The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-01-12
THE RESOURCES OF KANSAS.

Inc kanSaS CITY Journal of the 4th
deV utes o,er "a column Of its editorial
space 20 aIs able article setting forth the
wealth Of this state, as shown by data
iAken from advance sheets Of the report
Of the secretary OF the Kansas State
Board of Agriculture for 1881 The
comments made by the journal upon
the great prosperity OF cur young com
monwealth are eaiitied TO special con
sidcration in view of the fact that they
are volunteered b. paper published
outside of the slate, and We take pleas
ure in copying such portions of the ar.
ticlc as We believe will be OF particular
interest TO our readers at home and
abroad. The journal says:
The total valuation of all property in
the state, real and personal, is given at
$407, 635, 445, or $4,000 for every man,
woman and child of the population. This,
Of course, is the assessed valuation, which
is not in fact One-halG the real value,
so that it would appear that our neigh
bors have no reasons TO complain of the
pinchings of poverty.
Since 1874 the increase of cultivated
area in Kansas has been 6,125, POO acres,
or almost ], 0O0, 900 acres OF new prairie
broken up every year. During the past
year the number of new farm-dwellings
erected was between 1900 and 1000
with yssiuaiop Of $2.63s, 545--.~-z-=----
The value of the wheat and corn crops
Of the year IS given at S66. J05, 240, and
the average yield was not half q crop.
When full crop is once harvested what
an OVERLOOKING granary the state will be
The valuation of the horticultural prod
ucts is put down at $2,O00000 while
market garden products are estimated at
$500, 600; aparian products at $22 900;
for the production of live stock, such as
meats, butter, eggs, cheese, etc, $22, 600.
The live stock interests of the state
are rapidly developing, and it is believed
their value increased fully $1,000, 600 in
the past year. The south central and
southwestern portions are especially
adapted 10 stock growing and the whole
country is covered with herds.
The increase of cattle and sheep in
the Arkansas valley will greatly exceed
the ratio of the state a. large-fur this
region is proving TO be the best pasture
grOnud on the contineat. 1t offers the
advantages of natural position, nutri-
tious native grasses, mildness Of climate,
plenty of water and unlimited range.
The Indian Territory lies just on the
south, and the cattle men find no Difficult
ty in gaining remission from the tribes
TO drive their herds over the line in case
they wish to range farther south.
Eight counties in Kans Is harvested
over 100000 bushels of wheat each in
the summer of 1SS1-six of which lie in
the south-central portion of the state.
Mcpherson takes the lead, with 1897, ia
bushels.
Forty-two counties produced more
than 1000, 001 bushels of corn each; two
more than 100000 each; and four over
5000, 900 each. The four banner corn
Countless dgwick, Sumner, Butler aud
! Cowley-all lie in the Arkansas valley;
and III the entire forty-two corn cOun
| ties, twenty-five are lraversed by the
line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fee railroad TINS will help those who.
are not familiar with the county names,
aud who may have Travelled through
| Kansas over this road, to locate the corn
region oil the state. Formerly the ufost
productive. corn counties were along the
northern border Of the state; but for
! some climatic reason, The best maize
area seems 10 have shifted southwark.
! The officers of The Atchison, Topeka
| aud Santa Fc railroad at the state capt.
| tai are very proud of the facr that the
| exhibit of the products which they gath
| cred from all along their line and Its
! branches, and displayed AT the great At
lanta cotton exposition, has just been
awarded the highest premium as the
best general production of agricultural
products. II is certainly a vic
tory to be jubilant over, IN view of the
fact that competition was open to all the
country and that several prominent az
| Ticultural states made every possible ef-
I fort 10 secure the prize. The same rail
road company also carried of $50
kpremium tfor the taliest and most taste
fully arranged display OF cereal grains"
besides first premiums for 1.-The best two
bushels of red wheat, the best two bush
esl of buckwheat and the best two bush
els of castor beans"
The Mennonit6s in Marion and Nc
| Pherson have inaugurated new indus
try which promises 10 be one OF cons1d-
cradle profit We refer 10 sericulture,
or the raising of silk worms. In their
former homes in Russia the Mennonites
were largely engaged in this business,
and their experiments here have demon
strated that the culture is quite practic-
able in Kansas. Nearly every MennOn-
lite plants a mulberry hedge around his
farm, which furnishes food for as many
silk worms as his family can attend 10.
The women are especially deft in hand.
ling the worms, the eggs, and the CO.
coons, and they likewise excel in
reelIng the silk fibre. Recently
some samples of Kansas raw silk
were sent to the Nonotuck Silk CON-
pany at Florence, Massachusetts, and
their candid opinion solicited as to the
color, quality, etc, and the questions
asked as the probable demand, price
per pound, etc, of such an article in
large quantities. The reply is encourag
ing to the sericulturists. We quote
from the manufacturers letter of Deem
Der 2lst: ave have worked your sam
pie OF silk, and as to quality, aside from
few slugs, find it good. On the whole
it is as good as any American silk we
have seen, except our own. Your silk
is white, which is good feature. 1t is
even; the thread is well put together
but not well 'traversed.' We return you
tue result, viz: 100 yard spool fillet
with it, the balance in a skein. Such
silk as the samples sent us, in bales o.
100 TO 1885 pounds each, would be
worth not far from 50 per pound OF six
teen ounces" AT this price, and witt
the demand which seems assured, thu
Mennonite farmers say they can dc
handsomely; and now it looks as !
many would go into the business cNclu
siVely.
We have heretofore spoken of the su
gar industry in Kansas, which is yet il
its infancy, but which it is believed mus
at no distant period become one of thu
richest There is an immense demand
for glucose, and Kansas can furnish corr
enough TO supply hundreds OF such fac
tories, and as the Feasibility If produc
ing good quality of sugar from sor
; ghum, which can be produced there il
D any quantity, has been fully demonstrat
ed by the national department of agri
culture. he business will no doubt SooT
be largely engaged in.
Altogether, 40 new state ever had 81
: fair "A prospect for wealth and power q
: Kansas. She lacks nothing but improve
, ment 10 make her rank among the yer,
first of agricultural states. She is popu
$ lated with men and women Of unusua
Z intelligence who have always mad
themselves felt in the political and SC
. | cial world, and they are not of the elias
who retrograde or stand still. The
Q will advance with the age in whic
they live, and despite all the hardship
they have undergone, will soon be upO
: the high plane of prosperity.
|. II isn't often that the Topeka Con