The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-03-07
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The Great Limestone
Belt Of Kansas.
The Attractive Region Of
the West.
..,-,a~v
BY MAJOR H. lNMAN.

The " Great Central flalns arc seossA "P
ical feature of the State OF Kansas. Covereo
with remarkably nutritious vegetauon, Iof
centuries they were an immense pasturage Ior
countless herds of buffalo, antelope and otnei
Eliminating animals, whose habitat was the
far-stretching green prairies that to-day 1orm
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 in the East, to be an unprohtaple
desert, but 1t is now the acknowledged garden
of the Continent. This truly manificent coun'
try can claim the most luxuriant soil OF all the
ssGreat West,n and climate that approaches
perfection, at least. DIR. B. E. Fryer, one OF
the most eminent surgeons in the Army, ano
who was stationed for years at Fort Harker,
four miles from the Town OF Ellsworth, DC
clared this to be "the most perfect climate in
the world" The whole country is traVerseo
BY a series Of constant streams, sweet ano
wholesome springs and springfield pools. De
licious water is also always obtained in wells,
by digging, at easily-accessible depths II If
already conceded that the United States is rap
idly becoming the granary Of the world, par
ticularly in the production OF wheat. Kansas
an Empire in itself, is taking the lead In tnS
cult ure of this cereal, and in short time WI
be acknowledged queen of all the States ID the
production of this great staple. The State
esnecially her peculiarly-wonderful fertile CEN
trail area, comprised in what is now known as
the rhinestone bclt,' under the test OF only
few years. has proved to the world the I'M
mense average its soil is capable OF. Eacn
wear increases the limit of the wheat-belt, as
the frontier is pushed toward the mountains,
within which are found the greatest possible
ties, agriculturally.
Ia l.. -ol,1 ga hot paarlV all THE
lands of the Kansas Pacific Railway are in
cluded in the limestone region under consider
alton, and that south of this limit, in that di-
rection, it ceases altogether, ard the country
presents another geological formation, the SOIL
Of which is very sandy, and which, though at
present. from tal,,ess of its Ue'Y prtnssse'sess,
is capable of producing good crops in seasons
of abundant rainfall, lacks the inherent quail
ties of Standardization, aud must rdady defe-
riorate. In this particular the Smoky Hill Val
ley is immensely superior to the arenacious
lands of the region south, which is drained Dy
the Arkansas and tributary streams 1t is well
known by every farmer that lime, in some OF
its combinations, constitutes the essential IN
gredient in all the more valuable grains and
grasses. Its presence in the soil is consequent
ly to be considered as condition OF fertility.
1t also acts as a constitutional ameliorant, OF
much power, and, when mixed with or under
lying tough or viscid clay, it renders them fri
able and consequently more susceptible to the
action of atmospheric forces. Soil in which
there is a due admixturc of calcarcous matter.
is not SO liable to be injured or rendered plas-
tic by an excess of moisture while under crop.
The quality of the wheat raised in this great
limestone belt'' is conceded, in all markets,
to be the finest grade known. 1t produces the
familiar brands of so-called Southern flour,
for which st. Louis is justly celebrated. This
is easily accounted for, from the fact that the
soil in which the wheat is grown possesses a
DIM u6miyfura nf sal Uhiab
has tendency to make the hull of the grain
much thinner, and the farina itself in much
greater quantity, and in richer quality, than in
grain grown on the lands which exhibit de-
ficiency of this earth All our millers will tes-
tify to the peculiar fiour-making properties of
our wheat, in this essential, surprising that
raised in other sections, and it is attributed
entirely to the fact-which the analysis of the
soil contirms-that this so-called Limestone
belt' possesses all the requisites of the best
wheat land in the world. Sand, it is well
known, is injurious when 1t enters too largely
into the composition of cultivated soils; in
other words, it is useless beyond certain pro-
portion. That the " limestone belt" or ''won-
derful wheat region of Central Kansas" as it
is sometimes called, has the amount of slick
or siica-the basis of sand-fxed in the proper
proportion, is evident, from the fact that it re-
quires peculiar conditions TO 'lodge'' the
grain in the field, even after the most terrific
showers. Considering the question of the rel
alive fertility, particularly in its connection
with wheat culture, present richness of soil
and endurance must enter as essential ele-
ments Of success, and the capacity of the self
fertilization Of the land, an ingredient not to
be overlooked. The latter quality a limestone
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 far as Kan
sas is concerned, an inspection of the Smoky
Hill Valley, and the arenaceous region south,
coupled with a fair idea of what the culture Of
wheat requires, the conclusion can lead only
In one directiOn-to the infinitely superior adj
vantage OF the limestone belt.n
Prospectively, frompurely physical causes.
this great inland region must reach the posi-
ton OF one OF the richest agricultural portions
OF the United States. Only very few wears
ago-not a Observation-Disclosures here was pure
ly tentative. From absolutely no dew. ejght
years ago, this region is as favored in that
particular as any that can be named, From
lying outside of the train belt,n so termed.
this region has had to be "taken inn The
quantity OF water in the streams has auo
mented, springs have burst forth where none
existed before-in short, just the converse Of
that meteorological phenomenon has been
evolved here under the march of ciyilization
which takes in heavily-timbered country IN,
der the same social conditions a.
Inc following statistics of the rainfall clear.
~ prove the accuracy of the foregoing state
ment: -l s ''"'e
The Fall of Rain and Melted Snow. in inches nj
Forts Hays, Larned and Dodge. for The Last Eve
years as shown by the Daily Meteorolop;cal
Records kept by the United States Government
at the Posts named: ~