Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-05-22
From Illinois.
BRADLEY, Ill, May I6, 1873

4
EDITORS INDEX: If you are not still
overcrowded with communications, and
have space enough to admit Sucker. y
| l will give you few items taken on
| the wing during recent trip through
Kansas, and especially Barber county.
1t being my first look, scanned it close
ly, and found much worthy of merit
and such facts, as they exist, ought to
encourage your entire people, and es-
pecially the farmers. No class of men
in any country could have better pros
poets. a good rich soil, easily cultiva-
| ted, and home market for their pro-
duce, | cannot help believing that there
is bright future before Barber county.
in which Medicine Lodge will become a
leading town Of the state in many par
| ticulars. In travelling over several coun-
ties in central and northwestern Kan
sas, l found many broad and fertile
pralries, beautiful to behold, and no
doubt full of merit, but l saw nothing
that thought compared with Barber
county, all things considered. None
were so well adapted to diversified
farming. The never-failing supply of
fresh water timber for shelter and for
fuel; and plenty of good tillable soil,
such as will grow all crops raised In the
west, even corn. regardless of hot winds,
if planted early and early varieties used.
These facts, together with the new in
dustries now being inaugurated at the
county seat, makes it a bonanza for
the farmers near the city. A Touring
mill, canning factory, county fair and
other like helps are sure to follow, and
will place Barber at the head of the pro-
cession, on the march of progress. This
seems to me to be the only conclusion
one can come to after a close and COM
prehensive view of the facts relating to
the same.
am an advocate of diversified farm
ing-of planting everything that can be
raised on a farm, which will insure an
abundance of feed ut all seasons. Also
breeding horses, cattle, sheep and swine.
according to fancy, or ability to handle.
Should some crop fail, OF become very
cheap, other crops or stock would fill
up the gap. know many Kansas far
mers will say that this is easy to put on
paper, but it cannot be taken off the
soil, which is true if the proper effort
is not made to do it; but if properly
made, good harvest will be the result
in the great majority of cases. believe
there are too many Kansas farmers who
expect to live without effort-kind of
by chance''-amd # it don't chance to
suit them, they become 'croakers. y and
most terribly abuse the country for that
which they ought to blame themselves.
Speaking of croakers, find them of two
classes. First. those who never tried to
do anything. Second, those who tried
10 do TOO much; not content with
a good thing; not satisfied with Kan
sas, they want the indian Territory.
For instance. a man now in Kansas
with whom was associated in the cat
tie business. away back i'll the sixties.
lie took up a small ranch in Kansas.
and prospered, and gradually increased
herd and bank account, faster each
year. But he became avaricious: re.
moved his herd to the Indian Territory.
it increased four, five or six fold. and
soon after blizzard came along and
relieved him of $4,000 IN one cold
night, which, with a rapid depreciation
in values, left him a comparatively
poor man. And now he curses every
village and every foot of soil in Kansas
for his present condition.
The lashlngs Kansas gets from these
croakers all along the line is terrible to
endure. But there is better class of
farmers, nevertheless. They are the
men who stay men OF grit and thrift.
men doing something for themselves
and their country, as every passer-b,
can tell when approaching the bounda
ries of their farms. OF these I found
not few, OF whom space will not per
mit me to speak personally. However.
| struck man at Deerhead whom ius /
tice demands should not forget. fand
| don't think l shall as he taught me
somethlngnew. had always supposed |
hat q hours made day, but the pro |
prietor ct a livery barn VIII
had cnntr~e- 80 wnom
tof room and hay for
I0lses, at ID cents day. per head on--,
ne Ia understand $50 es--rOl
va r- -..1rs HEs- 1abers Con Z
-1vIs't II entirely that u hours make
a CAV. ard Il hours make 4 nOight. and
hp-iabnl,s ifs Il s.Irlfs = llnrr On. i 8 . -.