The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-07-12
For The "RepubIican."

MEDICINE LopGE, KANSAS, June 81, 'S2,
Mr.. Editor II will now endeavor to
make my promise to you good. Medicine
Lodge is the county seat of Barbour
county, Kansas, and borders on the In
dian Nation. or Territory, and is thirty
five miles from Harper station on the
Kansas, Lawrence &c Southern X. r, We
have daily mail, nevertheless A hack
or stage runs daily betwsen Medicine
Lodge and Harper. Barbour county,
] perhaps, is among the best counties in
Kansas for stock raising, and general
herding. Barbour, Kingman, Comanchie
Prat and Harper counties are all good
stock raising counties, and are adjacent to
each other; horses, cattle, and sheep are
raised In great heards. I have seen, right
at Medicine Lodge, herd of ponies num-
bering 1900, and another herd of $500, and
cattle by tho thousand, and sheep by
thousands. Our city is inhabited mostly
by cattle men, all generally having
Branches" woll stocked. Many of our
Ranchmen possess as fine a breed of cattlo
as have seen anywhere, and have them
by the hundred. "Jersies" are not as
numerous as "Herfords' and 'Durhams."
Tho counties referred to have not what is
called the "herd law" but cattle have all
these counties to feed in, and most all
cattle men have stock rangeing in all these
counties, and besides the vast ranges
referred too, the Indian Nation, is used by
Ranchmen for pasturage. Every owner
of cattle has his own private "brand," and
although his cattle may stray over these
different counties, he scarcely loses any.
Cattle men havo two or three times year
what they call Ground ups" that is, they
go through all tho counties where cattle
arc feeding and drive to certain points,
and in all herds many owners find cattle
with their own private ''brand; :" then
they go to work and "cut out" or seper-
ate their cattle from the herd. and thus
every owner gets his own. Horses are
not as finely breed as the cattlo are, but
Horsemen are improving their stock every
year. A great many Texas horses are
brought here for sale, and most of them
are inferior, all as a general thing must be
broken to the saddle and harness, and all
will "buck." A man that knows nothing
about them had better let them alone, or
he will get "bucked-off." Sheep are gen-
orally of the Mexican brood, and are very
inferior, producing but little wool; their
heeces are very small p and 3 lbs. to the
sheep is good average, and sells here as
high as 20 and % cents per lb.; but in
many parts of the Stale there are many
very fine sheep. Sheep and cattle busi-
hnrn 10 ait,lx In,
are many ranchman who came hero but
four or five years ago, but with a small
start have become wealthy. Kansas as a
State is wonderfully blest this year i'm her
crops; in all tho grain growing districts
of the State crops are very abundant. I
have seen good wheat East, but never saw
wheat that would compare with that we
have here this year; tho yield will simply
be enormous. Harvesting has already
commenced in some parts of tho State. In
this county, although thero is but little
farming done, yet wherever properly
done the product is abundant; this seems
to be fact, that just as farming is opened |
up, and the land is cultivated, rains nat |
urally follow. Take, for instance, Nc
Pherson county: before it was opened up |
for farming, there was scarcely any rain. |
but as soon as general cultivating of the |
Land was carried on, rains followed. Sea- |
sons are as good there as in any county |
and this year Mcpherson county is simply |
one everlasting wheat field: the wheat |
could not be any better, and 1 honestly |
think that this idea will generally carry |
out throughout the State. Almost everv |
product grows here spontaneously,-po-
tatoes, corn, and truck of every kind |
sweet potatoes grow TO an inormous size
OF course L never have grown any here,
but am growing some now which look |
very fine. am told that many exceed 8
ana 10 lbs. Mr., Editor, if any of mine get
to so great size, shall send you a few
by express, so that you may not blame me
fors*&
We have been having some cyclones,
but you have them in old Pennsylvania.
Our health is only nlidlng; my own is
very poor indeed.
Now, Mr.. Editor, if this is worth
place in your excellent paper, may write
in few weeks again. I sent you an arti-
Gle once before that did not hear from. 1