The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1881-06-16

- - = - Ban.
Occasionally - - rsIlsvsd q -
veasisome routine Of our daily dutiel
h most enjoyable, and nothing % ef
fectively assists In this as q trip int
the country at this season Of the year
and especially this particular season
Of the year 1881. Nature is clad in hei
most pleasing dress The wild fowcf'
never appeared lovelier. The ripen
ing grain with its billOwy motion ex
tends away towards the horizon. Tht
limitless fields of light green. luxuri
ant grass are on every hand. Thu
I sleek, well-fed cattle browsing In the
midst Of high living, seem to he In
danger Of nothing unless it be the
"gout." Every stretch Of woodland
and stream has park-like appearance.
and every round-topped hill, with III
green, grassy slopes, seems to be but
the background of some handsome
painting.
1t afforded US much pleasure last
Saturday to accompany Mr.. NJ. d
league In days visit to Eden Farm
the largest and best stock farm In
Kansas. BY rail we reached Terrs
Gotta station, and from thence il IL bul
two or three miles to the farm. BY q
road winding between tho hills, and
by the side Of the living waters Of
Spring Creek. we approached the lit.
tie hamlet flor a real hamlet it Isl Of
Eden. Well-built structures, stone
| cOrrals, barns, sheds for farm ma
chinery, spring houses, hen houses,
dairy houses, and the farm house, sit.
uated in little glen, all make . very
charming picture for the visitor.
Eden Farm now consists Of :, 500
acres Of land-abOut One-half Of which
Is under fence. While there is much
Of the land suitable only for stock,
| there are numerous acres Of rs good
farm land as We have i'm this section
of the country. Nature has done
much for Eden Farm, and money has
added many advantages and attrac-
tons. In this domain-upOn these
manor grounds of "BarOns" Harrison
and league, as We might speak OF
them, a man may spend nearly q
day in riding, and then not have much
familiarity with the grounds. About
100 head of stock are now pastured on
the farn-the numbers of which are
being rapidly increased by the natural
increase and by purchases. In all
this herd there are very few head
which are not of the best grades.
These cattle find ample protection In
hundreds of places from every storm
that blows, and i'm the 'green pastures
aud by the still waters" Of Spring
Creek-a stream fed by scores of fine
springs-they revel in cattle's para
disc. To count the springs upon the
farm which afford inexhaustible sup
plies of pure, cold, soft water. would
be impossible. You cannot drive one
half mile i'm any direction without
striking spring i'm some hillside,
which would almost afford u water
supply for town. And it Is q luxury
to drink that water, after washing
down the hard, alkali article which
we are compelled to drink in this val
ley. A mammoth spring i'm the hill
side ut the farm house, supplies (by
conduits) water for domestic purposes
and the large water troughs Of the
stock. This same spring, situated on
an eminence near Salina, would soon
settle the water-wOrks question for us.
We don't know why it was, but
it seemed like a first-clsss lux
ury = like eating delicious tropical
fruit-to stop at one of those springs
aud drink cupfull, IF the cold, clear
/ sparkling water-and we were not
| particularly thirsty either, nor usually
very partial To water.
Mr.. James l.. Dick is manager Of
the farm, and has in his employ some
| twelve hands. We were Hospitality
entertained at the farm house by Mr..
and Mrs. Dick, and after the dinner
hour proceeded to view the vast farm
premises. We were driven rapidly
by acre after acre of gOOd-lOoking
wheat and rye, and corn carefully cul-
tivated and i'm the most flOurishIng
condition, and sped rapidly into the
midst Of the herd, which was spend
ing its time chewing cuds and whisk-
ing of the flies. We drove up to
many fine-looking mixer, which
was in no way inclined to be disturbed
In its lazy, noOn-siesta, and would on
ly rise when the horses feet seemed
really dangerous. Friend league was
proud Ofhi herd, as he had good rea-
son to be-
We again visited the place we'll
known in that region "a the Robbers
ROOst'-or rather the ''hOrse-thiers
cave" We have related the story be-
fore: How banished Russian Count
turned horse-thief and i'm this then
out of the way retreat secreted the
stolen stock. The power of the ele-
ments has formed of q rocky glen
such hiding place as could hardly
be found after the most arduous search
when this country was wilderness.
The ex-count made this his resort
about 1855. We hope to see Henry
King. Henry Inman, or some other Of
the story-writing Henrys visit this
region and touch up this legend into .
first-clsss novel.
The afternoon was spent thus pleas
antly until about o'clock when Q
brewing storm warned us that we
should RETURN But storm 1t did not |;
1t was only one of the black, aw full
make-believe storms that we. some
times have In this country. Return
ing to the farm house we concluded to
try our luck at fishing in Spring
Creek. Having been furnished with
the necessary tackle, we trudged
along until we arrived at o series of
fish holes where we expected to pull
fQm ont faataP than vvo oor,lN Nount