, 1879-07-04
Beauties Of Its Landscape..-June
as Contrasted with De-
~,,, cember.
Tho Whcat-Crop Not So Largo as Last
Year'ss bnt Better than Wns
Anticipated.
Excursions Of tho Atohiaon, Topeka &
. Santa Fo Railroad--Inoreaso Of
the Rain-A1eas.
"CeU.Do5s "-.-A Nheat-Fitld Whith Last Tear
Prsauted orer sI1ty.&seu Bushels
10 tho Acre.

!
K1KsLEr. Kas., Jnnc, 187p.-1unc Is surely
Tic compensation for December.
When passed over tho Santa Fc Raftroad 1ast
winter, the world Was dead. The leaAtss trees,
the brown and wltllcred grass, the hclge-rows
standing sharp and brlery tho dcsolate and
abandoned fields, and the atrnw-covercd stacks
of bay and grain, all tall the story Of Natures
rcst; whto the cold winds, whIstlLng around the
doorwsys and Windows, and seeking entrance
at every Granny, made us strangers all revert
with longing hearts to tho distant homes ard
1rclit hearths, md the warmer eyes and hearts,
awaiting our return. Few countries are bcauti-
fu1 In winter, especially in attitudes where there
Ii !tt1c snow to cover the baroness Of the fields,
and the stubble tells Of a past, but not COM
tnE, harvest This is especially true Of n lcycl
or rolling prairie country like Kansas. where no
crag9y pcaks and ptnnaclcd rocks help to make
even 'dcsolation sublime.
But now all here Is changed. The wheat
Ids arc glorious With their golden wnves Of
Hp,Ing grain; the corn Is shooting rapidly,
anu loud with promise Of the coming harveat;
INC pf'~les arc atiyo with countless cattle and
Aacop' as not alone carpcted With Its wealth Of
h&aRarr wrTn rLowEns
OIL eVeFY nuc' Who pra1rEc-ilowers Of Kansas nro
wonderful for heir brightness OF color, their
fragrance, md III ,r great variety md dcltcacy
.oi tint. Koscs,Ne1te, and yellow, and red
wl!d geFan!ums' hocysucklcs the scarlctnow-
crihe sehsftiScpant,>ud tho crimson blossom
of the cactus nnglo L equal terms with the
Wild da'H'es mud V'oete' md many other flowers
\~hosc beauty recoEnizesbut which | cannot
name. But these grand pkirie.Iawns orc being
rapidly subjected to cultvatts,. apt, the tlovcrs
are torn and buried by tile rtthless breaking
Apiow with Al little thought as hs the cattto who
tread them under their unsch'ucntal feet,
Each time tint pass over tho cototry 1 note
tho npldly-adyancinE lines Of the grand ar1nr
Of occupation moving farther and farther
westward; md ret. With all this
mighty tide Of immigration pouring tnto Knnea.
with an cycr-!ncrcnsng flow, the lands seem
slowly occupied, except Immediately adjoining
the lines Of railroad. The country ID 80 vast, II
is like q sen into rl1ich river pourt- The river
sccms great, and the current swift; but it is
soon lost In tho mighty sea.
Last year
KANSAS STOOD AT THE FRONT
as the fgscatest producer Of whcat md corn Ia
the Union. The statistics gathered monthly ,,y
the State Board Of Agriculture, which are com
piled with Crent caro- and Intelligence by the
secrctnry {Aisred GraS), show that tho nulount
OF acreage put into cEups during tho fall md
spring Of 1873 and 10 was far In excess OF t!lat
il thc preceding year. Owing to the long
withheld rains in tho ear}y part Of the season,
the wheat.cropa llaye suffered considerably,
especially III the moro westerly patt Ut the
State. Still, am satisfied, from personal cx-
animation and inquiry, that tho harvest will bu
much better than wns anticipated short time
AEo. Tic straw is much shorter than usual, but
the heads seem to be filling out fairly
well. Many who calculated on thirty to thirty
hTc. aud even forty, buahels pet mere, as last
ycar, may bo somewhat disappointed, bit, In
asmuch as the early drought Was almost uni-
versat throughout the whcat.gsowing districts
Of tho North, IL Is probable That wheat will
command 40 much better price than Inst ycar
as to rnaks the cash.returns about equal. can
SEQ nothing which should discourage or check
the Immigration which l,aa been so great ami 80
satisfactory in it's results heretofore.
It Is nov almost .certain that the farmers OF
Enstcrn Kansas, md thobe more westerly wllosa
lnnos receive thu nndcr-lrrIgatlon OF the Arkan-
sas River. Will obtain good returns for their
labor. Tho farmers Of the Arkansas Valley
pGsscfs Essat @ sdvantaza n tbs now wolles.
gravel, nnd, being supplied trotu the melting
snows Of the Rocky MountaIns, where 1t finds
its source, lIave m unfailng flow.
By tho way, the Atchtson, Topeka d. sauta
Fc Railroad seem to hare formed
woNDnous ATTACHMENT
for this Arkansas River.-fos they are not only
extending the line OF their Wichita branch
down lts valley to .le Indian Territory, ut Ar
kansas CITY, but, following ita course through
the prnlsies oi kansas and Eastern Colorado,
they have pierced and graded their track
through !ts mighty canon, where, With tho tire
through a,6oo feet Of solid granite; and they
arc following Its course, ever "cxtc1stos," to
1.cadyil!e, the magic City Of Silver, which lies
~ tue AEkaoss: Ssa Valley. | stood = short time
Leadvsllc,--one Ut tha lofty, snow.covercd
ranres which torms The continental divide, lhe
backbone Of tic continuation which | l,ad
climbed with painting brenth and troubling
limbs. Across to tho westward stool the Mount
OF the Holy Cross, with Its figure Of the sacrcd
emblem standing out IN white snowtltncs tronl
~ ~ steep ana @ rugged sides. Below 'ne, 10 tho
Creek, whosc waters How Into the Pacific Ocean
On my right, the crest Of the mountain bends
Into the khnpo Of horseshoe, with It's sides
covered with the eternal anoms, from which
tHckl!ng down, tiny strca1ns united Into a
crystal brook lcAplng aycr It's rocky bed, and
breaking. as 1t fell into diamond drops, with
here and there pool in which the spccklcd
trout makes bio home. This was the Arkapsas
River ut It's fountan-hcad, md as rot,,,lg dow,l
tie mountain, mounted my horse again. aud
descended thu Wiley. l saw the staGrs which
the railroad surveying. party ad act to resch tho
rich silver carbonate camps beyond.
- But to return from these mountaiu-peaks to
Kahsas.
1t Is at unIues4onabla fact tliAt tho
RAlN-AuEAs ARE MOVING WESTWARD
with advancing settlement, und that tho reau..
stto amount OF salnia,l may be depended u,
with as much Fc1anca Us in tho Eastern States,
THIS priuetps OF rainfall accompanying settle,
lnelt utMl cultivation OF The soil 10 much more
universe! than MA formerly supposed OF under
stood. was told, tle other day, Ut TrInidad
III Southern Colorado, close to tic mountain
rapge, aud next TO the hordcr-line Ut New Me1t
o.lat, slncc thu valleys have been more generally
cultivated, btcn by thu crude methods Of Mex
iran hushandrY. several goo<l crops of wheat
llaye been raised on uplau!s mlleru irrigation,
was Impossible. This shrewd Dostuu capitalists
,. "h9 pwn " = snd built the Atehlson,. Tope1a 4
agricultural future ot Kansas, as, In udlitinn
70 their Colorado and Nov Mexican cxtcnsiona,
they are now building about eco niles oi
bTanch-roads. tapping The counties oil their
Ealn lins. Ono of these starts Ut Eu,porIa u,nl
VIII be built to Eureka tn Greenwood County,
Aqothcr will run from Fioraleu, in Marlo,,
County, passing through Marion Centre, tl,y
counIJ-seat, aud will be extended py September