Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-11-28
Farm and Household.


the profits OF farming in the far West, and 30
many false inducements have been held out to
tempt the young farmers of New England to
lenve the old homesteads, where they were
born and reared, that we are glad TO note the
appearance of an able and candid article in
the Atlantic Monthly for December, which
presents the other side of the picture. The
article referred TO is based upon the careful
observations Of an intelligent traveller who, in
the month Of June last made a tour through
the grain producing sections Of the West,
with the special object in view of examining
the operations of the small farmer and Of his
new competitor, the wealthy capitalist, upon
the great bonanza farms of Kansas, Minnesota
and Dakota.
The journey extended over a wide extent Of
territory, especially in Kansas, including
those sections Of that State which were set
tied earliest as well as those where the new
settlers were still struggling with the unbrok-
en- prairie and primeval wilderness and, up
on the whole, the account Of it is a sad one.
For although the aggregate of the products of
farm labor appears to be very large, the writ
or shows that it is made up of the severest toll
and the most heartrending trials Upon his
arrival at Topeka, the capital of the State,
about the middle of June, be was particular
ly struck with the inquiry that appeared to
be on the tongues Of all, and was being dis
cussed by the press and State officials, from
the Governor down, as to the ways and
means of support during the coming winter
of the great number of destitute farmers and
others in the State. Westward from Topeka
to Pueblo, Colorado, a distance Of 5Gs miles,
the writer pursued his Investigations and the
account he gives is far from affording en-
couragement to any New Englnad farmer de-
string to better his condition by change Of
location. We are told that the soil of the roll
ing plain through the valley of the Arkansas
a distance of 400 miles, is deep, and in sea-
sons of sufficient rainfall yields abundant
crops, but the rainfall is not to be depended
on, and so the farmer loses his years labor.
The plains are dotted with farm houses at in
tervals of from half a mile to ten miles, but
the dwellings are mere shanties made of a
few boards and very often of the tough sods
of the prairie. On his way TO Pueblo and
back, the writer continually saw and met emil
grants coming to and fleeing froSn the coun-
try: and everywhere he was told of settlers
who would go if they had or could raise the
means for getting away. In many places he
found both the husband and wife chatting in
enforced idleness, want and helplessness.
There are two short seasons only in the pres
ont farmers year, which gives employment
and hope of reward they are those of seed
time and harvest. When either of them fails,
all resource is gone. The cattle-men, how
ever, make no complaints of want of success,
for their herds pasture upon the unoccupied
lands on both sides of the river but the
herds, so far as could be seen, are neither
large or numerous At place called Wind
horst where a colony of German Catholics
from Cincinnati had settled, in a beautiful To-
cation, about year ago, there was great
restitution among the go persons who COM
posed the colony, because of the almost total
failure of the first seasons crops. Not being
able to do anything on their farms, some of
the men had gone farther West to work on
the railroad, but they hardly earned enough
to pay their own board while those who re-
manned at home were employed in their little
gardens, trying to save something of theii
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