Morning journal and courier., 1885-10-05

fine stallion which MT. Bradley imported at a cost of $1, 900 when colt, and he now val ues him at $1 ,500. He was as fine speci- men of horse as have ever seen.
 But I will not close this letter, already grown long, without writing something about the property of the average Kansas farmer. Are they poor? you ask. Yes; some of them money from the beginning of the year to the end of it. I gave a ten-year-old boy who had held our horses for few moments 8 dime, and hardly think he ever saw one be- fore and he did not know the value of it or it's use, but this is an exception. I believe portion to the population in this State to- day than in any other State in the Union. The farmers as 8 rule are very prosperous. Of course there are some who would not do we'll at any thing This year the corn crop is not as good usual, but hear no complaining and they are @ very contented set of men. A fair sample of Kansas farmer met the other day. He had farm worth $3, 900, and per haps more, but it would sell for that at any time. He bought his farm for $500 when it was nothing but the raw prairie eight years ago. He was from Illinois and the farm was selected and bought for him by an years before. He worked as 8 farm hand in Illinois until he had saved up enough to pay for it, and came on here and commenced to improve it. As soon as he improved it so he could borrow $500 he did SO. He had to work it few years first, for the loan men will not loan the farmer money until he has improved the farm. To-day he has his farm with it's house, a nice frame one, and good stock of cattle. He could pay off his mortgage in two hours time by selling cattleif it was policy to do so but it is not. My friend renewed his loan the other day and was glad to do so, for he had never failed to pay his interest promptly in the past and the security had advanced from about $500 to $3, 900. It may be asked if mortgages are ever purchased on these farms. Yes, they are sometimes, for the agents sometimes make mistake in the man, but on the property very seldom. Values in country like this are very easily determined, and when good-for-nothihg man is obliged to give up his farm others stand ready to take it and pay the mort gagee price above the amount of his mortgage But the farmer dreads the fore closure and will exert his utmost to prevent it, even if his wife and children go hungry and himself go bareheaded and barefooted
 The other day we were on farm upon which my friend had mortgage. The farmer had had unusually bad luck this season and was behind few days in paying the interest. I was not aware of it while was talking with the farmer and I asked him some questions in regard to his farm, etc., and after we had left and gone some distance l heard shout and turning around saw the farmer running towards us His hat was off and his hair was streaming out behind him and as he came up to us all out of breath he ex- claimed, ''What was you men asking those questions fors You ain't going to sell my farm are you! I will pay my interest in 8 few days. have got to sell some cattle to do it and have been expecting cattle buy CT here for the past fortnight, but he has not come yet, and have been so busy getting in my hay that have not had time to come in town to see you about it." I understood then the object of our visit to this particular farm and I was about to suggest to my friend that he wait a little for the interest, but glance into his face, which had turned from a cheerful pleasant countenance into cool, calculating, businesslike, s'come up to the scratch" look, made me hold my tongue, and he informed the man that it would be all right if he paid in a few days. The farmer assured him that he would and we drove on. then remon- strated with the agent, accused him of being hard-hearted, a modern Shylock, etc., when he turned upon me almost angrily and parties who entrast us with their money to collect the interest, and what we promise that we intend to do." Such is business in Kansas. We did not re- turn to the office until the next day, but the farmer had been before us and satisfactorily arranged the interest question. Such occur rences quite rare, and the farmers pay their interest promptly and cheerfully, for they are well aware that they must, and that eastern capital helps them to develop the farms. Their ability to pay the mortgages at maturity may be shown by what loan broker told me the other evening. He informed me that out of fifteen loan mortgages in the month of Sep tember this year, fourteen had been paid off and one renewed. And still they say that ''this is hard year for Kansas"
 This county (Elk) is a particularly fine county and it is an old saying here that "a man who has once lived here can't live any where else and if he moves away he always comes back" c. w. s.