The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-31


wheat crop that has mover been c~quallcd there.
population in three years. has shipped more
butter, eggs, cheese, and beef TO the Eastern
before The farmers knew to what their broad
acres were best adapted. The same is true OF
.Anson AT MCadc, this county OF Meade in
onthMcstSm Kansas vas the mos! discourag.
one knows how our mortgage ridden farmers
suffered, ana how miserably they lived to gain II
This county owed New Workers and '%Sw Eng.
landcrs more than $780, 900. But this year has
changed It all. We shall pay of $500. 900 Of
mortgages before January, and my book show
that taxes have been promptly paid. | have
here in my safe now more than tifty letters from
Eastern mortgage holders saving they are con.
tent 10 lcaVo their loans on the farms. For
seven years we have been receiving hundreds
OF letters every spring and fall from Eastern
MORTGAGES sC0ldins us for the way they were
robbed by Kansas farm loan companies, and blam:
interest. In the last week l know OF eleven men
who have paid up their mortgage indcbtG ness
fault in interest. There arc many more such
cases that don't know Of personally. l hear
from the county treasurGrs in this region that
the same, condition of affairs EXISTS elsewhere in
western Kansas. Not only this. but the farmers
are buying more land contiguous to their owin,
when they have freed themselves from IA debt
that has been \ nightmare for nearly a decade;
The local banks are now in condition to do all
the Lending
The corn and wheat crops that have made
Kansas famous came largely from central, and
eastern kansas, From as far west as Great
Bend to Topeka tho traveller on the cars sees
tho largest corn fields in the world. Fields OF
100 acres each are common, aud some COMPRISE
80 and 300 acres. As far ns the eye can see
from The car windows ono secs Oh both sides OF
The railroad rows of cornstalks. Just now thon.
sands of men. women, and children are daily
busy in the corn fields gathering the yellow
harvest. At every. station from kinsley 10
Emdpo ana G ara 6n1S, MI ,in Sit thG ,c re', nf iSo ntaIM iS OF
bushels of yellow ears. In some localities such
n corn harvest is without precedent. Yields OF
thirty bushels to the acre are common.
Mcpherson county will have about zoo, 900
more bushels of corn this year than ever before,
and the landscape round about kinslcy is yellow
with enormous areas Of cornstalks now in full
fruition. Let one 30 into the country for 4
drive on any farm road at any time OF day and
he will meet a dozen farm teams and wagons.
all loaded with corn, on the way 10 the nearest
village market, while the rumble, of horse.
power corn shelters comes If m the barns. But
for the hot winds OF last July. when the corn
was in It's milk. the yield would, have been
onc-third larger. In Gray. Iairnr,l, Barber. aud
Mcpherson counties the mortgage indebtedness
Is being paid almost entirely from the sale OF
cents a bushol. For seven years previous the
corn yield was generally srnnty, and at no I me
vast worth more than IL cents a bushcl. The
price generally was L. cents.
But 1t is the wheat yield Of Kansas that has
been the chief money.makcr this season. The
climatic conditions have been just right for it.
Almost all the wheat has come from central and
eastern Kansas. and the total amount is some
300. 0Oo bushels more than in any previous year.
In central Kansas forty bushels to an acre is a
common yic.d, and that means about $50 an
acre 10 the farmer. Many farmers have grown
100 acres each OF wheat in 1897, and hundreds
have grown double that area of grain. In east
crn Kansas, which has for years been as prosper
yield has been larger TO the acre. The improve.
mcnt in farm property is there more in cyl
grain elevators AT the railroad stations. the
country towns are buster than in ten years,
and arS FIJI iHIno DC fynTHs, mF Thn ts, and bankers ,ror,
the wholesale houses in Chicago. Kansas City,
and ST. Joseph Nil tho hotels and the freight
trains on all the railroads are longer and
grown wheat successfully this year has already
planted n larger area for next year. Even il the
price does dror. there will be almost 80 per cent.
less mortgage Indebtedness staring the farmers
less interest charges to be paid in 1898. There
will be more capital to spare for farm improve.
mcnts. new creameries. granaries. and better
houses. and to investin cattle and hogs TO fatten
on the surplus farm products,
The farmers OF Kansas will pay OF at least
year. said John Breidenthal. State Bank Com.
missioner for Kansas. They Will release about
The Legislature OF Kansas made a law n $500
by which partial payments may be made on
farm mortgages in amounts $500 or mul;iples
Of 500 II he mortgageor so desires. SO. with
this seasons crops, mortgages 10 the amount OF
$40, DOC. 900 will be taken up. BY far the greater
e erssoiHm'i the View En- England and Middtfo states.
When this seasons general paying up OF mort
cages has been finished there will remain be-
tween $4s. 900. 900 and $50. 900. 900 OF mortgage
indebtedness on Kansas farms. and, with the
FAC that Kansas farmers are not now borrowing
money from Eastern capitalists, it seems reason
able to suppose that about all the famous Kan.
sas farm mortgages will be taken up in n few
years more. You know that in 1857 the X 'nsas
farm mortgages amounted 10 $3.50, 900. 600.
One OF the most convincing features OF the
return OF prosperity to bleeding Kansas is tho
sworn statements that come 10 nj as State
Bank Commissioner from all state and private
banks in the State. For the first time in the
history of Kansas the deposits exceed the loans.
Nothing could show more Clearly that the bor-
rowcrs arc liquidating. SO large have the dc.
posts grown in the last few months that | hear
officially every day from bankers who are ut
their wits ends to know how TO safe
ly keep so much money in their rather
small vaults. For instance. there are banks
having q capital of $4,000. where the deposits
have gone from 81 600 TO over 100000 in a few
months. One bank in central Kansas has a
capital of 10000 and It's deposits have jumped
from So. 900 TO over SSO.OOO since July. A
great many bankers are now seeking men, who
have borrowed Eastern money on their arms,
and are negotiating 10 pay the Eastern lender
and refund the loan at u lower interest rate"