The Globe-republican., 1894-04-20

This morning We took trip through the
old Zimmerman homestead premises to
see how that alfalfa, the fish ponds. those
fruit trees. and the high bred hogs were
getting IN. The sights we saw in that
hasty visit are enough to inspire with con-
Gdence the most skeptical regarding the
greatness Of Western Kansas. Every
farmer in Ford county ought to take
look at this place once in while for an
ideal to encourage him. We found
Capt. Churchill in charge. In fact lie is
doing the manual labor of this splendid
farm with his own hands at present. We
have not room tllis week to give details,
but will say the alfalfa fields were the
most substantial objects which attracted
our notice. This wonderful forage plant
is now growing like magic. The mead
ows are bright, fresh green, and will do
for first eating next month. Stock
hogs have the run Of one patch. they
look sleek aud healthy. Alfalfa is all
they eat. and they neither seem to need
or desire anything more. Capt. Church;
i'll says with the privilege of running out
on an alfalfa field, in the pure air Of
western Kansas, such a thing as cholera is
unknown.
The miniature lakes stocked with carp
and other varieties of choice fish, text at
ok,1> nf
vegetable gardenis being irrigated when
ever a little more water would push
growth any faster, though just now the
soaking rain of last week supplies all
needs. Wind is:the power used to hoist
water, and it costs nothing but a few
cents worth of Oil each year.
The wheat field was near by. There
was splendid stand Of as thrifty wheat
as we ever saw. 1t would not surprise us
to hear of from fifty to sixty bushels of
wheat to the acre next harvest. Rye also
looks we'll.
But the most beautiful sight of all from
an artistic standpoint was the fruit trees
laden with fragrant blossoms. Any one
who has labored under the delusion that
fruit was failure in western Kansas
ought to 60 out aud see this farm. There
were plum trees that looked like nothing
but great mountains Of white, not even a
green leaf showing through the dense
mass of blossoms. Cherry blossoms are
beginning to bust open, but most of them
were still i'm the buds, swell and almost
ready to burst forth into healthy bloom
ing: Siberian crabs Lad bloomed once,
been killed and newly formed fruit buds
were swelling ready to bloom the second
time apple trees were full of blossoms
and fruit buds of the most exquisite tinted
beauty that one could wish to look upon
in the floral kingdom. But the finest dis
play and the most valuable feature of the
fruit department was that made by the
pear trees. Little pear trees in consider
able numbers were noticed to have all the
good thrifty blossoms they could possibly
bring to mature fruit, but two large
Bartlett trees were wonder to behold.
They lowered high in the air, and their
branches spread out wide, though symet-
really in every direction, all white as
with bloom. The little pears
were already as large as peas, and there is
promise OF most prolific yield. MIR.
Churchill says these trees have already
been be2ring pears Of most delicious
flavor. He measured three bushels from
a single tree one season. They will al
most certainly far surpass that quantity