The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1879-09-11


Horses -.....-.. s.t,4so Sob, Is
Mules. .s....... 1851 2,IW ~
Mich cows 2s6,sn 55s.G7s y
Other cattle INN. 5s6, 012 6jS,1s II
Sheep. .--.---...-..-, 243, go 3l6,90j 30
Swine $4,000 ,.1l IG9
decrease
In 1873 the corn product was 1884,
97l bushels. In 1879 the product, as es-
tinlatcd, will be 125,OO0,O00 bushels a!
the very least. This would be an in
crease Of forty per cent. over the prod
net Of the previous year. Winter wheat
shows an increase Of eighteen per cent.
over the acreage Of last year, but owing
to the dry spring the product will prob
ably not exceed II, 800 900 bushels, a de-
crease of 81 per cent. from the product
of 1873. Spring wheat shows decrease
of five per cent. in acreage. The crop
is estimated TO yield 5000, 900 bushels. a
decrease CT forty per cent from the
produc. of 1873. This win make the
tota, wheat crop of the State about 90
100000 bushels as against 32.3l5,35s
bushels last year. a decrease Of over H.
100000 bushels or 81 per cent. Oats
show an increase of % per cent. over
the previous year. but the crop will be
very light. As a rule all the early crop
of the State are light and Tho. later crops
are very heavy.
LIVE STOCK
of all kinds shows an increase in the
past year, and its present condition is
reported as very good and almost en-
tirely free from disease. Wheat may
for time maintain its prominence as
the main cash crop of Kansas, but
careful study of the live stock statistics
shows plainly that in few years cattle,
sheep and hogs viii be its leading and
most profitable production. The inn
mensc corn crop of this season will give
wonderful impetus TO the live stock
interest, and understand there is now
a large inquiry from farmers for young
hogs and cattle so they can convert their
corn crop into pork and beef. have
returned from an extensive tour through
the counties of Marion. Mcpherson,
Harvey, Butler, Cowley. Sumner. Sedg-
wick, Reno. Rice and Barton, all located
in Southern Central Kansas. which is
acknowledged to be the finest portion
Of the State for general farming. fruit
growing and stock raising, and certain
~ lis unprecedented development justi-
flies the claim. Most of this trip was
made by team. which gave me an OPP
portunity 10 meet and talk with the far
mcr> and see TO the best advantage what
they are doing. The progress and de-
velopment made in these counties are
almost incomprchensible 10 an eastern
man unacquainted with the push and
enterprise with which this climate seems
to infusc all who come under IFS influ-
cncc. II is scarcely conceivable that ten
years ago the buffalo roamcd over these
prairies where we now find farm houses
as thickly dotted as in any eastern State
and farms highly improved. well fenced
with the Usage orange hedge, which is
grown here so successfully. large orch
ards of apple, pcacl, and other fruit
trees already bearing fruit and fine
groves of cultivated timber. The SUR
face of the country is very gently roll
ing. Tina soil is free from stumps and
stones and very even in is nature
Scarcely any waste land is met with in
many days travel. This is
SQUARE COUNTRY
and everything is done on the square OF
"Eastlake" pattern. Each township is
six miles square and contains %. 0i0 acres
or sc sections. each quarter section is
half mile square. The farms are all
square. at least all the fence lines run
north and south and east and west
Each section line is by law a public high
way, SO that every square mile in the
State is surrounded by public road
Some parts of Marion. Mcpherson and
Harvey counties are so well improved
that Won can drive mile after mile along
these roads with full Usage orange
hedge on either side. reminding one OF
the beautiful hawthorn hedges of Eng
land which they very much resemble
If an elevation is secured from which a
general view of the surrounding coun-
try can be obtained. the scene presented
is one that is peculiarly pleasing. The
hedge-rows give TO the country the APP
pcarance Of vast checker-board, and
each check, as il is again subdivided by
the different varieties of crops growing
IN it, presents miniature of the whole
But the most striking feature of the
panorama laid out before us is the large
corntields, presenting as they do the APP
pcarance of great army formed into
squares at intervals as far as the eye can
reach. To the farmer, these battallions
4 of cornstalks formed into solid squares
give rs much assurance of plenty as
wou,d the hollow squares of the troops
of his country assure him Of safety and
protection were his life and property
endangered. Driving as did past
CoRNFIEI.D AFTER CoRNFIEID,
many of them containing from 800 to
$50 acres. nothing surprised me more
than the general uniformity of the crop.
All over each field the corn seemed to
be the samc-no defective spots and
rarely hill missing on, of the row
and il Was hard to see where any one
field was better than another. The
stalks are very thick and stout. averag-
ing now ten to twelve feet high. The
ears arc unusually large and seem TO be
well and perfectly filed. and, what is
better, there are plenty Of them. As
every farmer has good crop this year
:. the average per acre win be necessarily
= .high. The counties through which
: have travelled will produce a, least forty
, 4lvc bushels per acre. Many farmers
20 Guaranty l,,,sl,o1S aud