The Holly chieftain., 1899-06-09
Holly And yiclalty

building been conducted TO per1ecsadn
as the town Of Holly. Colo, givea -
an example Its situated In ~ ~.
kansas valley, six miles west q Coo1-I
idge, Kas. It's now leGs than thTees
years old, but every Street. open of
closed, has been lined With ahaAs
trees, and in few yean will ~ :
thing OF beauty. The town b Z crsa-
tion Of the Amity company, who own
extensive tracts Of land In tbs vicin-
Iity, and the most perfect and extsn-
sive irrigation system Ir the country.
All the land about Holly has been d.
yided up in 8, 10 and 20 scre-tracts,
which are being sold on easy terms,
and the valley Is filing mp rapidly,
largely with settlers from the high
lands in adjacent counties, but with Z
good sprinkling of eastern people.
The lands are fast being converted
into alfalfa fields, orchards and vege-
table gardens. An immense number
of fruit trees have deem planted there
this spring. The Holly settlement II
getting famed for Its cantalOupea, sev-
eral carloads have been shipped to 81.
Louis and other eastern cities. The
right spirit Of enterprise prevails In
Holly and SO long as personal differ
ences and petty jealousies don't inter
fere with it fhe town and surrounding
country are bound to prosper. A
skimming station has just been started
giving splendid chance to the farm.
er TO market their alfalfa through
the medium Of the mich COW, ct .
much advanced price. A canning fac
tory is now under construction, and
in consequence hundreds Of acres arc
being planted to tomatoes and other
vegetables forcanning purposes
The valley lands are irrigated from
the Buffalo ditch part Of the Amity
system, which follows the contours OF
the bluffs separating the valley from
the plateau. Some eight miles north
of town is the Amity canal, rs big = !
river, under which are Thousands Of
acres which in the course OF time will
be irrigated. Natural basins in Kiowa
and Prowers counties have been con-
yerted into immense reservoirs for the
storage OF flood waters, to be used
when the supply fails in..the Arkansas
river. 1t is on this principal that BY
damming the draws, creeks and river
to retain all the storm waters, gocd
part of western Kansas will some day
be irrigated.
Five miles west Of Holly Is the Saliva
tion Army colony, so called because 1t
was started by that organization.
Needy settlers are furnished with
about ten acres Of land, buildings,
farm implements, team Of horses
and mich COW or two, besides pro-
visions and clothing for q year. All
this is charged to the settler, 10 be
paid in number Of yesrs with little
or no interest, and quite number Of
poor but industrious people have taken
advantage OF this unparalleled oppo
tunity, but unfortur ately some pes j
pie, we are informed, have gotten In
the colony who have never made any
tempt to help Themselves, and rely
entirely upon the benevolence Of thu
Salvation Army for their daily broad,
to the detriment Of the colony 1t
large.
We have heard great deal about
corporations, and how severely somo
have been criticised; but II they are
all like the Amity Company, give Us
more OF them; it has done more in
FIVE years to develop the country than
the states and nation combined have
accomplished in one generation, and
to the general manager Of the compa-
ny, Mr.. W. N. Wiley, the people Of
Holly are indebted for many Of the
Improvements, beautifying and other
wise, that can be seen on every hand.
Western Homestead.