Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-08-25

barns, they either put machine in the
field and thresh from the bunch, or they
stack it and thresh it later. Corn is
harvested any time during the winter.
How about fences ? They are fencing
very largely now with barbed wire. The
wire is doubled and twisted with barbs
about eight inches apart, pointing every
way. Three strings of wire fastened to
oak or walnut posts by staples, makes q
very good fence which costs about so
cts. per rod. There are also hedge fences
which are very good. and look well when
rightly cared for. Whole farms are en-
closed with this kind of fence, which adds
much to their beauty. "What is the
best paying business ?" has been asked
me. Raising sheep and cattle. 1t costs
comparison to what it does in Vermont.
Cattle there run at large. They milk
their COWS in the morning, and then
allow them to run anywhere where it is
not fenced. Hay is cut the last of Au-
gust or the first of September. It is cut
and put into stacks for 81 per ton. and
can be bought any time during the year
for the same price. So you can form
something of an idea what it costs to
raise stock out West. Good calves are
worth $40 per head; yearlings from Sl2
to SIS; cows from 500 to $50; hogs.
So per hundred. live weight. There are
millions of hogs in Kansas, as well as in
other western states. When one travels
through these stock-raising states and
sees the amount Of stock raised, and how
much cheaper it is raised than in New
England, he'realizes why beef and pork
are low. I was told that corn was worth
80 cts. per bushel to feed to hogs when
hogs are worth 3 IA cts. per pound,
live weight, and that pork and stock
q :
raisers buy more corn than they sell.
They cannot make much money raising
grain to sell. especially corn. Sheep
can be bought for $l.50 per head, those
that come from Colorado or Texas; lambs
bring about $I.50. Wool about the
same as in the East. The cost of keep
ing sheep West is very much less than
in Vermont. The thermometer while |
was there, through the day was about
90o, the night about ZOE.
From Kansas l went to Colorado,
through Granada Pueblo. Denver, to
Boulder City. Granada is 497 miles
from Kansas City. Along here I saw
thousands of cattle. and what they lived
upon l could not see, for the grass was
all dried up. 1t was very dry all the
way through to Pueblo, Colorado Springs,
Denver and Boulder City. They told
me they had had no rain of any amount
for seven months. Still there were
thousands of cattle through this dry
country that were looking we'll. For a
farming country, it is not very desirable.
They raise very little grain or vegetables
except by irrigation, yet they have large
cities, and the state is growing rapidly.
Mining in the mountains is what gives
life to Colorado. While in Topeka /
found Vermonter that many Vermont
people were familiarly acquainted with.
especially Orleans and Caledonia coun-
ties. He was familiarly called in Yer
mont r"Bill Ruggles. s." He is spoken
very highly of as business man, for
honesty and veracity. His business is
principally buying cattle and hogs and
taking them to market. When he wants
any extra money he goes to the Citizens S
Bank, and they do not hesitate to let
him have any amount on his name alone.
He told me that he could 60 out among
the farmers and buy rs or 100 head Of
cattle of one man, as easily as he could
buy 10 in Vermont.
| must say | never met a more accom-
modating and obliging people than |
saw in Kansas and Colorado. There are
some points would like to detail lit
tie more. but space will hardly allow it.
- r. P. STEVENS.