Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-04-24
A PANHANDLE TALK.
FARMING AND BUSINESS OUTLOOK
ENCOURAGING.
Judge Duncan G. smith Speaks of
the Growing Crops, tho business
Conditions and the bright Pros
pect. of His section Of tina coun-
try.

Judge Duncan G. Smith OF Quanah Is
in .he city on his way home from the
grand lodge. knights of Pythias, u
which he was member. He says
they had good meeting and were well
entertained by the good people OF Wa
co. One very interesting feature was
the school OF instruction, at which
ouanah lodge had five members in at
tendance.
citizens of the Panhandle, and his re-
ports Of that great section OF the
country are most encouraging.
He says that early wheat and oats
are now beginning to head out. There
was II good stand owing to the open
winter and the good rains, which kept
these crops growing almost without
check from the time they came up.
There were heavy rains a week ago
that have brought everything along
finely. And already the crops are as
Rured. The ground is in good condition
for cotton planting, and the farmers
are getting 1t in rapidly. a great deal
OF cotton will be grown there this year.
Not much was raised last season on
account OF the low prices Eevailing
the year before, which discouraged
them.
The people are not combining their
energies to any one thing for living
They have had experience now, and
have learned that they cannot de-
pend upon any one crop or industry.
so they are diyersifying their crops,
raising wheat. oats. corn, kafiir corn,
millet. cotton and sorghum, and are
stocking their farms not only with cat
tie. but with horses. hogs and poultry,
paying more attention to dairy pro-
ducts also.
The people are all living comfortably.
not making money" as II is termed.
but living well. and with the bright
prospects for the best crops In six
years, the expectation is that they Will
make money this year. and get their
old machinery debts liquidateI, and
many mortgages lifted.
AS an illustration OF the feeling
burned into many OF the people there,
Judge Smith cited the case of man
who came into his office to make pay
ment on purchase money note on
his land. He paid $3.50 or $500, saying
that IL was what he had left over from
| his cotton money after settling all his
bills providing for the immediate
wants OF his family, and reserving a
\ portion to meet their necessities until
new crops came in. He raised Is bales
Of cotton on about 30 acres OF land, and
realized $ cents per poupd for It,
| Another man, on being1asked why he
| did not take up mortgage note. re-
piled that he would do so when It rain
ed. that he had the money to do so
with but would not turn II loose" UNI
/ til his coming crop was assured. which
l would be the case whenever rain would
come He stated also that on former
occasion he had paid out his last dol
lar that way. and. His crop failing
sheer starvation stared him and his
family in the face, and he wouldn't
! do Il again. Now II has rained," said
the Judge. "and I expect ho has paid
It."
The people who are there. and who
have passed through the hard times
and low prices OF the last three years
he says. have learned by experience
how to adapt themselves to the country
I and Its conditions; have learned what
crops TO plant, and when and how,
and to make their farms Yield all the
varied products adapted to the coun-
| try. Every man has q small bunch
| OF cattle, also, and as the grass is the
| finest IL has been for years, ana the
| winter having been an open one, so
/ that they wintered we'll. very few dy-
ing the cattle are in fine condition.
and will prove great source Of
ready money as soon as they move to
market.
Aa TO chickens. and butter and eggs.
there are worlds OF them, and when
/ one party remarked. he would not talxs
( butter 10 town TO sell at 10 centa
/ pocnd another aid he would. that
when he rold his butter for 20 cents he
! paid 10 cents yard for calico. ges-
! ting two yards for his pound OF butter;
/ now he can get two yards for 10 cents,
ana his pound OF butter brings him us
much as before.
! In regard to industrial enterprises.
Judge Smith SAYS that they have three
cement and plaster works at Quanah,
which are turning out good quality