Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-12-26
Farming In Kansas.
FORMER wINDHAM COUNTY RESIDENT con-
REcTs SOME STATEMENTS IN RECENT ARTICLE
IN THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY

A FORMER wfNDHAM COUNTY NEsiDENT CoH-
REcrs SOME STATEMENTS IN RECENT ARTICLE
IN THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY.
SEWARD, SrArFoRD Co., KANSAS
Dec. IL, 1879.
Mr.. EditOr Il noticed in your paper of
Nov. % an article taken from the Atlantic
Monthly grossly disappearing the West,
or this portion Of IT, at least. ! have been
hero nearly three years and think am bet
ter Judge than n man merely passing through
the country. The writer owns that the prod
ucts are large, but says that they are got on
ly by the sovercst toll and the most heart
rcndng trials. am acquainted over con
siderable territory and know by personal OBJ
servation that the people do not work as
hard or as many hours rs they do in the
New England States and the work is moth
ing as hard, for it is mostly done with ma
chinery. We have riding plows, riding cul-
tivators and the grain all cut and nearly all
bound by machinery. A man with three
good horses and sulky pillow can break or
stir three acres per day with case. Every
New England farmer knows how tiresome it
is to follow the pillow all day over the soft
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with the drill.
When the writer of the article referred to
was at Topeka, he says the officials and 9th
ers were discussing what should become of
the poor people next winter This referred
only to the negroes probably, coming from
the Southern States, as | have seen nothing
in print referring to any other class Of emil
t., favy
people helped by the county. am oyerseer
of the poor for two congressional townships,
and there have been only two families helped
by the town the past year, and there are over
100 voters. 1t is true. as the writer says, We
are liable to drouths, but there has been no
failure of the wheat crop until this year since
the first settlers came here and the corn crop
was good this year. 1t is true that the dwell
ings are nearly all small and many of them
made of sod, for you know that all new coun-
tries are settled by poor people rs general
thing The writer says that if we succeed in
raising anything we are not much better off,
for wheat was selling for 90 to - cents Now
it is a fact that wheat has never sold here at
the railroad for less than 30 cents per bushel.
AlAio Nthi IL HtliN lul llulu wv N'hAo w l.
Good plump wheat is worth - now. Corn
is worth - cents. never have known it
worth less than 20 cents per bushcl, and ev-
cry May that have been here it has been
worth 30 cents.
There are very few people here that want
to go back East, though a great portion of
them are from the older Western States.
:.
from towns aud cities East, who have come
since the hard times, that never were farmers,
and know nothing about farming. Some Of
them do frst-rate ; others make u botch Of it,
get shaved in their team, and get in debt and
make general failure then curse the coun-
try, and would 60 back if they could, and
some of them do 90 back. Those are the
men that are dissatisfied
don't know as l would advise people in
New England who have good farms in agood
location. aud who are out of debt, to come
West but l should feel badly il l were
obliged to go back to those hill farms to
spend my days no matter how much land l
could have, and the prospect for my boys is
much better here than there. People make
@ 4A4oNohN NhSA INT NOhS hNio WIN nv
means. They want 800 or $500, at least,
after buying their land, though some succeed
that come with nothing, but it is rather hard.
Last of ALL man wants a good team, and
tl-at --su -
All KINDS OF stock do well here and can be
raised very cheaply on account of the winter
being 30 mild and feed SO plenty. With
freight SO cheap don't see how Eastern far
ners can compete with the West, where land
is cheap and rich As dry as it has been this
year | could cut thousands of tons of hay
right around me if it would pay but it
fetchos no more than the cost of putting up.
The prospect for a wheat crop is good for
next year now. l came here three years ago
with just money enough left to buy team,
and l am more than satisfied. | have writ
ten the facts just as they appear to me, and
if you see fit to print this or any part of it,
you are at liberty to do so. NJ. W. @.