed to secure them a portion of this
goodly heritage will regret it, as Esau
did the loss of his birthright, when re-
grets are unavailing.
As to fruit growing, in those days
we hardly dared to hope that these
vast, almost illimitable, open, unpro-
tected plains would grow fruit of any
description with any certainty, and
timber was a thing to be thought of
and longed for, but never realized.
Now, after six years. trial, we can
hardly believe the evidence every
where before us. Walk out in any di-
rection and you will see legions of
stacks of grain, giving the entire coun-
try The resemblance of large city,
with its multitude of spires rising
heavenward. A stranger would nat
urally conclude that the whole country |
was one vast wheat field, but when he |
is told that but a small portion of this |
wonderful country is yet in cultiva-
ton, his surprise knows no bounds. / |
will only say of corn, oats, and pota-
toes and vegetables, that he who does
his part by them, and is not satisfied
with the results, generally, would be
dissatisfied if taken to heaven. AS a
fruit and timber growing country, we
are without rival. Can you believe
that it is possible for small twig
from the forest in five years, to make
4 growth of from thirty to forty feet.
md the diameter in proportion? We
IAN show you hundreds that have.
rhe idea that in five years we could
&c well supplied with fruit, did not
inter the minds of any of Us, and yet
hose of US who did our part, to-day
nave better supply of fruit and in
.reater variety than nine-tenths OF the
I'D farmers in the east, which clearly
the fact that all might
laye been thus supplied if they had
planted and cultivated orchards.
j. q. SAMPSON.