McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-06-05
OUR COUNTY.
EDITOR McCooK TRIBUNE

Iohoo W ehe uctriihenC OF INJURY or thu
people of any state or country, l an
persuaded, believing it to be to the in
terests of the people generally, to write
a few facts in relation to our beautiful
and prosperous county.
But about eight years have elapsed
since the first settlement of Red Willow
county. The years which followed have
been accompanied with both success
and misfOrtunes. Success to those
whose farms were in shape to produce
and who farmed in good and work
manlike manner. And this, too, at a
time when men were wholly unfamiliar
with regard to the time crops should be
put in, the kind of crops best adapted
to the ground as it then was, and the
depth it should be placed in the ground,
etc. The year of 1880 was one of ex-
IRENE drought, but this was not con6n-
ed alone to Western Nebraska, probably
every state in the Union suffered more
or less by the drought of that year,
while Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan
and Wisconsin were injured to just as
great an extent, when compared to the
acreage and population, as we were.
There are men here who have farmed
every year since the settlement of the
county, who have never failed to raise
a paying crop Of corn, millet and rye,
even in the year of 1880, while | have
seen fifty bushels Of corn and thirty-fv
bushels of rye per acre harvested here
different years.
But where this county most excells
is in mixed husbandry and stock raising.
One can always raise feed for stock, and
the mild climate of this part of our
state has never been questioned This
is attested by the fact that thousands
Of cattle are wintered here without feed
or shelter. We opine, however, that
this is too expensive way to winter
stock, as the losses of the past winter
will attest. Nevertheless, men make
big money keeping cattle in this way.
But how much mere could be made if
these cattle were owned by men who
would provide feed and shelter, thereby
saving the loss now suffered, as COM
pensation for their labor in tilling the
soil, which would also double several
times in value, as soon as broken out,
and improving our country to the extent
of from six to fifteen hundred dollars
per quarter section, with no improve
ments outside of sod houses, well and
the blowing above referred too. 1t is
needless to add that the range stockmen
are largely responsible for the reports
circulated broadcast over the eastern
and middle states claiming this county
a failure and men coming here express
surprise and astonishment at the pro-
gress and prosperity Of our county, and
well they may, for probably no country
under the sun has prospered and pro-
crossed with the rapidity of ours, and
this too in the face of some severe
drawbacks, among which are to be enum-
Grated grass hoppers, Indian troubles,
droughts and far distant railroad COM
munications. But now that these diff
culties are all completely and wholly
gone, and we are again populated with
men who know just what Nebraska is,
and that too from experience, generally
men who have come to stay, not expect
ing to idle their time away in dreaming
of fortune made without work, but
prepared to work and win, our success
is assured. [ need not add that the
crop prospect here now is far ahead of
any of previous years and that the num-
Der of acres of plowed land will be more
than tripled by September LIST, and that
it is a well known fact that all Red
Willow county needs to make it equal
to any county in the state is the turn
ing over of all the buffalo grass sod and
thorough tilling of the same when
turned over.
To parties East who are renting, [
desire to say that they can do just as
we'll here so far as a livelihood is con-