Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-09
THE PANHANDLE.
What q Kansas Editor Saw Down In
the Psnhsndle-orgsnizIpg Rev
Couuties-Heavy Grass Crops.
No Question About the Richness of the Soil.
Moisture the Only Doabt-Hsw
Settlers Get Lands,
j. V. Admire in Usage City Free Press.


ize that 1t is nearly six times as large sc
New York, and nearly three and half
times as large as Kansas. But stop and
think moment. Its greatest length
from the mouth of the Rio
ner, is about s25 miles, while its
greatest breadth is about 74o miles. 1t
contains, altogether, 274,356 square
miles.
The northwestern extremity of the
state, which lies between the Indian Ter
ritory and New Mexico, and Immediately
Panhandle. l suppose this name was
given to it becsuse in form 1t is supposed
to resemble the handle OF an old fash
Toned frying pan. L concede, however,
that this picturesque idea CT 1t requires
considerable stretch of the Imagination,
and to the writer, who retains
very lively and sffectionate re-
membraoce Of that faithful old culinary
utensil, such an appellstion would never
have occurred. Yet heard young man
who boosted of being s Panhsndler by
birth and education make speech ct 6
boom meeting at Panhandle City IL
w1ch he eloquently referred to this per-
tion OF Ihe stste in strictly Panhandle
sersa. Slid ne, 81 hope in few months
TO sec the great Panhandle, which fer so
m.1y years has been written about
aId thought OF es q desert waste, bud
Srd bloom and blossom as rose.
Indeed" he continued, al hope to
even see tie old pan itself bubble and
bal. and sizz!e with the new life ard tire
less energy of population whose
irresistible will conquers, subdues and
oVercomes all obstacles" 1 haven't
thought il worth while to pursue the
matte further, for the Texas orator
evidently referred to the balance OF the
state as pan, which he hoped to see
"buoble and boil and szzle," and of
course he would have used no such a
metaphor il he had not had tradition back
of him.
The Panhandle is nearly square and
contains twenty-six counties, the greater
number of which sre unorganized. The
process of organization, however, is quite
simple. Every unorganized county Is
attached to contiguous county which Is
organized for public purposes. As soon,
however, as a county contains $50 voters
IL can ask to be organized. A petition is
presented to the county commissioners of
the county to which it is attached, pray
ing that 1t may become an Or
ganized county. II the commits
sioners are satisfied that the petition is
genuine, they make an order establishing
county seat and authorizing the citizens
to hold an election for the purpose Of
electing q full set of county oacers
This settles the whole matter, county
seat and ell. l am told that such thing
as county seat ight is unknown in
Texas. BY the way, might as ", II speak
of the matter here: Lou Flnch's county
seat experience in Ossge county serves 8
good purpose now, and, whenever he
can, he hiss the question settled esrty in
the aciiCn.
dca't went to tire the reader with a
too sudied description of the county.
Immediately around the town Of Cans
dian 1t is broken, rough, billy and hardly
up to an Usage county farmers ides Of 8
farming country. The Canadian river
bottom lands, however, In appearance, at
least, will compare feVorably with SINH
lar lands in other states. The
grass crop is luxuriant, heavy and
nutritious. 1t is claimed to be greatly
superior in this respect to Kansas prairie
grass-being almost equal to millet for
feed. The uplands are covered with s
compact growth Of "buffalo grass"
which cattle and even horses Craze and
make 6 fair, honest living all winter
without any assistance. In fact, saw 8
great many cattle roaming leisurely
over these broad pastures, and
they were fully in as good condi-
tion as our Kansas cattle that have been
trough fed" And, after the spring
opens and the grass begins to grow,
they get ready for market, as said to
tho.e in the Territory, several weeks too
soon to suit the people of Kansas. After
the uplands are reached they present an
almost unbroken, level appearance IS tar
as the eye can reach. AS to the rich
quality of the soil there is no question
whatever. 1t is only question of
moisture. No better looking country
lays out OF doors.
The people of the Panhandle cons
IDENTIFY believe that the water question
will be satisfactorily solved. They ex-
pect, so far as the rainfall is concerned,
to see the history of older settled por-
lions Of the "GTeat American desert" re-
pssted. It Is hardly fair to assume that
the Lord made this splendid looking coun-
try for fun. Experiments have proven
that about everything that grows sny-
Wlere, IN 8 similar CllHaLe, VII! grow
here. And the climate is not, after all,
at this SESSION OF the ycsr, very different
from hist Of Southern Kansas
There is 8 farm on the crest ranch OF the
Franklin Land and Cattle Company which
reaches within few miles of Panhandle
City of 400 acres. This ranch is thirty
miles square and will soon be broken up
and thrown upon the market. LAST year
the greater portion of the "farm" was
sown to oats, snd am told that 300 acres
of it which WAS harvested and threshed
produced en- average OF little
less than forty-one bushels per
acre. 1 heard stories of corn fields
thst produced forty and fifty bushels
and have no doubt Of their truth.
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
has put new lite into the country. The
company is hunting for water, and it is
believed that an abundance will be found
at from 200 to 800 feet below the surface.
1t is not difficult to GO down with s drill,
and when the wster is once reached there
is no end to the supply. When this prob
lem is solved the roar of the Panhandle
boom will be heard all over the country.
There is another name for this great