The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-27
KANSAS COTTON.

ST. LOUIS, June pa delegation head
! ed by Mayor G. c. Kincaid, Of Cherry
vale Kan, is in the city for the purpose of
| interesting ST. Louis merchants il the
development of the cotton-raising indus
try of Kansas. The Kansans are enthus-
| iastic about the vast developments re-
Gently made in cotton-growing in southern
| Kansas. and are anxious for its farther de-
| velopment.
1t is but recently that any attempt was
made at cotton-growing in Kansas, and
| the experiment has been SO encouraging
that within the past three or four years
the acreage of cotton has increased from
eight to 1900 acres producing an average
of two bales TO the acre. The cotton crop
| of last year was estimated at 5000 bales,
and it is the intention to increase this to
| sc, 900 bales by another year. Speaking OF
! this matter to a Globe-Democrat reporter
yesterday, Mayor kincaid said:
eve have come to St. Louis as repre-
sentatives of southern Kansas. for the pur-
pose of interesting st. Louisans in our
cotton interests. We want to make Cher
ryvale the cotton center for the crops from
southern Kansas, Oklahoma and the In.
dian territory. 1t is right on the line OF
the Frisco, coming into St. Louis, and by
putting in a cotton gin, compress, etc, the
crops can be prepared and baled for ship
ping on much larger and cheaper scale
than it is under the present circumstances
Cotton growing is a new thing with US,
and our people know but very little about
it; still we have found by experience that
We have some of the finest cotton-growing
land in the country, This was hrst DIS
covered some four or five years
ago when Kansas cotton carried
off the first premium at the New Or
lens exposition. The only people
engaged in at that time were few
negroes, who during the exodus moved
into Kansas from Mississippi and other
cotton-growing states Being raised III
cotton and having no knowledge OF any
thing else. they naturally took TO raising
cotton. Before that no one would try it,
believing that it was an impossiblllty to
make it pay The result of the colored
peoples experiment surprised the COM
munity, and really created a sensation
when their product carried Oft the first
prize Since then many farmers have
abandoned the other branches OF farming
and given up their lands exclusively to
cotton, with much profit. With wheat
and corn, s. to s. an acre was considered
satisfactory, while good cotton ground Is
expected to net from $50 to 800 an acre
annually We have been receiving reports
from the different counties and find that
ground purchased at the government price,
81. .25 an acre, is in many instances giving
two bales an acre of the finest cotton.
This nettea from $50 TO 500 an acre. With
a better knowledge of cotton growing we
expect to greatly increase this gain.
'The cotton grown in southern Kansas,
Oklahoma and the Indian territory is now
shipped in crude form to an old gin at
Liberty in car loads from various points,
and then shipped to different markets.
What we want is central market for
southern Kansas, Oklahoma and the In
dian territory, and then things will boom.
The putting in of cotton gin will necessi-
tate the erection of an oil mill We have
lots of seed, flax and beans, and before we
are through that section of the country
will not be eXcelled in cotton growing"