Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-05-27
Building a Farm Home in Western
Kansas.

PAPER read Dy Ben y. Rlcn at the an
nual meeting of the State Board of Ag-
riculture:
It has been said that ''the homes of
the people are the safeguards of the ma
ton" This depends on the meaning
we place on the word ''home." If, ac-
cording to some of Webster definitions,
we regard home as "a dwelling place;
place of residence; the country in which
one dwells; or, the place of constant
residence" then, the statement is not
true. Robert Ingersoll truly says: "One
does not shoulder musket in defense
OF boarding house." Yet, the board
ing house may be where one dwells. So
may tenement house or a rented farm
be ones home, according to the above
definitions. Hence, in discussing my
subject, | shall take Dryden's definition,
"Home is the sacred refuge of our life, !"
and qualify it, to apply to farm life, by
adding Webster's further explanation,
"All that pertains to dwelling place"
I will further add my own ideas: That
the ideal home implies ownership; for
the fullest realization of the pleasure of
a home depends on the consciousness
that the farm home, with all its loved
associations and tender memories, is
the property of those who occupy it.
Then, every tree planted, every adorn-
ment or improvement made, but adds
to the love we cherish for the farm home
and farm life
Nor is this all. One may own the
farm, and work thereon from early
1o4n %
great crops of grain and hay, and have
fine horses, cattle and hogs thereon to
feed and fatten upon the same, and yet
the place lack all the essentials of an
ideal farm home For here one exists
or lives, but gets no enjoyment from
such an existence. In the true farm
home there will be comfort and pleasure
for the occupant. There will be gar
dens and orchards and groves and flow
ers and pretty adornments, and thou
sand and one things to add to our enjoy
ment and cOntentment and happiness.
Every thing that it is possible to pro-
duce In the latitude or climate should
be made to contribute to the support,
pleasure and profit Of the family.
Presuming, then, that the ordinary
farm home has "all that pertains to a
dwelling place." including ample build
ings and convenient fields, for the care
of stock and the production of crops, !
will devote the most of this paper to a
consideration of the best means of sup
plying the other essentials of true farm
home. Not here in the east, where ma
ture has been kind to the farmer, though
some of these remarks will apply to the
east as well as to the west, but out On
the plains of western Kansas, where ma
ture has been in many ways unkind.
Fifteen years ago | settled in the
midst of what was formerly styled "the
Great American Desert" The average
rainfall in Trego county has been only
1915 inches for the past II years. This
amount, when properly distributed, is
sufficient to produce fair crops of wheat
rye, and oats, and hay and forage crops
The grass which abounds throughout is
very nourishing to all kinds of stock
and when remunerative prices prevail
our farmers can be as fairly sure of g
Giving" as in more favored commune
ties.
But our ideal home cannot be obtain
ed without the aid of an artificial supply
of water. For years l have been strug
Cling to build up a home that would
possess the elements of support, com
fort, convenience, and beauty. | have
planted thousands of trees and shrubs
vines and flowers, fruit, both large anc
small, and garden vegetables, only t.
see them die for want of a water supply
which nature has denied to that region
have tried apples, peaches, cherries
grapes, strawberries, etc, until | have
been called crank; and then, wher
they have failed, have been consoled b,
my friends with II told you So"
[ though our soil was rich enough
and that our climate was all that W.
could desire; and that the one trouble
was lack of water. I was discouraged
and almost hopeless of success. Year
of failure almost made me somewhat o
a skeptic; but ''every cloud has silve
lining"
At the period of greatest depression,
became aware that many of our scien
tific men were experimenting and writ
ing of the "underfow" which prevail
throughout much of our great plains re
giop. l studied it, and began to maxi
observations on my own account, ant
became convinced that, on large pro
portion of the farms of western Kansas
there was sufficient volume of water
within reasonable distance from tn
surface, that could be made available 70
irrigating few acres for garden and or
chard. Then the question came, hoy
can this water be raised to the surface
so that the expense will not exceed tn
profits? l visited Finney and ForC
counties, and studied the system of irri
eating from canals, and then went t.
work experimenting in small way
The land | selected is in Big Greek val
! ley-what is known as second bottoms
The slope is to the east, about foot il
q rods. l drilled a 6-inch well an,
cased it up with heavy galvanized iron
The first stratum of water was reaches
at 20 feet, but was insufficient in vol
ume. At 80 feet we struck gravel, int
which we penetrated about feet. Her
we found an inexhaustible flow o
water.
l use 4x1 6-inch brass body, Traherl
cylinder, with 2-ineh supply and dis
charge pipe; placed near the bottom
large foot valve, and Immediately abov
it the cylinder. Thus the cylinder i
within the lower volume of water, will
about 20 feet or water pressure above it
For power | use an 81 foot steel-geareC