The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1892-09-30


Z such contumely upon their devoted
{ heads?
Western Third Of Kansas.
= A merican Wool and Cotton Reporter.
!, Decidedly encouraging are the reports
. which come to US recently of the agricul-
tural and financial condition of affairs In
the western third of Kansas, that semi
; arid belt within whose area many hard
earned dollar of the eastern investor has
been dropped in town property spec,,lx-
ton and farm mortgage purchases.
1.-The western third of Kansas, the arid
belt, the area Of fraudulent mortgages,
of deserted homesteads. of billiards and
blistering hot winds, the part of Kansas
which has given the state all the bad
name 1t ever had" is making phenome-
nal progress 10 wheat growing this year.
We are not 1T all surprised to receive
good reports from western Kansas, for
We have never doubted the richness of
the soil, its adaptability to certain crops,
nor the fact that when properly conduct
ed. farming in most sections of this vast
area could be made profitable. The prin.
cipal trouble in the past has been the
people. They have not understood the
country. and have never. until recently,
paused to study its climatic conditions,
It's varied resources, or what crops were
best suited to the land. The one desire
and aim of the many was to raise six foot
Illinois corn, to boom the towns. sell
''city lots, secure as large loan as pos
sible on their property, and if they failed
(and they always did). to curse the coun-
try and skip it. Others more impalsive
aud aggressive. sought relief mainly in
political action, 10 increase Of monetary
circulation, In the destruction Of nation !
al banks. free coinage of silver, the issue |
Of bonds at Il nominal interest on securi. |
~ OF crops and lands aud other vagaries |
of baneful influence. But the farmer
who attended to his business, who, If he
could not raise corn, raised wheat, and |
if cattle did not pay turned his attention
to sheep. although at first suffering pri-
vations and hardships, but always meet
lug his honest obligations, is now gener-
ally prosperous aud contented, while the
calamity bowler" who would howl into
the mouth of the cornucopia if it were
full of plenty, is as thriftless as ever.
whether he be farming in Oklahoma. in
the San Louis valley or in Oregon.
The western third of Kansas comprises
32 counties, which have always suffered.
more or less. from deficiency in rain.
fall, due to their high altitude and the
higher altitude beyond. 10 raise the
large varieties of corn in this section has
always been almost an impossibility, ex-
cept in the northwestern tier of counties.
or along the river courses. Wheat, rye,
barley, oats and forage crops especially
have, in most instances. proven profita-
BILE, while grazing has always yielded
good returns. This year the cereal crop
per acreage in the western third of Kan {
las is enormous. The harvest is now we'll
advanced, and everybody is jubilaut.
Mortgages will be paid off, lands will be {
advanced in value, and those defamers
Sho SO suddenly left the state, or who
suspended their farming operations to
'ttend caucuses and conventions will this
all return to guide again the ploughshare I
n the glebe. to conduct more intelligently +
heir farming operations, and to win sue 6
ess even in what they once termed G
dreary, drOuth- stricken western Kan S
as.''
In INDUCING in philosophical point
view on the subject. we can see moth
ng disheartening. The depression from G
wv prices which intensified and revealed II
ne extent and variety of discourage + 7;
tents, real and fancied. is mainly over p
'r thepresent. Generally Kansas farm
RS are prosperous, and while the loss in 9,
ity and village population has been {
'rge. there is every prospect that the d,
ext six months will show large in. is
rease in the farming population of the
estern third of the state. ?,