The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-09-06
CORRESPONDENCE.


| NNANANA4JA ONOGANS4s
: LITTER FROM THE "GARDEN'
PAULINE, Kansas, Aug. 25. 1888
To the Editor of the Bdnner-DEA
SIR-SOme enthusiastic admirer of Kar
sas has said that the best was site
from two continents to make il. Will
much cred I is due the State for its sui
stantial progress, some of its friend
seem to be somewhat in danger of run
ming their praise into eXaggeratiou
Since coming here l have been led t
see how appropriately Kansas Is some
times called 1.-The SuDflower State"
see them everywhere, by the roadside
in vacant places and in cultivated fields
it takes constant warfare to keep the n
down. can appreciate what / hav
read about raising them for fuel. The,
are just now coming into full bloom.
Another weed that troubles the farm
er in the hay field is called the tumble
weed, 1t gets ripe early and then tn,
wind breaks it off at the ground BnC
blows it up into lunches against every
obstruction as a hedge or fence. A wire
fence will sometimes catch enough To bt
blown down or broken. Farmers are II
the midst of haying, so late is the prairie
grass in stlrtlDg TO grow. Glover ma
lures early and two crops of that have
been cut.
have heard it remarked, in the
East we used TO say hayiDg and harvest
ing here it is harvesting and haying.
Early drouth and the storms have caus.
ed farmers much encouragement.
Several days during harvesting were
the hottest l ever experienced, ther.
mometer 1919. Some mornings since
then it has been down TO $50
The country here is qnite diversified
and rolling. A few miles south is Wan
karasa Creek and on the north in the
suburbs of Top ka, is Shungermunger
Creek, both of them give some variety
and romance in the scenery, have
occasionally taken II ramble, once went
west up the Kansas RIVER to place
broken and rough enough to pass for a
Green Mountain scene. From my feet,
the slope to the river bank was thick
with scrub limb r. making 1t uniform
sea of green foliage. Just across the
river is beautiful valley. The yer is
generally quite SD allow IN proportion to
its width, which is considerable, for il
requires five piers out in the river 10
support the bridge which spans the river
at Topeka. have been surprised 80 see
how far some of the teams are driven out
into the river after sand for building
purp g. e, and | h I've seen men stand
waist deep in water long distance from
shore and shovel sand into boat which
was towed to land for those persons who
would rather pay for it than haul il out
OF the river free.
The first bridge was built here during
the winter of 1878, but it went down
IN the spring freshet and the present one
took its place. There are besides two
railroad bridges.
In 1850 Shawn e county was organ.z-
ed, and in 1858 Topeka was chosen as the
county seat.
The name of the town is the name by
which the Indians called the Kan or
Kansas River, and it means il English:
"a good potato patch"
Topeka now claims nearly $4,000 iu-
habitants. Us growth has been remark
able in size, aud l suppose in improve
ment il has been equally rapid. An
Eastern editor, r. c.ntly, in writing to
his paper from here, says: The disap-
pearance of the canals of liquid mud,
once called streets, and the substitution
Of asphalt pavements, has made Topeka
in this respect a sort of minor edition of
Washington" Also in the width of its
streets, 1t would seem to be competing
with the city Of magnificent distances
Outside of the business portion of the
town, these wide stI Gets are bOrdered by
D stIip of lawn on each side between the
roadway and sidewalk when there is any
fence 1t is on the outside Of the extra
strip Of lawn, making the pavements
seem to b. in the midst of private
plaasure ground.
Bicycles and gentle horses driven by
.he ladies are more common than | ever
saw elsewhere,
Besides a good supply of horse cars,
they have rapid transit and motor lines,
som, times dummy engine is put in the
front of the car and some lines the en-
CINE is separate and has a car or two at
,ached. This common use of steam on
The street cars extends the suburbs out
several miles without noticing the dis
,ance.
Capitol Square consists of 90 acres IN
he heart of the city and the State House
will be splendid building when COM
DleteG three or four years hence. 1t has
been some twenty years in building.
The city library is a substan iil. neat
structure, built in Capitol Square at a
cost of $4,000 by the railroads and pre-
tented to the city.
The Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fe R'y.,
amliarly known as the Santa Fe,"
'eems to be the most intimately identi
led with tn interests of this place. In
he words of recent writer: From
he day of small beginnings, the Santa
Fe and Topeka have grown up together,
he railway forming the core of the city's
ife." This company has nearly 5000
officers and employees to whom they pay
bl25,000 per month. There is nearly
81 900, 900 invested in their machine
shops, and their main Office building,
y sting $l75 600, is just at the entrance
10 the State House.
About four years ago the company es-
reading rooms for their en-
ployes, and they have found it profta-
Die investment.
The new Rock Island depot is said to
be the finest west of st. Louis.
The city has seventeen public schools,
and employ seventy seven teachers.
There are four dailv and nineteen weekly
newspapers. Yours truly
g f.. BRECKENRIDGE.