Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-04-13

From the Tall Sycamore.
ARKANSAS CITY, KAN, April 2, 80.
DEAR OLD TIMES:
If you can stand it l will give you
some "officlal statements" concerning
Kansas The name is from the Sioux
language and means wind"
Wind is air in motion, and it is that
way here always.
The exact geographical center of this
great Republic of ours, excluding Alas
ka and the islands, is not far from Fl
Riley.
Besids "woman, statesman, whiskers,
PETER, Jerry Simpson, John j. Ingals
and Gov. Stanley, the state has $780,
969 population.
There are found oil and gas over an
area of nearly 5000 square miles in the
south eastern part of the State.
Kansas stands second to Iowa in the
amount of quarried gypsum.
The salt mines of Kansas are next
in number to tho e in New York
There are only seven salt mines in
the United States.
Hydraulic Cement is largely manu-
featured from excellent rock found in
this State. Clay for the manufacture
of verified brick is found in album
dance. 33,443 tors of lead and zinc
were mined In this state during 1897,
and 1872, 1876 tons of coal. Kansas was
ninth in 1897, among twenty nine pro
ducing States.
There are 1000 square miles of coal
producing territory, with an average
~ feet in thickness. II would take
1000 years to dig all the coal of the
Kansas coal measures rated by the dig
ging of 1897. S12,OOO,OOO represents
the value of the output from below the
Kansas soil during 1897. So you see
Kansas great showing as mineral
State. There are other things for and
In Kansas beside crop failures and un
ceasing wind.
The Kansas whe It crop of 1893, was
Sc, 674, 0O6 bushels, and was worth over
1892 900, 600 1t is estimated that there
was on March 18th 1893, about 100000
bushel of this wheat on hand.
The general report of the State re-
porters show that the present outlook
would indicate "about half crop" of
wheat for 1899. The average State
yield of wheat for the last twenty years
81, 1854, 6l3 bushels, so 1 conclude that
the above figures will be reached as the
total yield for 1887 fell below 10000, 600
bushels, in 1892 over 100000 bushels
of wheat was raised.
These big crops and little crops are
what make good times and hard times
in Kansas.
The dairy product for 1898 amounted
to over six million of dollers.
The Kansss hen is laying eggs right
along and adds millions of dollars to
the aggregate wealth of Kansas every
year.
Statistics are dry reading. so 1 will
give you no more at present, but will
just state that [ compiled the above
facts from The Eleventh Bienniel Re-
port of the State Board of Agriculture
of Kansas.
My last letter to The TINES showed
that the weather here was not so cold
as in Iowa. That was late in January,
and was true, but the first part of Feb
ruary we had two weeks of steady
north east winter wind that sent the
mercury down to % degrees below ze-
70, "Coldest ever known here" so they
all said. Since that time the weather
has been milder, comparatively speak
ing, AMI now, gardens are made, oats
planted, and grass started, lin this sec
ton of Kan,) and winter wheat is good,
much better than was expected in view
of the long, cold winter. But we don't
think that it is 80 warm here that no
clothing but q "breech clout" needed,
indeed it is very chilly and such q
backward spri0g has not been seen
here in many years.
Attorney Gen GODDARD is the subject
of some not very fiattering remarks by
many lawyers, for his opinion render
ed as to the legality of the late special
session of the legislature, called by
Ex-Gov. Leedy. The decision of all
the courts are against GODDARD, and that
is capital for the Populists GODDARD is
not rated as high as before his election
as to his legal acumen. He was chief
counsel for j. II. Collens.
GODDARD parts his hair In the middle.
wonder if that has anything to do
with 1t?
must close as the wind has changed
from south to northeast, and 1t Is now
growing cold rapidly. :.
P. S.-April Bird. Wind blowing-29
deg. above zero, cloudy 1890 q. m.
LAFE LINN.