Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-06-13
APrnirIe Boys story.


SONS ~ BE lNbublhlOJos
tFrom a Kansas correspondent Of the New York
Tribune.l
Late in the fall of 1878, while passing
through Western Kansas l stopped at
small station on the Kansas Pacific railroad,
hireda conveyance and started to call upon
an old friend, who was told lived about ten
miles south. 1 drove on over the level prai-
res, admiring the rich, fertile soil, the clear
running streams and the many sleek fat cat
tie grazing on the rich prairie grass, and won
dered not that this land was called the Gold
en- Belt of Kansas. Soon however, found
that was driving west instead of south, and
there were constantly so many branch roads
that l was indeed puzzled to know which to
take. just then boy of about fifteen rode
up on horseback and bright, handsome
lad he was. He informed me that was of
the direct route, but that he would ride across
the prairie with me until reached the right
road soon drew him into a conversation
in which was much interested. His expe-
rience in farming I know will be interesting
to other boys, perhaps seryiceable to their
parents so here is his story:
We all came here two years ago last spring,
and father Immediately entered a claim un-
der the Homestead law for 1G0 acres of land
and it's first-rate land too, tell you
none better anywhere about here Well,
father said that he wanted to encourage me
in being industrious, but he went to work
very differently from some men | know in
encouraging me. Now there is Mr.. A., who
lives on the quarter secton adjoining ours
and he has two sons, John and Henry. John
is little older than l. and Henry year
younger. Well, the way he encourages the
boys is by having them up at daylight in the
morning and keeping them on keen jump
all day long He hardly allows them time to
eat their meals Why, last summer they
worked till . o'clock every evening, and
didn't find an hour all summer in which they
could 60 a-fshing, or even in swimming.
Then to pay them the old man gives them
their board and his own worn-out clothes,
with occasionally a pair of boots or some
thing of the kind thrown in. That is the
way he teaches them to be industrious. But
fathers plan is entirely different. lie gave
me four acres of land which he had broken
(this was two years ago last spring., and l
was to do Just what pleased with it, and he
would furnish me seed or means to obtain
seed: all that he required of me was that l
should attend to the garden, do the chores at
The first year planted corn, and from my
four acres | raised l20 bushels, which sold
for 80 cents bushel The next spring
father let me have the use of his team, and l
ploughed my four acres and planted one and
n half acres in castor beans one-half acre
put out in strawberry plants, one acre in
sorghum, two rods in onions and the remain
der of the acre in sunfowers Father laughed
when l told him my plans, but he said it was
my own land and l could do as | liked with
| it. l told him l wanted to experiment on
| different crops so as to see which was the
most profitable Well, my castor beans were
good deal of trouble, l had to watch them
so closely not to lose them when they cracked
| open. 1t was necessary to pick them imme-
| diately as fast as they rpened: but my little
sister, seven years old, could attend to them
about rs well as l, and she did this faithfully
on my promising her 81 when l sold my
crops in the fall | raised twenty-five bush
els of beans of of one and half acres, which
l sold at 81 % Il bushel, after paying my
sister 81, | realized for them So. 30. Fathel
had raised considerable sorghum, and he hat
all of the arrangements for pressing boiling
etc We worked together in preparing oui
sorghum, and l had from my acre two bar
rels of good sorghum molasses which l solC
for 80 cents a gallon thus making S22 from
were the laughing-stoc of so many, brough
me enough to pay me for my trouble. hat
planted and cultivated them very much as
they were corn. The flowers were splendid
many of them measuring three feet six inche
in circumference, the stalks being from tel
to twelve feet long and three inches in diam
eter. l planted them principally for tn
stalks, which sold over at the next town 70
fuel. l had ten cords off of that part of a
acre. and l realized SIS from the sale @
them. / gave the seeds to father for hi
poultry. He thinks they are better tina
corn. Those who bought the stalks say tina
they burn readily and make very hot fire
Last spring planted nothing but sorghum
and onions, as they had brought me the mos
the year previous, and 1 have done bette
than either year before. My onions were tn
most profitable crop of all, as / made Sl2 o
my two rods. So last fall 1 had after dii
posing of my crops, ST. 80 in cash, nearl
double what had made the year before.
spent $50 of this on my wardrobe, $40 at Chris
mas, bought three more calves at $40 heat
and had IL so left for sundries. My onion
didn't do quite as well as the year before.
, this year l have made $500 of of my fol
acres. l can assure you l am beginning
feel very much encouraged in being industl
Gus. have Just bought twenty more cGlye
l had to pay Sl2 a head for these, but thu
are beauties, can tell you. If they do W.
they ought certainly to be worth in ye
from now $3.50. l was offered 800 tod
: for my other lot l have no trouble in fin
= ing market for my produce for what ca
- not sell here l ship on the railroad, and,
they carry at reasonable rates, often pref
q shipping, as get better prices in the larg
r towns. 1 shipped nearly all of my strawb
I, ries this year.
. was fifteen years old last August, and {
q worth to-day $500. To be sure my fail
70 has favored me in every way, furnishing
=, with seed, feed for my stock, allowing me
) use of his team and farming implements, ct
= etc. But now l can afford TO be more in
- pendent, and hope before long to help hi
instead of his helping me. Father is maxi
70 money, too. This is fine wheat count
- and he has put the most of his land il
~ wheat We have had fine seasons SO far
- our crops, and next year we may have era
= hoppers or drought or some drawback
- we have enough ahead now to stand one
- two Improbable seasons, 30 we don't wor
70 | intend to invest every year in stock, a
n have found it far more profitable than a
g. thing else. But don't you think that faith
a method of encouraging one to be industri
is better than Mr.. AS? Mr.. A. is JUS
y well able to do this for his boys as my fat
20 is to do it for me- only they are of differ
=, dispositions, you see. Now there is y
20 road you keep straight ahead till you &C
nj to a red barn, when you turn to the left,
two miles further ON you reach your friel
house, white frame, with porch in frC
Good morning.
It's good moral is conveyed in this boys
N ry one which Ihope this letter may imp
~ | unnn the minds of a multitude If norents