Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-03-14
MEAD COUNTY.

The newly re-organized county OF
Mead will attract considerable at'cn-
ton this summer. There have al
ready been four towns laid out. o,n
named Carthage. in the northwest
quarter of the county, and the oiier
named Touzalin, at or near the center
on Crooked creek The first named
town boasts paper three woe"s
old, called lhe Carthage journal,
from hich we take the following d.
scriplion OF that almost unh now
countr;:
As re-created the county is thirty
miles square, and II Is safe asst rtioh
that there is not nine hundred square
miles in any state or territory III the
Union with which nature has been
more lavish. Until the beginning of
last season. the country was occupied
exclusively by stock men, who grew
rich from the proceeds OF their vast
herds. And no wonder that they
were 10th TO give it up, for nowhere in
the west or south was there q terri
tory " here stock did so well. What
with streams aud springs in album
dance. and grass that by far excells
the finest of tame grasses, or the Ia
nous mesquite grass of the south, IL
was truly the stockman's paradise.
But with the usherin9 in of the
spring of eighty-four, there comes to
the country a wonderful and radical
change. Yea, and happy change
Tor The country, that before profited
but the few, Is about to become the
home of hundreds of enterprising Sci
tiers from the north, east, south and
west, who have tired OF the yoke
placed upon them by high rents, or
over work at low wages, and who
have determined TO settle in this ''gar
den of the west" and breathe the air
of freemen Nor are we lacking for
capitalists. business men, of sound
Judgment, who could not help seeing
what the county was, and was 10 be,
are fast investing IN the various chan
nels of trade and industry.
As one first beholds this country.
he wonders. Wonders, why the Gre
ator has strewn his gifts SO lavishin2ly
here. where as vet there are so few 10
enjoy them. Wonders, if this can
possibly De the Great American desert,
that he has heard of in his eastern
home. Wonders, if his friends a
home would believe him, if he were b.
write them an impartial and accurate
description of the country. Wonders,
why he feels more vigorous and life
like here than ever before. Wonders,
why the people here are the most in
dcpendent and the most friendly thar
he has ever met.
While the settlement of the county
proper does not extend over Il period
TO exceed ten months. it contains in
the aggregate not less than two thous-
and souls, four towns, all enjoying ii
good trade and with very fair pros
poets.
The top soil is black loan, varying
from eighteen inches TO four feet in
depth. The subsoil j. redish mixture
of sand and clay and quite porous, of
about fifty parts each of sand and
CLAW, and ranging from three 10 six
feet deep. The third or sub-strata Of
the producing soil, is a composition Of
lime, clay and sand, in depth four 10
six feet. Experiments made last season
with the two lower stratas, proved be-
yond doubt that the soil rs deep a
then and even fifteen feet Is very pro-
ductivc. The experiments being made
with corn, wheat, oats aud number
of varieties of vegetables. The soil j.
entirely free from anything of the ma
turc of gumbo or hard-pan, that Is SO
frequently found IN more eastern and
southern states. The climate is all
that sane person could ask, the Will
tiers NOT lasting over three months, and
usually very mid and pleasant. The
summers tho long do not bring in their
train excessive heat, or the dead, sui
try nights often experienced in more
eastern states. The air is light, pure
and life-@iving. and while we have an
abundance of lakes. there l. no mala-
ria or impurities of any description To
burden and tear down the system.
The rainfall j. cppious, sufficient for
anv crops whatsoever. With these
MANY advantages of -oil ANA climate
Il must necessarily offer 10 the rich
and DOR alike. inducements that n"
other country in all of our wide do
main can duplicate.