Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-12-12
kAFFIR FOR KANSAS.
Rev. Wood Describes an Ag-
ricultural Revolution.
Has in Mind Little Spot in the West
ern Part of the State Where Very
Little Can Be Grown.


From the Chicago Times-Herald-
''Wheat and corn may not be grown
after this in Kansas said Rev. John
d. Woods, of Evanston. yesterday.
''The Kansas farmer will turn his at
tention to the raising of American
kaffir, and on that he will feed his
family and cattle and through it he
will accumulate wealth and again en-
joy prosperity"
The rainmaker and the visionary
irrigationist have had their day in
Kansas, according to Mr.. Wood, who
has just returned to Evanston after
three year sOjourn in the sunflower
state. The Kansas farmer will no
longer pray for rain-the less of it the
better The hot winds will no longer
burn crops, but they will thrive on it.
Neither sand nor alkali nor grasshop-
perS nor chich bugs will again be all
powerful factors in the annual compu-
tatiOn, and everybody will grow kaffir
and Kansas will boom as she never
did before.
The driest spot of land in the whole
state will grow the biggest crop of
kaffir, and the rich bottom will grow
kaffir, too.
''But what is katfir?'' asked a good
Evanstonian, to whom the pOrtly
Methodist clergyman, was dilating on
the new source of wealth.
'Kaffir? Why kaffir is cereal of
Africa which grows in the hottest and
driest places. 1t will grow almost
anywhere it is hot-and Kansas yields
abundantly-
SEED sOwN BY SIMPSON.
"a few years ago Jerry Simpson
shipped a quantity of seed to his con-
stituents, and they planted it and
feed it to their cattle. Two years ago
we experimental making flour out of
it, with hope that the product
might be used to make bread, but we
did not have the beStOf success. The
mills could not grind it fine enough,
so it was not altogether good to eat.
Somehow the old burr process of
grinding failed and many thought our
scheme for feeding hungry Kansas
was failure. The product was good
for cattle, and when the farmer could
raise nothing else he raised kaffir.
Last year we experienced more.
Nearly every mill in western and
southern Kansas was tried, but with
poor success, for the flour was invaria-
bly, too coarse to be pleasant to eat,
although the flavor was unsurpassed
We did not despair, and two months
ago l came to Chicago bringing with
me 5000 pounds of kaffir. For DAYS |
the city in regard to the grinding of
the grain, and many of them tried
new ways of solving the problem. At
last we discovered a way, and the
kaffir flour can now be made as well
as any other flour. The old burr
process was abandoned and immense
rollers used instead.
KAFFIR MILL FOR CHICAGO.
LESS than a week ago the first sue
cessful katfir mill was equipped at
Marquette, Kansas, and it is doing a
wonderful business. The flour is al
most as white as snow. 1t is superior
in flavor to any other flour, and food
specialists pronounce it more nutri-
tious than the flour made from wheat
Kansas people are elated, and see the
dawning of a new era. Within a few
months L hope to arrange my plans so
as to be able to erect large mill in
Chicago, and thus encourage still
more the raising of the grain, which,
to my mind. is going to be one of the
chief articles of food within a few
years"
Mr.. Wood has provided his home
with articles of food made from the
best ground kaffir. The bread is not
only wholesome and palatable, but in
appearance very closely resembles or
binary wheat bread. Pancakes OF
kaffir flour taste about as would that
of wheat mixed with some graham
HOuI- MIS. w OOU has taken Qeer
interest in her husbands effort to
to develop the use of this cereal and
has used it in varied ways of cooking
Mrs. Wood says she has made success
fully from kaffir almost everything to
be made from wheat or graham.
Il have made mush which could
hardly be told from the mush made
from corn meal" said Mrs Wood
"And have also prepared from the
kaff1r flour dish resembling oatmeal
which, think is very pleasant to eat
believe the new food is going to rev
Olutionize cooking. Our only draw
back so far has been an inability t,
get the flour ground fine enough fol
pastry"
WIDESPREAD CULTIVATION EXPECTED
j. w. Heigh, who is here from
wichita, Kansas, to assist in the new
food project, says it is his opinion thai
within few years kaffir will be ex
tensively used all though the west
but especially in western Kansas, In
dian territory, Texas, Arizona an6
New Mexico. 81 have SEEM" he said
some fine fields of kaffir in western