Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-06-12

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is,a timber claim on which he has ID
acres OF ash timber growing, with
scarcely missing tree. On our way
from Alr. ThompsOns TO Norton we
passed the homestead of Elias Poland,
the ne or of section 81, town ] range %
Norton county, where we found a splen-
did orchard of all kinds of fruit, the
trees being brought fron near Indian
apohS, Indiana, five years ago, and are
all as thrifty as conld be found any.
where. many of them being loaded
with fruit. This orchard is on the
high divide land and demonstrates full
ly that those who want an orchard in
Norton county as well as Phillips can
have it by planting good healthy trees,
and then taking care of them, a fact
which ought to stimulate farmers to pro-
vide themselves with an abundance of
home grown fruit in the near future.
Arriving at Norton we found our wife
and boy the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Wal
ter Cannon, where we spent the night,
returning to Phillipsburg, Thursday;by
way of the Prairie Dog valley and Long
Island.
In Norton we found a growing bust
ness town, with business houses 100 feet.
deep, filed with anything in the goods;
line that could be found in an EASTERN
city, thrible its population. A call at
the Offices of the Champion and Courier
found Bro, Thompson of the former and
Simmons of the latter, brim full of
newspaper wisdom, which they dispense
from week to week from well arranged
offices. At Long Island, we took dinner
at the Long Island House, where our
frieds, j, n. Curl and wife act as mine
hosts. Here we spent a short time WIS.,
ting the merchants and business men,
and taking look at the grounds of P.
j. Carl, who has been experimenting
with tame grasses and has now growing
blue grass three feet high. red clover
l 1-2 feet high and timothy feet high,
of which we have specimens for three
years in our office. z, NJ. Weed is pre-
pairing to build large tWO-story store
building, the first floor to be occupied
by himself and the upper room to be
fitted up as hall, something that the
town very much needed the lumber for
this building being delayed on the south
side of the Prairie Dog, on account OF
the recent high waters, which took away
the Hoy bridge. The Long Island
school district is also preparing to build
commodious school house, a sadly
needed improvement. An agricultural
firm from Nebraska are building ware
house. The Hoy boys on the farm near
by have just completed two OF the best
farm houses in the county, one Of them
a large frame barn. as has also a man
Just west of town. In short this part of
our county may be said to be enjoying
genuine boom. The dam at Mischke's
mill at Long Island was badly damaged
by the flood of last week, as was also
that of the Almena mill, causing cOnsid-
cradle loss to owners and inconvenience
to those having use for the mills. We
observed but little difference in the
condition of the country, or crops, only
that as we go north there IS falling of
of fall grain and more spring grain, the
same backward condition of corn, owing
to the cold wet spring, and IN Norton
county, there is an apparent increase IN
the buffalo, grass, and less OF the large
grasses which in much of Phillips cOuu-
tY, have almost entirely taken place Of
the former grasses, while in Norton are
vet to be seen thousands Of acres of pure
buffalo grass. Another matter worthy
OF mention is the large amount OF land
being enclosed for pasture with barbed
wire fence, where few years ago could
have been seen ID lonesome COW or horse
picketed on the prairie, now are herds
of cattle in pastures, and the dug-out
having almost disappeared, giving place
to the more comfortable sod house, all
on top of ground, or to still more com
Portable stone or frame houses which are
now the rule, rather than the exception.
On the whole we had pleasant trip,
saw lots Of grand country and grander
crops, and came back feeling that north
west Kansas and southwest Nebraska are
good places to be in, and fast filling up
with people who are coming here to
stay.