People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-02-20
From Arkansas.
THE ZEPHYR (?).
Belle PLANE, Kansas,

FROM Arkansas.
EDITOR OF THE VOICE: 1t has been
some time since l contributed any,
thing to your most excellent paper.
l conclude that some one would like
to hear from this country, and calcu-
lating that twO-thirds Of the voters
of Sumner county read the VOICE, |
choose it as the medium through
which to communicate with all who
wish to hear from this part Of Arkan-
Sas. The people are beginning to
pillow and otherwise getting ready to
farm. Fruit trees and plants are
being prepared for setting in March.
We have thus far had an exceedingly
warm winter, the ground not having
been frozen to exceed two inches.
People do not worry about their con-
ditiOn, but are fearful that it will get
worse. l have been too busy this win.
ter to talk politics very much, but l
have heard a number Of the leading
men Of the town and country express
themselves in reference to the presi-
Dental campaign, and are a unit for
free silver-bOth Republicans and
DemOcrats-and declare they will
vote for the party whose principles
are for free silver, regardless of name.
When such men as Congressman
Peel and State Senator Blackburn,
who are leading public men, stand out
on a free silver plank, it means a
whole lot, and l think it safe to say
that, unless the Democrats step out
sQuarely for free silver, the Populists
will carry this state by a large major
| ity. The same conditions exist here
as elsewhere-nO money; and it's true
the farmers frequently cannot sell
their products at any price. l will
give you the report of the secretary of
the Horticultural society of Benton
county: There has been shipped out
of this county since last August, of
apples, $4,000 bushels, taking 1,0S3
cars to haul them; I'll 200 bushels
used at seventeen evapOrators, 14O, 900
bushels used at one distillery at Ben
tOnville, and $4,000 bushels by one
cider factory. Now, add to this what
the people used and what has been
put up for home use, and you will
have at least 100000 bushels, and
even at the price they sold for, say an
average of 25c, you would have the
handsome sum Of s365,OOO for apples
alone; and It's estimated that the
small fruit crop would swell thes,
figures to at least half million. But
suppose the people could get fail
prices for this product, it would bt
Immense.
BY examining the freight book o.
the Frisco R. R. at Rogers, we fine
that during the year 1895 there were
shipped from Rogers 235 cars of lime
2S5 cars of apples, ISL cars of fouI
and bran, IS cars Of lumber, 81 cars O
live stock and 81 cars of berries
There were received here ZIG cars O
lumber. The shipments l have men
toned as going out are the mail
products of this country, of which
fruit excels, and should the fruit ant
berry crop fail there are scores of mel
who would have nothing left in tn
way of farm products, and l am SAT
, in saying that this country is not
farming country on general principles
but a man who is able to battle wit
the stumps, and in many place
stones, can have an abundant living
provided he be able to own a SINAI
piece of land that is fairly good. TIL
majority of the land produces fror
Il to % bushels of corn, 5 to y G
I wheat, 80 of oats; and one man ca
cultivate about 10 to % acres of corr
e So you see, aside from the fruit an
q berry business, there is no money i
0 farming; but the people who hay
d lately come here are going into tn
t fruit and berry business with a ven
b geance, and they have come her
2 by the hundreds.
e l was talking with gentleman We!
e terday who has recently bougb
a eighty acres just west Of me for s:
a per acre, and he told me he ha
d bought 100000 strawberry plants an
|. would set out twenty acres tn
!? spring; paid 6Oc per thousand, He
It a South Dakota man. The fact is
e don't see how this great army of EN-