West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1897-12-30
THE suNFLOwER STATE.
An Interesting Letter From For
mer PTest0nian.
PERTH, KAN. Dee. -. .so7.

PERTH, KAN, Dee. -. .s97.
EDIroR ARGUS;
As the readers OF THs ARGUS have
not heard from this part OF Unsle
Sans domain for a long tune, viii
write few lines, and at the same time
enclose a dollar in payment for another
years subscription. l eau not get
along without THE AHGUs, as il gives
the news from my Old home, and con
sequently is n welcome visitor.
This part OF the country was shaken
no by an earthquake on the night OF
December End. The FIRST shock occur
red at II o'clock and was very light
aud of short duration. The second
shock occurred at lao o'clock and was
very pronounced. and according TO va
rious opiLions, lasted from fifteen sec,
onds 10 one minute. / felt the shock,
myself. very distinctly. The shock
was felt at Wichita, Wellington, Win
field, Arkansas City, Caldwell, South
Haven and Hanuewell. this state, aud
NewkirS ard Oklahoma City in OKLA
homa. At the two places last men.
toned, the shock was pretty severe,
but no damage was done to property.
We had a very dry summer and fall
and is still dry up TO the present time.
We have had no rain to wet the ground
since the Goth of October There has
been "A little sleet and about three or
four inches OF snow this month. This
has been the dryest fall and winter,
thus far, that | have experienced in
Kansas.
We had excellent crops Of wheat and
oats. but corn was almost "A total fail
ure, except in the extreme southern
part OF the county, where there was
about half crop. The corn crop this
year is very light all over Kansas.
This county (Sumner1. was the ban
uer wheat county of the United States
this year, having raised over AZ mil
lion bushels OF wheat which was
nearly twice as much as the next best
county in this state.
My wheat was not as good as the av-
erage, but il yielded about nineteen
bushels per acre. My oats averaged
forty bushels per acre. There was IA
larger acreage of wheat sown this fall
than last, out on account OF the dry
freezing weather we nave had thus far
the prospect for good crop next year
is very poor as compared with this
years crop.
The fruit crop was very good with
the exception of peaches, which the
dry weather ruined. would have had
six hundred bushels il it had been sea-
sonable. The drouth this season has
been very severe on peach orchards, IL
having killed at least two-thirds of the
trees.
The jack rabbits and cotton tails had
become SO numerous in this county.
that about the first OF November the
county commissioners placed bounty
OF three cents on each scalp. Up TO
the present time there has been about
-, 600 scalps received at the county
clerif's Office. The bounty remains on
till about the first OF March. They
had gotten to be quite pest in the
way of destroying grain and peeling
small trees.
The prices Of grain and produce at
Wellington, are about as follows /:
Butter 15c; eggs lie; spring chickens
l-2c; hens Ice; turkeys Ice; ducks
sc; geese SC; beef cattle 81 5O@ 80. 90;
hogs s2.Oo@s2.5O; corn 24@ ,5c; wheat,
hard, 75(a)77c; wheat, soft, sO(a)s2c;
hay $500.
Wishing The ARGUS Happy New
Year, ! remain
Yours respectfully,
JIMEsoN SNYDER.