The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-04
MORE ABOUT TaE ENORMOUS PRO-
DUCTIVBN ESs OF TIE GREAT
ARKANSAS VALLEY,
To the Editor of the Eagle;

| To the Editor of the Eagle:
In last Sundays EAGLE I directed
attention to the imhIenses wheat product
of the twenty counties tributary 10 the
! city of Wichita. The figures show that
these counties, which comprise only
one-sixth of the area of the state, have
| produced nearly one-half the wheat
grown in the one hundred and six coun-
ties of the state. Not alone in wheat
has this wonderfully favored territory
| been prolific. The oat crop of the state
for this year has been 43, 722 4S4 bushels
that of these twenty counties %, $780,
! 1SS, or nearly tW o million bushels more
| than one-half the crop of the entire
| state. The present estimate of the corn
| but this is not final, nor can the product
of the several counties be given yet
! but it is certain that these twenty coun-
| ties, lying largely III the Great Arkansas
river valley, will show that they have
been US abundant in corn as in wheat
and oats. In this territory there has
been raised $50, PSI bushels of barley,
and 900 bushels of rye. Not much
attention has been paid to these two
crops. There is no country on earth
that can produce finer barley
than the rich lands of this valley.
Give them a good market for barley and
rye and less wheat will be grown and it
will command a better price, and no
complaint will be made about ''fifty-cent
wheat"
These twenty counties have grown
this year %, 900 acres of broom corn and
80, 900 acres of sorghum. This climate
ant-soil arc especially adopted to and
favorable for the growth of these two
crops. Broom corn is worth from $50 to
500 per ton, and is very profitable. The
sugar mills already in operation in
Southern Kansas have settled the ques-
ton of proftably producing sugar from
the cane grown in this valley. Sweet
potatoes is a sure and abundant crop
every year, and in quality are
not surpassed by the famous Jerseys"
In the production of watermelons south
ern Kansas cheats the world" Georgia
sis nowhere" compared to her. The
colored man, when he gets hold of
seventy-fve-pound Kansas watermelon
Qhey reach that weight, laughs clear
down to his boots Some of the largest
seed houses in the country has its
melon seeds grown in southern Kansas,
These counties "hold their own" In
the production of live stock. The re-
port of the secretary of the state board
cf agriculture, from which we get our
figures, show that they have 204, sol
horses and mules; 494 9j3 meat cattle
and 351 200 swine. Animals under six
months old are not counted: if they /
were the cattle and horses would be !
nearly double and the "hog crop" would |
increase three fold. From the facts and |
figures given it will be seen that South |
ern Central Kansas is net 'barren !
waste" nor is any part itof "the great /
American desert"
The United States CENSUS of 1890 gave I
to these twenty counties population of /
800, $40 souls. Two years have largely /
increased the number.
The climate of Kansas is exceedingly (
favorable for the natural increase of the /
human family. OF the fruit and other
resources of this section we will speak .
ia another paper. c. ". CLEMENT.