Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-08-20

aud smooth as the covering 10 the
think tank of the big headed dude
who has just had his hair clipped by
barber.
Great care must be taken lest the
hay be put up "wet" or before 1t is
sufficiently cured, In which event 1t
would soon get hot in the car or stor'
age room and become practically
worthless.
| The yield of hay per acre is,
on an average, about u ton and
quarter, and the reader may pos
sibly form q better idea of the
magnitude of the business in Mr.,
Mines camp alone when we say that
his force mows, rakes, bales, hauls,
weighs and loads upon the cars all
average Of eighty acres of grass every
day. Think OF it. Eighty acres, two
thousand and five hundred bales, one
hundred tons, ten full car loads every
day. TIE aggregate expense OF this
undertaking is in round numbers S3OO
per day, $2,l00 per week.
Mr.. Milne is this season shipping
out nearly all the hay as fast as it is
ready. 1t goes principally to Chicago,
though he has a contract with New
Orleans parties which calls for one
hundred tons per month regularly
through the year.
Mr.. Milne has leaaed from the Qua
paw Indians, tor u terra of five years,
about 1000 acres Of good land, most OF
which is reserved for hay. The haying
season begins the first week In June
and continues until about the last OF
September. All of this large tract OF
land will he cut oace and from large
part of it u secoud growth of grass
will be cut, yielding u ton to the acre.
BY provision of the leases Mr.. Milne is
required TO put in cultivation certain
portion OF this land, build some houses,
set out orchards, dig wells, etc, which
he is doing. 1t is all fenced and no
stock of any kind is allowed TO graze
upon the grass land at any time during
the year. The late growth Of grass is
left upon the land all winter and
burned off about the 10th Of April. In
this way the weed seeds are all killed
aud the grass given the best growth
possible. 1t is a rare thing to see a
large scope of prairie almost free from
weeds, but Mr.. Milne has SO protected
his grass land in the past four years
that it is practically weedless and pro-
duces the finest quality Of hay found
in the United States.
The reader must remember, how
ever, that although Mr.. Milne con-
trolls this large scope Of land and IS
the most extensive manufacturer and
shipper of wild hay in this section of
country, and probably in the United
! States, he is but one Of many in the
same business. j. w. Chubb and
sous, j. IL. Chubb, j. w. Stone, r. ..
Thomas, Samuel Apple, B. Cox, W..
w. Scott and number Of others whose
names we did not learn are running
from two to u half dozen mowers
each, with balers and stackers suffi-
cient to handle all that is cut. Some
of these parties are stacking the hay
on the fields where cut, TO be baled
after the cutting season is over. 9th.
ers are storing it to hold for higher
prices in the winter. There are sew
eral barns in the vicinity OF Baxter
Springs holding 500 to 1000 tons Of
baled hay each and they will all be full
before winter.
1t is difficult to arrive at the aggre-
gate amount of hay put up in this vi
cinity, but we are told that Mr.. Milne
handles about one-third of the total
output. Probably $4,000 acres includ-
ing second growth cuttings,will be cut,
. welding as many tons of hay. AT 30 a
ton, which is about the lowest figure at
which it is sold here, this industry
represents a large sum of money. In
Chicago the product is worth IS to $l2
t per ton.
Owing to the fact that the other hay
producing states are each year break
ing up more land for grain and reduc-
! Ing the amount of grass land the hay
business in this locality is increasing
In volume each year. At present full
train load Of eighteen to twenty cars
per day is sent out. In July 232 cars
of hay, fourteen Of cattle, one of
horses and two of poultry went out of
Baxter Springs. Up to the 18th OF
this month 1872 cars had been sent out
aud il is thought that the total num-
Der of cars of hay shipped during
August will reach 300 or more.
In the above we have failed to men,
r ton tie ebay camp" This is where
7 the hay men who work in the field
live. II is composed Of a number OF
r tents located near the hay field, where
7 the wives aud families OF the men pre-
pare the food, beds and other Deces-
: sary adjuucts to the meager form OF
. diving" on tie prairie which the par
Elephants seem to.enjoy quite as well
r as their more fortunate neighbOrs on
farms IN the state, or even the city
fnlIs Tn Mr.. Mines camp there