Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-01-30
LECTURE ON FERTILIZERS.
By City Granger Who Would Like
to Represent the Farmers in the
Legislature,

upOu hO W IuO AuNlbdSAOn W duulCoo
you upon the vital subject of fertilizer.
i shall endeavor to so thoroughly VEN
tilate this subject that my political adj
versary shall not be justified in denom-
mating me "a dung-hill."
To do this, however, it will be nee
essary to lead you up TO the subject on
the windward side and by easy stages
lest weary you. You will excuse me,
therefore, if 1 at times seem to wander
from the theme; it is done to allow you
time to digest the tough and stringy
parts of my argument.
And now, with your permission, l
will take you on my arm while we
stroll over the farm: Farm property
is beginning to look up" so they say in
town. The grand wheat prospects
have inspired new hope''-in them,
yes. My only fear, however, is that We
will have such everlasting big crops as
to ruin the prices; that is what was the
matter the past season, here as we'll as
in the east. But the blindness of some
is unaccOuntable. For instance, some
people rejoice that disease killed off
the chinch bugs last year. Now, think
minute and You will see it was mis-
fortune, for had the bugs lived our
three railroads could now handle our
grain. But as it is it is almost impos-
sible.
Few of you realize the mammoth
bulk of grain raised in Dickinson coun-
ty this past season-over 100000
bushels of corn, 100000 of wheat,
10000 of oats, besides buckwheat,
barley, millet, clover, timothy seed,
etc. Will not stop to mention the raft
of fat cattle and hogs and the train
loads of horses that are shipped out of
here every day. Ard, my hearers, do you
realize that right now there are twice
as many acres in wheat in this county
as last year? And that the conditions
have been so favorable that we are sure
to have over 2, 600, 900 bushels this year?
Does it not startle you?
Oh! Brethren of the Alliance, while
you have yet little time before har-
vest, work to secure more railroads,
while the sisters pray for chinch bugs;
it is our only salvation. "A word to
the wise is sufficient"
Now, 1 wish to direct your attention
to the most serious problem in Kansas.
1t is well known to you all that the soil
in Dickinson county is from three to
twenty feet deep and fertile beyond all
reason, two awfully rich; and the dan
ger l wish 10 call your attention to is
this: Nearly all the farmers in this
county are Indifferent about the manure
that is accommodating in their corralls
and barnyards, allowing it to lie there
and rot or hauling it out and dumping
it in some ravine instead of burning it
up as they should do. They do not
realize the danger they are placing this
farming community in. That which
to them seems All innocent, fragrant
pile of smoking manure to me appears
as smoking volcano.
You know, brethren, that the avel-
age yield of shelled corn for this county
the past season was over 81 bushels
per acre, aud some got even as high as
So bushels. You know, too, that there
has been organized "A State Bureau of
immigration" with one director from
each county, and that the object of that
organization is 10 secure half rates
from all parts of the east to Kansas.
You may be sure many farmers will
be persuaded to come and see this
county, for Dickinson county has
elected as her director that wonderful
though reckless ruSller. G. G. Sterl,
who would not shed tear if we were
all to sell our farms to eastern farmers
and move to town. He has no senti-
ment; he is strictly business.
Brethren, has the danger dawned
upon you YETI Have you no PRESENT.
ment as if an eruption would soon take
place unless that manure was de-
strOyed? Can you not see rushing
down from the summit of yOnder i'm
aginary pile of manure, as from the
crater of a volcano, vast pillows of corL
that will soon engulf the city and
swamp the three railroads? "None are
so blind as those who have no eyes, or
having nose they hear not" Take
warning before the ammonia from this
field fertilizer shall hover in misty
clouds Ger the cultivated fields of
Dickinson. Know ye, brethren, that
the thing | am shooting at is that ma
nure pile. If not destroyed, it will yet
rise up and mock you. Within a year,
no doubt, One-fourth Of the farms of
this county will be sold to eastern
farmers; they pillow deeper than we do
and keep their corn cleaner and house
their machinery, and do lots of other
foolish things that we don't do. They |
don't spend two days of the week in !
town: all they seem to think of is work. |
They care nothing about the refine
ments of society nor the advantages of
cooperation. And while we spend |
much of our time in the city in organ