Evening star., 1900-08-11

remarkable yield Of wheat ever produced in
a similar area IN any country in the world.
To transport this splendid treasure of ma
lures storehouse there will be required
fully a fifth of million ordinary size rail-
road cars, or more than ten thousand ordf-
nary trains II these were placed end to
end on a single track they would extend
from New York to Chicago with several
train lengths to spare. Were Kansas a CO.
operative commonwealth and the proceeds
of this gigantic crop to be divided equally
every man. woman and child in the state
would receive $40 his share of the har-
vest money. For weeks past it has been
almost impossible to secure labor of any
kind in Kansas for the reason that all the
available workmen have gone into the har-
vest fields Fully 2IGfn of them have been
employed in bringing in the sheaves. and
they have drawn in wages since the first
day of July the aggregate of one ana
quarter million dollars.
What is true of Kansas is true in almost
as great a degree of other states. as well.
Just to indicate what record Is To be
established by the harvest Of the closing
year of the century. it may be well to take
a peep at the famous Ranch lol. near
Bliss. in Kay county. Oklahoma. which is
operated by an Incorporated company, con-
trolled by the Miller brothers. The wheat
field Is three miles in length. and almost as
broad, and contains fully 2,5tst acres, with
out fence road through il.
More than 200 men, 3D horses and mules
and twenty-five reaping machines have
been busy during the past few weeks in
gathering in the golden grain on this vast
tract. The machines work in row. one
after the other. They take swath five
miles long, and have cut and bound the
grain on from COO to 700 acres per day. The
men work in shifts. and thus all the ma
chimes have been in operation day and
night. This has made II rather hard on the
corps of cooks, who have found 1t neces-
sary TO prepare and serve to the different
gangs each twenty-four hours eight sep
arate meals.
Cost of the Harvest.
The simple harvesting of the product of
this gigantic farm has cost a pretty penny
the managers stating that their actual ex-
penditures for wages alone will pass the
S,O.0DO mark. Naturally the harvcsters are
paid pretty fair wages, for the remunera-
ton must be made sufficient to lure many
of them temporarily from other occupa-
tons. man with a team receives as a
rule from s. to $50 per day, including
board. The ordinary iaborer gets 80 per
day and board. Many cotton growers from
the region farther south come to assist In
the harvesting at ranch 1o1 and other
large farms. These men have little to do
at this season of the year, and inasmuch
as they can drive overland. with their fam
lies and clear up $40 or $50 net profit dur
ing the harvest season the prospect is nat
urally rather an alluring one. If a labor
agltator is discovered among the hands he
is likely to be discharged in short order
for A strike in harvest field is contin-
genCy which few superintendents care to
risk.
The supplies consumed during harvest sea-
son one of the large farms represent
considerable sum. On the Miller farm, just
described. it is estimated that the harvesters
eat more than 5000 worth of provisions
during their stay, and the food for the
horses represents a sum half as great.
Seven or eight tons of binding twine Is
required during the course of the harvesting
and two men and a team of horses and
wagon are constantly kept busy bringing
to the binders fresh supplies of twine.
There are also harness makers, black
smiths and other accessory workers.
For all that grain raising on a large
scale pays well. The farmer Of late years
has been pretty certain to receive from G0
to 20 cents per bushel, and inasmuch as
the cost of producing the wheat, harvest
ing it and placing ii aboard cars does not
exceed % cents per bushel. it will he seen
that a net profit of at least -, cents is a
practical certainty. There are farms in the
west which produce from 1o0Ht0 to 15O,m0
bushels of wheat annually. the owners of
which have an income equal to that of the
President of the United States.
IL is in the cultivation of breadstuffs that
the Introduction of the medern labor-sav-
ing machinery has worked the greatest
wonders. and Ii is the cereals which are al
most wholly responsible for the increase of
more than a quarter of a billion dollars in
the aggregate value of the farm values of
the principal American crops which has