Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-03-05
A VOICE FROM THE DESERT.
An ADDRESS Before the American
Association, at New Orleans
February II, 1885,
GByF. d. coburn, of wyandotte, Kansas

ton:
Those here tonight, of middle age
or past, read in the books of their
boybood of the American desert; u
section of country described in gen.
eral way as "away out west some
where" and, more specifically, as ~
ing between meridians 92' and lO4'
west longitude and the parallels 81.
and 400. and comprised in a strip OF
country al least 400 miles long and
200 miles wide, or containing JO,OOo,-
600 acres anyway-possibly more:
That region or territory was named
"Kanzas" with y and later Kan,
sas" without 2 and was auinitteu
into the union in 1861 as state, with
the prefix Starving" or bleeding,
as might be preferred: but both OF
these titles il long ago put away. You
know well the story of what II was:
the struggles of its people for liberty
for their homes; how they had to
contend with foes without and drought
and grasshoppers and poverty within.
That they still survive, and something
of what they now are. am here to tell
you briefly this evening.
In area il is greater than New York
and Indiana united: greater than the
whole of New England combined with
Delaware and Moryland, or than
Maine and Ohio together.
Gifts people, the township assessors
last March enumerated 1,l35,6 |,
occupying eighty-one organized
aad some twenty unorganiZed
counties, or about fourteen people to
the square mile, who have buildcd 16
towns and cities containing from 900
to &c, 600 inhabitants. Being, how
ever, an agricultural and pastoral re
gion. the tendency of its population is
not toward the building up, or occu-
pancy of large cities.
If assert that this desert of your
boyhood DAYS is an agricultural region
perhaps YOU will ask what we have to
sustain the assertion.
To this NAV be answered that the
most accurate figures il has been pos
sible to make show that in 1884 we
paoduced As geo 900 bushels of wheat
more than twice "a much as that
wonderful wheat land, Dakota, and
4,0O0,0 900 bushels more than either of
its iIls hest competitors, California and
Oslo, rs their figures are given III the
U. :. Reports.
Do Won ask If corn grows on those
wind-swept prairies?
Yes, cnrn grows there; but the OF
fetal report saws 1.-The conditions dur
ing the spring uSSD for corn planting
and the cultivation of the ground
We're exceedingly VI favorable, owing
TO continued rains in nearly all por
tons of The state" and 1.-The general
average OF The stale suffered severely"
Ow ing TO the draw backs the crop av
eraged but AZ bushels per acre on our
Abs ,90S acres: hence, the years crop
was but 10000, 900 busecls: as much,
however, as the product of all New
England. of New. York, Arkansas,
Kentucky aud Texas combined.
Thirty of the counties raised from
100000 to 100000 bushelf each.
With this, even though much of il
should be (as a Kentucky friend says
was ted to make bread of, we hope to
have reasonable supply for seed the
ensuing spring" Only three other
states-Iowa, Illinois and Missouri
have as much.
Our Cat crop was only exceeded by
that of seven states, and the last years
harvest yielded 29,000,000 bushels:
four counties raised more than l,000,-
900 bushels each, the yield in some in
stances being 20 to as bushels per acre,
aud the general average for the state
was 81 IA bushels.
DO you ask if we raise buckwhcat
cakes? To that we rise
up and say yea. verify; we
last year produced $4,000 bushels of
the triangular berries from which they
are evolved, and as proper condiments
to 90 with them made ? 500, 900 gallons
of sorgham molasses, and $4,000, 600
pounds of butter. As adjuncts TO the
buckwbeat cakes we took pains TO
store away $500, 900 bushels of Irish
potatoes. That the good housewives
might be well armed with their favor
lite weapons, some 81 ,0O0, 600 pounds of
broom corn were grown, and nearly
c, 000, 900 pounds in the one small coun-
ty of Allen, 21x23 miles square.
Does fruit grown in that wilderness
of prairie?
Those of us who live there think il |
dues, and ITS quality and character re-
ceived endorsement high over all at
the Centennial exposition of 1876. The |
state last year had 3 500, 600 bearing |
apple trees, and upwards of 10000 |
planted that were yet too young TO |
year OF bearing peach trees the
count showed 100000, and three |
fourths as many more planted. Cherry |
trees numbered 100000 and of pear |
Irees there We're third as many |
To serve as protectors of these |
orchards, To relieve the monotony |
Of the prairie scene, TO afford CRATE |
full shade and provide timber for lut-
needs, there had been planted l20, 900
acres of artificial forest.
Have tame grasses been introduced |
Or their production found practicable
Il ere?
We think so. The cop harvested |
asst season was approximately 650. 900 |
Ions of timothy. clover and other |
anne urasse-, fretu an area of 500 900 /
acres, besides 1 10000 ton- of millet
md Hungarian from 10000 acres in
To supplement this there
we're put mp more than 5,OOOOco tons
If prairie or " lid hay.
To consume some of the grain and
yrass OF which have told YOU, we
axe pride IN our l.S50.o00 cattle, in
.ludiny many herds of the choicest inn
proved breeds: in our $4,000 horses
md mules Il may say, parenthetically.
hat il must take lofty patriotism
md the closest of family Ties 10 make
man prond of mule); in our ,250,-
MO sheep, that last year produced
500. 900 pounds of wool; and in our
wine, which number about 10000
cad, the peers of any in any land.
From these few statements II may
o some extent be seen what we have
lone towards supplying bodily wants.
nd you will naturally query if any at
eution has been paid TO other subjects
ham the production of wheat and
oru and sorghum and swine.
Yes, we have established schools,
nd in town and country alike the
asteiul temple of learning is the first
nd most notable structure that at
racts the travellers eye. OF these
here are $500 Gotting the hillside and
lain, worth with their surroundings,
6 900 600. and endowed by the gov
rnment with the sixteenth and thirty
ixth sections of land in each congress
Ional township, making when fully
valuable. n fund of $l5,00o,00O. In
hese schools are enrolled close 10 ,
90 900 children. under the guidance