Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1885-02-05
Letter from Kansas.
Pleasant Valley, Jan. 26th 1885

! IIeaS0nU AMY, Jan. SOlIl 1907.
EDITOR of the JOURNAL
AS have not written
anything for your worthy PAPER for
the past year, | would ask you for Il
little space in your columns. Your
paper is weekly welcome visitor at
our home, but | hardly ever see any
thing in it from this part of Kansas, so
thought that few words might be
of some interest to our many friends in
Penns valley, who are readers Of your
JOURNAL. We had an extraordinary
cold winter so far. Ever since the Goth
of December it was very cold and we
had a great deal Of snow, more than voc
had thefour past winters together, since
we are in the coun try. Mr.. Editor |
often wish for one of my bob sleds, that
| used to have in old Penns valley,
would make good nse of it. But l
don't want your re aders to think that
we have no sleds in Kansas. l venture
to say that if you would see all the diff
ferent styles and patterns of sleds you
would laugh. We have at present wri-
ting about inches of snow and the
wind blowing cold from the North,
with good indications of more snow.
1t keeps us busy to haul and cut wood
to keep warm and to attend to our
stock. This is a severe winter on Kan
sas stock. Hundreds of cattle have
died from the cold and for want of shell
ter and feed. So many stock men here
have no she ding for their stock at all.
The poor animals are exposed to all the
storms and very often do not get half
the feed they ought to have, which is
all carelessness on the stockmen's side.
Feed is always plenty with us for cat
tie. Our cr OPS were very good OF all
kinds last year. l wish, Mr.. editor,
that our Penns valley farmers could
have seen the wheat stacks and rye and
oats and barley and the tremendous
crop of corn. r thousands of acres of
wheat made 45 to So bushels to The a.
ere and some claimed they thrashed GO
bushels to the acre. had some on my
farm tha went As bushels to the acre.
And then the amount that went to
waste you have no idea of at all. But
to test the truth of my statements you
can ask my worthy friend II. Z. Duck,
of Millheim, who honored us so highly
with very pleasant and much enJoya-
ble visit. AS we were riding over our
beautiful Kansas land together and over
the grainfields he may be able to give
you faint idea of the grain that went
to waste in Kansas. | will give you an
account of the crops we raised on our
faIms. We had l30 acres Of wheat and
thrashed $500 bushels and | am sure
there were 500 bushels wasted on ac-
count of extreme wet weather. We
had 70 acres of rye and thrashed 400
bushels and there was fully - wasted
on the field. 70 Bushels oats, 200 BUSH
els barley and 20C0 bushels corn shelled.
But, after haying such pile of grain B.,
until expences are all pa id, there isn't
much profit in it. Wheat was sold
here as lpw as 20 cts. per bushel. Best
wheat now brings GO and 60 cts. per
bushel, rye 20 cts corn 90 cts oats >
cts and barley so cts. Times are dull
and money scarce, have 50 head OF
cattle. 9 head of hor ses and so head OF
hogs. Stock is on the d ownward road
in price, and bound to come down
more. Kansas land is III great demand
Land buyers are very numerous and
land is wild in price. All grades OF
land have raised over in value in the
last 9 months. Emigrants are coming
in from all parts of the world and are
seeking homes. But there is still plen.
ty of room for more. Should any OF
! our Penns valley friends wish nice
home we say to them. come, here is The
place to get them, AID cheap yet. a
man with industry and snap and some
self denial can secure for himself a nice
home, where he can never get one in
the eastern states where land is high
Elmer my son was thrashing since the
middle of July right along till the mid
die of Dec. 84 and has to thrash for
weeks yet. He thrashed over $4,000
bushels besides our own. He has NOR
then paid for his machine. Well now
I must close my lengthy letter or else
weary YOU. This leaves us all we'll an(
in good spirits. Klndest regards to you
and all old friends in Penns valley.
Yours fraternally,
=. B. STOyER.
THE Most REMARKABLE CASE OF
ALA gentleman writes to us from
| Tantra IN Pa that hi