Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1890-03-06
l aisATEoS.
Ell NJ. v. SUTTON.

| haiiSdS viii. the ielSSiDlt eActptiOiiSti q
few favored localities. have very differ
ent and more difficult problem before
them to selre than the farmers living in
the eastern part Of tie state. With them
it is how to get the highest price for
| their abundant product. or how to re-
| alize the most cash as a return fer the
product when sold in the markets of
the world. with us it is how TO get
4. the product The history OF the settle
ment of our state shows that the settle
ments advanced regularly on the same
line across the state; the line running
north and south and advancing like a
line of battle. the settler of today pass
ing the settler of yesterday and taking
the quarter of land first west of the
quarter section taken before, leaving
no unclaimed government land behind
or to the eastward of him. So regular
and uniform was that advance and
settlement. that the counties bordering
on the west line of the state. were ali
organized within the same year. The
settlers in the eastern portion of the
| state have encountered many. If nOt-all
of the obstacles that confront Us in the
| west. such as hot winds, drouth. etc.
but in a less degree both as to severity
and frequency. IL may truthfully be
said that these difficulties have been
overcome in the eastern portion of the
state. TO very great extent. while we.
after Il trial of from ten to fifteen years
find the barriers to be quite insurm0unt-
able to our success, as agricGituriStS
pure and simple. They of the eastern
portion of the state have succeeded,
until tney have this year realized
a crop, unparalleled in abundance, and
hesitate to congratulate themselves
only because OF the low price that the
crop viii bring III the market.
1t has been demonstrated beyond
question Or dispute, that the farmers
in the western part Of the state cannot
sUbdue the climate and overcome these
obstacles by the ordinary and usual
methods employed by Our more FORUM
ate neighbors-such as blowing, plant
ing, cultivation. growing forests, orch
ards etc.
The settler has located on our western
praIries, the same as did the settler on
the prairieS in the eastern portion Of
the state-erected his cabin. broken the
native sod planted his crop, seen it grow
and promise return beyond his fond
est dreams, and then witnessed the hot
winds destroy it in day, or the dry,
hot weather come and remain until the
growing crops turn prematureiy yellow
and ripen in the bloom; He tries again
and again with the same result, until
the last dollar he brought with him has
disappeared, loads his family and traps
into his worn out wagon, writes upon
the sheet that covers it ''busteG" casts
regretful look ut his effort and his
failure. turns his face and team toward
: the rising sun and the home Of his
wife's people, and is seen no more in
Western Kansas. Three successive
crops of settlers have come, tried, failed
and gone since the writer has lived in
this country. All have had about the
same eXperience-have suffered the
same disappoIntmentS. This want of
success, these unyarying failures are
confined principally to the settler who
farms exclusively. The settler who turns
his attention to gathering about HIM q
small herd of cattle: is usually success
full in degree sufficient to enable him
to retain his land, make fair living,
and show moderate increase in his as
sets. This is accounted for by the
fact that rough feed for stock can be
grown in abundance in this portion OF
the state; but it takes more capital to
engage III it even on small scale, than
tile average settler or home seeker has
at his command. All cannot raise ca t.
tie nor could they compete with their
brothers in the cornlands. How 10
make this an agricultural country is q
problem awaiting solution. We have
in Western Kansas as good if not a rich
er soil than is found in the farming To-
calities in any country. and with suili-
cient water any product that is grown
in this latitude could be produced abGn-
dainty The rain fail is not sufficient.
or at least not so distributed throug.,
the growing season 10 enable the farm
er to mature his crop, and unless this
essential can he supplied from some
other source, the problem viii remain
without solution. The rain fall. in
any one year, together with the water
that flows down the streams to the sea.
and that vast quantity OF water that
flows past under ground known as the
under-h0w. make agrand total of water
that we have amounting to much more
than does the water that falls from
the rain clouds in the most favored
climes. The spring rains come in tor
rents, rush down the slopes into the
streams and in roaring flood disappear
in the rivers and, the water is lost to
the agriculturist. The SHOW melts in
the mountains and the June rise in the
river passes by in great volume. The
under-fiow remains undisturbed. save
by now and then an artesian well-ti.at
is not much of Il curiosity and of very
little utility. If this water could be re-
tanned and spread out over the fields in
the crop growing season. the farmer
would realize product that for guam
tity and quality would stand without d
rival Western Kansas would take
first place as an agricultural country
and with its crops OF grain. fruit and
roots. a continent could be fed. 1t would
be more fruitful than the regions Of the
far famed Nile. An Investigation OF
this subject VIII lead to the iTfestaoie
conclusion thai tie water shat fails and
thai ti.,uc s.sAsr real