Morning journal and courier., 1885-10-05
circumstance and the vender of ham con- demned to only fourteen days imprison-
ment.
 CORRESPONDENCE Travel i'm the West-KaRsas, Its Crops and Farmers s-True Hospitality - ssBooming,s Latham-The Best Fam ily-Moline-Prospe
CORRESPONDENCE.


 and Farmers True Hospitality-
 ssBooming'' Latham-The Best Fam
 -Moline-Prosperity.
 HOWARD, Kansas, Sept. 26. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Seeing so much to interest me I will write you little about how the Kansas farmers live as found them in riding over this country with friend who is engaged in loaning money on farms in this section and who frequently make these trips and is personally &C., quainted with nearly all of the farmers in Elk county. We started early Monday morning for the southwest corner of the county, drawn in side-spring top wagon by good pair of road horses, which had been engaged at two dollars and one-half per day. The weather was hot, but the breeze which is always blowing here made it con- fortable, though the mercury stood at 1O2' in the shade. The roads in places were fine, but there were no bridges, and streams, which are quite numerous in this country, are forded. When this section grows older and the roads are worked and bridges built, no better roads will be found anywhere, for this soil works down hard and will keep smooth.
 At noon we stopped in the shade of some trees by the river bank and fed our horses and ate the lunch which we had taken with for locations, they having come mostly from Ohio Indiana and Illinois. In fact there is a steady stream of emigrants from other States pouring in here, all in search of farms, and it makes the lands constantly Increasing in value, such is the demand for farms, this formerly being the Osage Indian resef vation and the bottom lands and slopes are, considered equal to any lands lands
 in oe 00un Gyrn and of courss nsns is % ths staplee''rop, though everything can be raised. Fruit trees do especially welI and there are on many of the older farms as fine peach or chards as have ever seen in Delaware or Maryland. Peaches have been abundant this year and have sold at fifty cents per bushel. The corn crop in places has been poor, es- pecially in the bottoms, where the unusually heavy rains flooded the lands. Then worm called the chinch bug did considerable damage, but the farmers of this country are true grit and take things as they come and do not worry the loss of few acres of corn. They were sorely tried by the grasshoppers, but they have recovered entirely from that and we find that men who at that time only had claim filed on 8 quarter section (16O acres) of land are to day rich and prosperous farmers. But what will surprise one are the extremely poor houses in which the farmers live. Lumber has, until within, year or two, been very high, so but few could af- ford to build house larger than one with two rooms and one story high, though now the houses that are being built are of @ much better class. As for barns the stock is kept in winter in the ravines and in the timber along the creeks so shed with 8 hay roof answers every purpose. Everybody works here, and boys eight to ten years old do almost mans work. A man with ten year-old boy will care for fifty acres of corn, twenty-five acres of millet c1G and stack if ty tons of hay beside hoeing few acres of garden truck easily through the season and find time to ''break out'' twenty or twenty five acres of prairie.
 As night approaches we begin to look for a stopping place. The sun has set, but the moon is shining brightly and we stop before house and shout. The dogs are barking around us, keeping up constant din. Soon a man appears and asks what is wanted. We inform him that we wish to stop over night. Of course we can, he replies, and says he will be out in moment. We unhitch our horses and unharness them, throwing the har ness on the ground. The man leads them off to the stable, turning his own horses out to make room for ours. When we got into the house he asked if we had had supper,
 
 apples and some hard biscuit, which we make supper of and retire. This is little better house than usual and has two rooms on the lower and one on the upper floor. We are shown the best. The furniture, bedding and all in the room would bring at auction perhaps fifty cents, but we are beggars and must not be choosers. will give the bill of fare for breakfast: Fried potatoes, stewed apples and peach butter. I ask for glass of milk but, it is. not to be had, for the calves must have the milk and so they didn't use it. But the cordial welcome we receive is worth more than what we might have to eat. The answer to our question as to what our pay is, "You're welcome strangers. We didn't have much, but if you ever come this way call again"
 The next noon we reach 8 small town call ed Latham. 1t IS on a new railroad just built and they are booming" it already. They have drug stores, two lumber yards, four or five stores, hotel, four restaurants and are putting up fine stone building for bank. Not building was here in July and the prairie grass is still growing in the street, but they have two livery stables, bar Der shops, and printing office and the in- evitable newspaper. I venture to ask the price of lot, and in the next issue of the pa per my visit is spoken of and I am said to have bought large number of lots and am about to erect 8 number of buildings at once. This they call "booming things" But we push on and at dark we reach farm house and hear the music from parlor organ and banjo floating out on the night air. This something new, and after making our pres ence known we are invited to spend the night, which invitation is gladly accepted and cur tired horses are again put in the barn and the farmers horses removed. Up on entering the house we find that this family can be called musical family and sing the songs found in the latest number of the Moody and Sankey books, and as there are thirteen children, nearly all men and wo- men grown, they have no need to call on the neighbo1s for help. We fare much better here and have good hot supper and good bed to sleep in, though I suspect from the appearance of the room that some of the young ladies of the family have had to go into the loft to sleep.
 In the morning, after partaking of good breakfast of prairie chicken we start on our way and about the middle of the forenoon we reach the farm of MT. Best. What 8 con- trast to the houses we have seen before. MT. Best came from Illinois some years ago and has large farm of 1900 acres. His house is built of stone, js large and modern, and would be an orna- ment on any street in New Haven. We found Mrs. Best charming lady, and it | was pleasure to call on her. It was more | like being in New England than had ever expected to find in Kansas. They are edu- eated people and live people ought to live. What treat it was to me to partake of the fine lunch she caused to be prepared for us, and after discussing politics and the current events of the day most reluctantly took our leave after declining an invitation to dinner. I am quite sure if business or pleas ure ever calls me this way again nightfall will find me very near this mansion.
 Night again overtakes us at the thriving, busy town of Moline and we "put up'' at the best hotel advertised as 'frst-class in every respect" We are assigned to room on the aground" floor and the furniture consists of the bed (hay mattrass) and bowl and pitcher. The table (meats fifty cents) was sably fair and we get along finely. In the morning I took walk about the town and found business good and everyone in good spirits. At the livery stable found that there were eight teams with nine men canvassing the country for the sale of seeders and harrows These men take the machines along with them and the farmers have chance to "try
 lem before they buy lem" and we found that l they had sold in that section forty seeders ] and fifty or sixty patent harrows. The farmers
 are bound to have the best tools to work with ofko Gr,I xyifI for