, 1879-06-04
WESTERN KANSAS.
Advantages offered by 1pvo and Adjoining
Counties to Those Seeking Homestead-
GAZE

4ekt1GlAouE9s
Rpstta, CerrtIrondtnet V tn Tttbtsrs
GHisNELr, Kas., June Lin previous let
Ter promised those rcalers Of The TRIBUNE
who desire 10 secure homestead Government
land, information ia regard 10 those new coun-
ties In which such 1nnds arc yet obtatnablc; and
now commence tic ful(tllment Of that promise.
Naturally these bordering tho railroad, or III
Convenient proximity to 1t, aro considered most
desieahle,-other things, such AZ soll, water
supply, ETC., being equal.
On entering Cove County from the cast, the
Kansas Pacific Railroad makes a bend 10 the
northwcat for somc eight miles to Buffalo Sta
ton; mid from th,s point for nearly forty miles,
It runs almost due west course, parallel With
tho line between Sheridan and Cove Couutles,
aud from ons to two miles south Of It. On en-
terlng Gove County from Tho east. the
country broAdens out as II were;
the high, sharn ridges and bluffs disappear
and It stretches away In every direction. Rcu-
tly-unduating plain, With Just INCLINATION
anough for good natural drainage, but not
enough to wash In the hcavicas Of ratns, except
III case of slopes In tho immediate vicinity Of
watsr-courses Tlis country, for say 1fty miles
IN extent from east to west. In ita general sur.
teee, the character Of the sol, aud nercentage OF
arab1e land, excels auy other porttonof tho State
l have seen.
The last report Of the stalo Board Of AgrIcult-
ure SAYS that 0j per cent Of the cntiru lands OF
Cove County arc capable OF cultivalon,-an
amount uupreccdentcdly largo In any country.
From Information derived from those who arc
familiar with the country. the satne will bold
true, Or nearly 10, Of the Counties Of Sheridan,
Decatur, Thomas, and Rawlins, On the north:
the eastern part Of Wallace. on the west; nn,i
T
the soil il substantially tho same as for 150
miles east,-an analysls showing that 1t coatains
the satlc essential constituents.
'I]le counties are trayersed by numerous
streams OF livlng water. ,nany ot which org
b0rtlcrc1 with timbcr,-thc principal Of which
are tile Beaver, North and South Forks OF the
Sappa. North and South Forks Of the Salomon,
the Saline, blackberry, Smoky Hill. and Wal
nut,-alt led from springs, anil atfosdlnE purcc,
have here district 100 miles in length from
north to soutb, and sixty tn breadth iron, east
to nest, tsaverscd BY tho Kansns Pacilc Ral-
road, possessing u soil equal to any iu the State
many @ ost sop aasxsse ssf f0sa sy1srs sf' or
stock or wool- growing, am! In which fully tHo-
thirds Of tho lands are sttIl open to the home
stcadscttey. Aud 1t fs within this area TINT
those seeking homestead lanae In thls Slate
counties lying Bouth arc Utmost destitute OF
livlug Htreatns, with the single exception Of the
Arkansas River, which has not single living
tributary for ls5 miles utter entering the State.
The soil being good, The climate unexcelled In
healthfulness, aud al tint eau be desired, with
the exception OF uae slEts, which are solMewl,at
too prevalent for comfort, The whole question Of
the desiraalencss q settlement npon these
lnn1a bnges upon tho QUO question of ratnfal: !:
Ii It sufficient for tho growth and maturity of
crops7 Records hare been kept along the line
Of tle road bctwccn Fort Hays, IN Ellis County,
and Wallace, lying about LIS lnsics west. These
jf,neR siFyrr krfn
,norc marked at Hnva, where tho country has
bccn settled for sulne years. With the fact OF
incronset rainfnl' ns the settlements extend
westward, tllc public is already famiiiar. On
wllntevcr theory VIC mar attempt to account for
this the fact renulns undIsputcd. In the early
settlement OK kansas, no ono supposed thpgU
would ever bo any farming dona or crops grown
west Of tho eastern third Of the State; md
ti9t itne wonla have resulted IN
certain failure at that time. Indeed, the Mis-
souri, River counties Wor9 subio to such fear
ful dgouehta In t4ose early years aa Ia raiaa
serious doubts whether Agriculture would ever
amount to auythlng In anv portion Ut the
| State.
I fully believe TINT The climatic conditions in
these weatern antt northwestern counties arc MS
favorable to the settler ns they were IN thu ce.
trail counties OF the Stato let, or hftcea years
/ ago; and, a. those have developed SO tllat they
| now stafsd acknowledged as among the best
| farmtng lands In the United States, 80 1 fully
believe the next few years will show these west
ern counties cxcr1ltnE. especially In brnadIro-
dnetion, almost any purton ot the country.
While these la1,Ga ars NOW apcn to sllu home
stead-scttles, theY arc belng rapidly taken.
! Until within few months past, there were
no settlements except in Decatur coun.
| ri Cove. Nov, fully o,c-thtrd Of
tho Government lands as before
stated, nrp taken for actual settlement, md the
rrst arc being rapidly absorbed. Thu Home.
law u1}o,RH IN n RRtRrt htR Inn nm
acres) md flo bis 1cclaratery statement there
upon; after which he has SIX months III which
to make hs setslra,ent upon thu same. Many
take advantage Of this proyls!o.'. come out, %.
to c,ose 10 their business preparatory to NOV.
tng ont IN the fall. During this stx nnnt!,s'
| time tho honesteadtr Is lust as aecuro In tho
nwnership Of bis claim a. II he were living upon
| falls to settle nToa It And make his entry, auy
one clae Gun Ae upol It, Alid tho original c!ntHl.
ant not only loeea bis lnutl, but his l!on,stcaA
right, since lic cannot make another AllnE II he
| alluws tho trat tn lapsc. II is Of uo uaa Tot
those desiring homesteads to ston ut points
cast or much east, Of this place, slnce as before
stated, nil desirable Government aaiia are as'
ready absorbed; nnl Land-Agonts residing hcre
| art better Informed ll regard 10 tho most He-
stsablo lunls still oI'en for homcsteatl-scttl
ment than those living from twenty to forty
Ind Intended 10 wrIto OF Tho new tow.,.
8nflnEnE Np hIQHt tut FhIIFCANt WHICH 0st4
good openings for pcrsans icslrl,l: TO engage Ia
business, but must defer the subjuct to another
1 time.
During tie first half Of May the raius wers
weeks, !jttIc had fa!Ietl, has now, however,
ralncd almost continuously for eighteen honrs
putting tic ground IN tne condition for ts.t
grnwln. crops ulul for breaking; nt,i everybody
| is feeling good oyur 1t. haya not ret Learned
how Iar tie raln has extended east n1,t, west
but think 1t Is general over Western Kansas
Some III thu best crops Of wheat haye scen ir
the aIste arc growing in this vicinity, a1,l tl.t
ga1leps md sod-crops ara doing weEl:
\ o. q, 0lpDs-