Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-03-16
THE ARID PART OF KANSAS.
A Reply to a Recent Letter From c.
Wood Davis.

| "A. w. SIuDDS Ol GdrUeu ClIy, haQ
writes to the st. Louis GlObe-Democrat
saying:-After am actual residence in
western Kansas Of eight years, five OF
which have been spent in the centre OF
the plain known in the early days rs
the CimarrOn dry trail, where teams
on the old Sante Fe road had to travel
SO miles without water in crossing
river, | think I am competent to speak
Of this region and its resources. This
plain is now embraced in Haskell
county, Kan. | do not care so much
to criticise the figures given by c.
( Wood Davis as to deny the general
conclusions arrived at 1t os perhaps
true that 100000 people had homes in
the west third of Kansas in 1856, and
that since that time many of these
people have gone else where In 1856
there was a mad rush to this section
by people from all parts of the country,
and representing every occupation
Thousands of them built small shanties
and lived in them six months, proved
up, borrowed 5000 to $1,000 ON the land,
paid . the government 5000 of this
amount, and then had more money
left than they ever earned before in the
same length of time. They did not
stay, and did not expect to stay when
they came. The mortgages took the
lands and the eastern investors still
hold them. They do not pay interest
ON the investment, and there is now
no evidence that they were ever occu-
pied. They are not farmed and are
improbable. This is the money that
is, according to Davis, buried beyond
hope of resurrection" I have seen 80
bushels of wheat SO bushels of barley,
80 bushels of oats, % bushels of corn,
10 tons of Kaffir corn, sorghum and
similar crops of rough feed per acre
harvested ON the higheste and dryest of
these lands, and during my eight years
residence in this part of the STATED have
seen only one complete failure of small
gram That was the past season, when
crops generally throughout the country
were seriously injured by dry weather.
During the year 1892 the farmers of
Haskell county raised so much wheat
that it took all the teams and men in
the country an average of so days to
haul the crop to market. Some farmers
almost single-handed, raised over 5000
bushels. This is true of many other
neighbOring counties. Just prior to
this a great cry went out over the
country about the dreadful condition
of Kansas people on account Of their
property being so heavily mortgaged.
ola off
their crops closer than prudence would
have dictated in order to pay their
debts. The result is they' are not in
the best condition to meet and tide
over such Il failure as this season
brings. [ can say, however, that there
is no more suffering in this part of the
state in proportion to the population
than in many other localities through
out the United States, and if the fell
lows who are trying to figure us out
of existence will seek some more useful
employment they will confer a great
favor on a suffering people.
Western Kansas is not yet ten years
old, and I dare say that no greater per
cent. of those who came and settled
here for the purpose of securing a per-
manent home were compelled to aban-
don the country by reason of crop fail
ures than in any other part of this
state or the states farther east. 1t is
the history of all newly settled coun-
tries that it is not the first nor the sec
ond, but the third settler that stays
and becomes q permanent resident. The
l >e II SslSs
is unsurpassed, and the reasonable GER
tainty of small grain inSureS the per
manent occupancy of the country. Our
climate is universally recognized as
the very best Up to date we have had
but little snow this season, and while
the mercury has been playing around
zero even in eastern Kansas, 1T has not
been lower than 20 degrees above In
this part of the state. The farmers
of this Finney) county have harvested
from $40 to $50 worth of alfalfa pei
acre this season, and are among the
most PROSPEROUS in the state. This Is
on lands susceptible of irrigation, bu
some of the very best yields are iron
lands that have not been irrigated fol
five years A general movement is OF
foot for the extension of irrigation
which all admit will be Of the creates
benefit. and it is conceded by all wh'
are well Informed that if the Wate
which annually goes down the Arkan
sas river, adding ITO the destructy'
, floods of the lower Mississippi, coult
: be utilized for this purpose on the semi
arid plains of Colorado and Kansas /
would be sufficient to irrigate man.
thousands of acres and amply repa,
the cost of increased production o
: fruit. vegetables and grain. MaJo
Powell of the United States geological
:. survey asserts that with 5 per CEN
;. of western Kansas under irrigation tn
: country is worth mere per square mil
than eastern Kansas. A much large
percentage than this can be irrigated
:. but Mr.. Powells estimate is based o
e the fact that crops are reasonably cel
e tain without irrigation, and with on
u acre in 20 irrigated, rendering it SUI
t to produce, he concludes that this pal
of the state would yield more tina
). regions wholly dependent on rainfall
e The frequent crop failures, first frol
dry weather and then from floods,
/ more humid regions, will, I think, abu1
It dainty attest the truthfulness OF IL
Y assertion.
>. WOMAN IN ENGLISH POLITICS