McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-01-22
SOUTHERN NEBRASKA.

acres of fertile farming land waiting foroccu-
/ patton and ready 10 yield upon sowing ard
/, filling its rich harvests of corn and wheat,
| succulent grasses. vegetables and fruit Much
| interest is being taken now in the settlement
OF the Republican Valley, not by class of
pioneers seeking government lands so much
| as by those DESTROYS of buying direct from
the pioneer and getting decided lands or re-
! linquishments thus saving from four to six
years time necessary TO earn the government
patent In two former articles to your spen-
did paper we reviewed fully the characters
tics of soil. Topography climate, products and
| advancement of the eastern and central part
of this valley In Nebraska; in this we will
contlne ourselves to the western portion in
cluded in Furnas and Red Willow counties.
In general way the characteristics are very
similar all alongt Valley. Beautiful streams
fed by perennial springs ripple and flow
| through the land emptying into the Republi-
can all along its course. Az you go to the
westward there is a gradual diminution of the
| rainfall. but the peculiar composition OF the
! subsoil, its spongy and porous character
| makes it serve as q subterranean resery DIR
from which nature can draw an abundant
supply of moisture. A farmer who had spent
a number of years in Furnas county said to
| us: 81 have llved in Pennsylvania, Ohio and
Iowa and have never been in any country
where crops stand drouth like Nebraska
The leaves of the plant do not shrivel up and
| wither. but are bright and green, and corn
stalk dug up after severe droutf, has album
dance of moisture around the roots.
In this portion of Nebraska no lands were
tod
| other purpose, thus all of the land he's been
taken up under the provisions of the United
States lar by homestead. presumption or TIM
her culture acts, except a small portion which
is yet open, but which is not the choicest land
These pioneers. after obtaining their patents,
frequently sell to the permanent settler and
at prices much lower than any land could be
sold by railway corporations who having
alternate section grants spend large sums of
money to place their lands upon the market
and are still doing so day by day. There are
also opportunities to secure Accomplishments
from SEQ to Sl.OCG per quarter section upon
which the purchaser can locate according to
government laws and prove up at the speci-
fed time. OF course the price of these lands
depends very largely upon the location. desr-
ability and the amount of improvements al
ready put upon them. Decided lands wild
that is unimproved. not as many Eastern peo-
pie think. desolate and rthless-sel from
81 90 to $500 per acre, while farms with more
or less improvements bring from $500 to SIS
per acre. IL any man desires to obtain home
in Nebraska no time should be lost as prices
of property are advancing with wonderful
rapidity. 1t has been evident to all of those
who have watched the growth Of this remark
able State that the character Of the immigra-
ton has been constantly improyin-. that mere
Eastern farmers have recognized the advan-
tages Of selling their farm ut home for from
$50 to SO per acre, ana going to the blossom
ing West where five acres can be bought FOR
the proceeds OF every one sold which VIII
yield s. much Or mere, will, less labor and the
farmer viii have the advantage OF the rise in
valuation. The lincoln journal says can
acre of raw prairie covered with the native
grasses OF Nebraska whose fattening proper
ties cannot be riValled by timothy. clover. or
even the yaunted fodder of fire blue grass re-
gion of Kentucky, carefully husbanded and
fed win produce FIVE dollars worth Of beef,
wool or mutton every year. Let some mathe-
natieal granger figure up what five dollars
the East and the old world are considered dirt
cheap at price per acre of which the annual
production with careful cultivation will net
five per cent An acre of good bottom or up
land in Nebraska put into corn will fatten
more beef or pork than any other acre of land
on the foot-stool outside of the corn region of
the Northwest of which we are the center"
This is in the main true and still to secure
these very desirable results it requires labor
and skill. A farmer that expects to come to
the West and live like dude without work
will find his farm mass of sunf1owers, and
his time wasted 1t is hard labor in all pur-
suits united with diligence and economy
which ensures success. The markets OF this
region are good. 1t is but days run TO eth
err Denver, Kansas City or Omaha. The Bur-
lington s. issouri River Railway which hugs
the Republican river closely in its westward
course gives to the people available transport
ration facilities. The Kenesaw cut off, new
departure upon which one through passenger
train each way runs daily, strikes the Denver
line at Oxford. This has created boom for
this bright town which is destined to bring it
and its man, advantages rapidly into promi-
nence. Arapahoe the county seat of Furnas
county ana cambridge an hcUlVe village IN the
western part are also reaping the benefit of
the new line in an increase of immigration
and rapid building up. Just think, in these
two counties not more than five per cent of .
the soil is actually under cultivation while
north and SOUTH east and west are farms
awaiting the farmer. Many of those wishing
to visit Nebraska do not know that cheap land
explorers tickets can be obtained reading to
Lincoln, Neb., at any station on the Chicago,
Burlington s. Quincy. the Wabash Route and
some twenty other lines These tickets are
good for thirty five days and give land seek
ers ample time to look around and determine
the most suitable location.
Now for some interesting and instructive
points: The principal cereals raised are
wheat and corn. Broom corn is Il favOrte
crop. The native grasses are so good that
tame grasses are not much raised as yet.
Stock, especially cattle and hogs, is being rap
idly introduced. The water is pure. good and
plentiful. The climate is bracing in Winter,
cool in Summer. The strong winds watt away
all malaria and offensive eAhalatons. The
&c f,,,if h,,+ inI