Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-09-27


n business this winter.
The hay crop Is light but coarse
feed of other kinds will be plenty.
Thousands Of acres have been cut for
fodder and wheat and oat straw in
stead Of being wastefully burned have
been carefully preserved in view Of
the prospect Of lack Of hay.
Fruit which in the early summer
promised so little has turned out an
agreeable disappointment SO far as
apples are concerned, they being both
plenty and cheap. OF other kinds of
fruit there is scarcity.
But it was not to these things that
we wish to call attention.
The permanency Of Dickinson's
prosperity has a lirmcr foundation
than the measure Of success accorded
to the yield Of particular crops.
Take the creamery industry. It is
an old story here but outside the
county 1t is Il source Of wonder and
our neighbors envy us The success the
industry has attained. The Belle
Springs crcamcrleS have Cos patrons
and pay out in solid cash $4,000 to
$4,000 q month or $780, 900 u year,
The Hope creamery pays $500 n
month, or S2o,0)0a year. Comfortable
pays MS much and the Enterprise and
Woodbinc craamerles pay at least
$780, GOO. In the creamery industry
alone the farmers of Dick inson county
have u steady income, unaffected by
crop conditions, Of 1925, O00to $780,
600 annually. This goes on wet or
dry and comes in monthly in cold
clean cash.
But that is not all that the farm
yards produce. Finley & Brewer
during the past SIX months paid
s25. 900 for eggs. Estimating this at
one-half tile amount paid by all the
shippers Of the county, and We have
u yearly sum paid in this county for
eggs of 100000.
Nellis 4 Brenneman pay out about
$1,000 per month for chickens and
poultry. II they do one-half Of that
kind of business for the county the
amount paid the farmers for chickens
per year Is $36,000.
The butter handled by the firms of
Abilene outside Of the creamery pro-
duct will amount to many thousand
dollars annually.
Then there is to be added the gar
den products, the cattle and hogs and
horses. Though some stock Is at low
prices now there is always good in
come from the natural increase and
the farmers can find a satisfactory re-
turn from them in some way.
Dickinson's prosperity is based on
permanent industries and every year
sees less fluctuation because the
farmers are learning what to engage
in and how to handle it.
But there is another element Of
permancncy to be added--irrigation.
The day will come when the whole
Smoky Hill bottom will be independ-
ent Of the rain clouds. This year
there have been but two serious at
tempts at irrigation VIM. Biesecker
who has watered 10 acres and N. G.
who tiled three or four acres,
Both were partly successful but both
paid dearly for lack of experience.
Among those who are planning to
engage extensively in irrigation next
year are c. B. Hoffman, Enterprise,
POO acres; j. ]. Schneider, Detroit, 40
acres; +. M. Whitlaw. Abilene, 80
lcres; J. B. Case, Abilene, 10 acres,
Messrs. Biesecker and Hershey will
also extend their operations. With a
supply sufficient for three
good moistenings of the ground the
iarmer is independent of rain-and
the Dickinson farmer is working in
hat direction.
Thus the farmers OF Dickinson
county, it will be seen, are by no
means out Of luck, Their resources
ire Of such character as to tide |
hem over drouth with little ineon-
5enience and lend to the county a
permanent prosperity that cannot
all to make Of Dickinson county one
II the banner sections Of the West
through all time--as it isnow.