The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-08-12
-rgEuEElrEET - 80.

take one side uf this question but
Others take the opposite side, main
tanning that there has been a percepti-
Die Improvement ia the country and a
gradual change Of the conditions Of
rain. fall
The western tier Of counties in
Kansas began 10 settle zap ia 1855, but
the great rush was in 1856. when thou
sands OF settlers po7Fed into these
western cOuBties clear across the
state The same was true of Nebraska
and the Dakotas, but in the present
article this discussions viii be limited
mainly to Kansas
Prior to the settlement Of these
counties It had been an immense
cattle range aud ranches of various
size were distributed widely over the
western part Of the state, and IN
eastern Colorado Prior TO this system
OF cattle raising, this country from the
British dOmfnions to the Pan Handle
Of Texas Was occupied by Indians and
buffalo, hunters and trapPers. During
the regimen OF Indian occupancy the
county was burned over each year in
the early spring, and under the
occupancy Of the cattIemen at differ
enE times, through the carelessness or
wautouuess Of campers aud hunters
This denuded the Prairies Of vegeta-
ton, except the spsrce growth Of
grasses IN the summer months, and
= Il
When the settlers poured into this
country in 1SS5-6they had to feed their
teams baled hay during a good part Of
the summer months. On the high
divides it was impossible for horses or
stock to get a fill Of grass up to the
middle aud last Of June. Late years
stock could get a fill some years as
early as April 1st and at the latest
by May 1st. Any old settler can vOuch
for the statement and all will tell you
that there has been a remarkable in
crease Of the growth and thickeniLg Of
grasses and weeds on all the praries.
This is true in spite Of the fact that
local prairie fires, some Of them wide
spread and disastrous, have Occu rred.
But there has been no general burning
of the country over, which accounts
for the improvement mentioned.
The settler brought his pillow; and
though, in the majority of cases, mis-
labor was spent in vain, he tore up the
sod, here and there, over a vast stretch
of country. Weeds took the fields
where crops failed, the beet-rooted and
silver leaf pig weeds. Russian thistles,
aud snnf1Owers made a jungle Of all
the abandoned fields. These stopped
the SHOWS, sheltered the ground,
Ioosened :the soil, spread out on the
prairies and to some extent limited the
scope Of prairie fires, as old stubble
fields do not burn as readily as the
grasses Of the open prairie.
When not burned of, these old
abandoned fields grown up to weeds,
when SHOWS covered the prsiFies, were
the chosen brousing ground of stock
that would have Jared badly only for
this supply. The introduction Of weeds
has been an actual benefit to the west.
Not only for the reasons already cited,
but for other reasons. It has COM
PEELED the employment Of better
methods Of farming, especially in the
raising Of corn and crops that require
cultivation, and these fields in turn are
chosen ground for the drilling in of
spring and winter grain Another and
a surprising thing is, that settlers that
have stayed in the country have seized
upon these fields, faiIOw for two and
three years, and over grown with a
mass Of weeds about 20 inches high,
and have simply drilled in grain and
resped a bOuntifui hearvest.
The explanation is this. The winter
winds blow here hercly carrying of
the snow and loose soil 50 that grain
sown on plOwed ground is first de-
nuded Of its snowy covering and then
soil and seed take to themselves wings
aud fly away That sown in the
jungle Of weeds catches and holds the
snow and prevents the soil from blow
ing away, and when the rains come the
weeds fall down and the grain spring
up and takes the ground. The weeds
penetrate deeply and form channels
for surplus moisture to reach the sub
soil which stores it up for future use,
and the fallen weeds make a valuable
mulch for the surface aud render con
ditions favorable to standing drouth.
Let anyone examine a map of this
section and they viii notice that the
sources Of many streams rise on the
plains Of western Kansas and eastern
Colorado. Now these sources are in
the main dry consisting Of draws on
the open prairie, smaller ones opening
into larger until q we'll defined valley
is formed where springs and running
water is found. These dry draws carry
OF the surplus water in times of
copiOus rains, but springs are always
lower down in the valley for nation.
Formerly the summer rains, consisting
mostly of thunder showers, followed
the courses Of these streams and the
HIGH divides we're often IeFt 6rv -