The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-12-05
Why Go MeSfY

utIt las Dctll 81 DuuCu tAdXZcTd-
ton as to the profits of farming in the
far West, and so many false induce
ments have been held out to tempt the
young farmers of New England to leave
the old homesteads, where they were
born and reared, that we hail with
pleasure 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 observa-
tions 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 COM
petitor, the wealthy capitalist, upon the
great bonanza farms of Kansas, Mime
sofa and Dakota.
The journey extended over wide ex-
tent of territory, especially in Kansas,
including those sections of that state
which were settled earliest, as we'll as
those where the new settlers were still
struggling with the unbroken prairie
and the primeval wilderness; and, upon
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 writer shows that it is
made up of the severest toll and the
most heart-rending trials. Upon his ar
rival at Topeka, the capital OF the state,
about the middle of June, he was par
ticularly struck with the inquiry that
appeared to be on the tongues of all,
and was being discussed by the press
and cfQfa officials frnrp tho Gaya,,o,
down, as to the ways and means of sup
port during the coming winter of the
great number of destitute farmers and
others in the state. Westward from
Topeka to Pueblo, Colorado, distance
OF S6S miles, the writer pursued his In
designations, and the account he gives
is far from affording encouragement to
any New England farmer desiring to
better his condition by change of To-
cation. We are told that the soil of the
rolling plain through the valley of the
Arkansas, a distance of 400 miles, is
deep, and in seasons of sufficient rain
fall yields abundant crops, but the rain
fall is not to be depended on, and SO
the farmer loses his years labor. The
plains are dotted with farmhouses at
intervals of from half a mile to ten
miles, but the dwellings are mere shan
ties made of 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 emf
grants coming to and fleeing from the
country; and everywhere he was told
OF settlers who would 60 If they had or
could raise the means for getting away.
In many places he found both the hus-
band and wife chatting in enforced idle
ness, want and helplessness. There are
two short seasons only in the present
farmers year, which give employment
and hope of reward; they are those of
seed time and harvest. When either of
them fail, all resource is gone. The
cattle-men, however, make no COM
plants 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 a place called
Windhorst, where colony of German
Catholics from Cincinnati had settled.
in beautiful location, about year AGO
there was great destitution among the
25O persons who composed the colony,
because of the almost total failure Of
IN do onytbing on ,bo;r ,aras oenng aoie
the men had Sona f,r,her W vs. sOno vi
IN the ro;IroaI LIZ h, a. th snu vi. W wor5
enorgh 70 nav ,ha;. ." o;yn nd hoaya earheo
those who rena;nad az hons Doau, "nIIe
Moved in their I;,tIa aorSane W. CHI
save somethino of tbeir sacon adfyins "
cron from The rovamen os ;on car
had left Int littla of 5osotnos "S oehs sila'
tnrnins beets meas or o,noy yo oaoudSes'
AT the Massacbnsetts colonv sc MES