Daily Republican., 1879-12-08
THIRD EDITION.
LErrAR FROM KANSAS.
Someshinx About ITS Size ana
GrUwth "A few Facts OF Interest
Relative 10 shis western state
Int resling statistics.

The avidity with which all aud
any information relating to this vast
country of the West il seized by all
classes in the East eompels the belief
that the desire to know more OF our
country and its resources is rapidly
on the increase and that this interest Is
SO general that a de. criptive article OF
this kind will be enjoyed by the vast
majority Of your readers.
The past year has been one OF unpre-
cedeuted prosperity in the history OF
Kansas. Not only has there been large
increase of population but also the con
fdence of the people of the State, that,
for the past few years has suffered SO
severely from the combined effects OF
two seasons of grass -hoppers and three
seasons of hard times, has been again
restorsd. Kansas this year gives thanks
for full granaries and abundant har'
vests. and her people look forward to
the new year with the brightest antici-
pations.
Kansas has an area Of $1,000 square
miles, or it is about forty times greater
than the area of the State Of Delaware,
AID a cultivated acreage (Sspt. lst,
1879 of 7,769,926 acres, or 4S,562
quarter sections. In 1876, according to
the compiled returns, we had 4, 749, ,9Ol
cultivated acres in the State, equal tol
20, ss6 quarter sections. In 1878, o.
55S,727 cultivated acres, or 4O,s6s
quarter sections. l give these latter
ngures to show the increase in two
years.
POPULATION.
The population of the State is $40,
97s, March lst, lS79,) an increase over
that Of the preceding year of l4l ,4Sl ;
this is an enormo, s acquisition, and at
the salie ratio for the present year will |
make population in 1880 of more than
million persons. When we remember
that this vast number is chiefly moral
population and is entirely absorbed in
less than one-half of the present area
of the State and that at this time there
are 5nly 1875 persons to every cultivated J
100 acres of land the possibilities of
Kansas in the next twenty years can
lie better imagined.
Tbs population of all cities and towns
over 400 inhabitants aggregates but
l30, $50, thus showing that at the pre-
sent time more than six. sevenths ofthe
population belong to the farming class.
The four largest cities in the State are
Lsavenworth, Topeka, AtcLison and
Lawrence, and in the following table
show the size and increase for the year
ending March lst, 1879, as compared
with the proceeding year.
City. Pop. ISIS. Pop. 1879. Increase.
Leavehworth, 1850 1e,643 i.Os4
Topeka, 9,O,3 1882 3 800
Atchison, 1919 II 0C0 600
Lawrence, 746l s,i7s l,Ol7
increase from March lst, 1878, to r o7em.
ber lst, 1879
AS a matter of course the largest
counties are those containing tie lar
gest cities, and are as follows; Lsav-
enworth, so, ,2S3; Shawnee Containing
Topeka,) 22,632; Atchison, q, 700, and
Douglass, Containing Lawrence) 20, 500.
STATE WEALTH. /,
The total state wealth is upwards of
$400, ,000,0 600 and is classified as follows:
Field products $55, 1850, 900; live stock
$25 ,0O0, 900; market gardens, $275, 600; :
Apiaries, 5000; Horticultural pro-
ducts, S., ,000, 900; real estate, 1924 ,0O0,-
900. The taxable property of the state
amounts to $50, 600; the state tax
per capita is Sill and the state debt
per capita is $l.39.
FARM LANDS.
There is now in this state farm land
belonging to the government and sub a
ject to pre-empti0n or homesteadilg t
amounting to about 5000, 900 acres. il
Much of this land that has been culled l.
over for several years and hence con- S
siderable portion is rejected aud poor. a
There are five land grant railroad Il
companies in the State, the Kansas Pa, 6
cifc; Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Il
Missouri River, Ft. Scott 4 Gulf Kan Il
sas & Texas; and the Central Branch OF a
the Union Pacific, which have large h
grants of land and thess, in very large cl
part are of the best in Kansas. These n
lands lay along the river bottoms of the
Kansas, Arkansas, Republi
can, Solomon, Smoky Hill, Neosho and
other rivers and these bottom lands are tc
The most productive in the world. Ex- II
tending up from the bottom land are z:
what are commonly known as second h
these lands seldom ever con /"
tain ponds of stagnant wafer which is
such a characteristic feature of these hl
snds in most of the Western States. NJ
Rising from the valleys and bound al
ng tt EN- upon both SIDES now gently lr
and then bold and abrupt, til
lere approaching almost to the river ra
hore and there receding several miles ca
If on the prairies are TIE picturesque tn
plufs of our beautiful rivers. Stretching pa
way from the bluffs in gentle unduIa-
ions are the broad praires rising and
4lling like the swell of the ocean until
,ther valleys are reached. 1t is by many fir
supposed that prairie is ST
/ plain without elevations or depress- wi
Ons, such is not the case but the far of
'rsching prairie with its wales and in fa
ervals. its BROOKS and streams with an
heir fringes of woodland extending or
owarh every point Of the horizon, form su
ONE of the most beautiful champaign
Jews that can be imagined.
WHEAT AND CORN
There were !, ,297, ,555 acres of winter ra
nd 432,2 ,257 acres Of spring wheat in to,
,ansas in 1878 aggre2 ating product of nj
2,3l5, 1853 bushels, valued at $lS, AL or
IS. In 1866 Kansas ranked twenty II,