The Jasper news., 1901-08-29
UP-T0-DATE FARMERS.
THEY ARE NO LONGER ISOLATED
FROM THE WORLD.
Rural Delivery and the Telephone
Have Brought Them In Close
Touch With Their City
Cousins.

Alonzo Burt, manager OF the Missouri
and Kansas Telephone Company, says
the Kansas City journal, looks forward
I with confidence to the time when every
farmer living near town or city will
have telephone in his home, aud will
use it As frequently and as advantage.
ously as the busiest man in the largest
city.
He now has upon the road men who
do nothing but visit farmers, and
try to convince them OF the utility OF
the telephone. They have met with
surprising success. Already several hun.
dred phones have been placed in farm
houses in the territory tributary to Kan
sas City. Mr.. Burt exp cts the number
TO continue to increase as rapidly and
constantly as their use has in this city.
How rapidly and constantly this is the
figures show. Five years ago 5000 tele-
phones we're in use in Kansas City, aud
an average Of twelve calls per day was
received over zach of them. Now, there
ara G,8O in the city, and an average OF
twenty calls per day is recsived over
each of them, making total OF about
10000 calls received and answered at
the main and branch offices during ev-
cry twenty four hours. In most cases
the farmers phone is ON n party line.
The service Of farmers on party line
costs on the average only about $50
each. They have to pay the usual rates
of course for talking over the toll line.
lany Country Subscribers.
About fifty farmers living near Smith
vile, in Clay county, now have 'phou's.
About twenty living near Lees Summit
have been connected up" and good
exchange, most OF the subscribers to
which are farmers, has been put in at
Harrsionville. The farmers of Kansas,
always up to date, whethor in the mat
ter Of telephones, telegraphs OF steam
plows, are keeping up with the process
sion. The Missouri and Kansas cOmpa-
ny has established party lines out Of
Newton, Strong City, Bonner Springs,
Cottonwood Falls, Derby, Mnlvane and
a half dozen other points. 1t also has
party Zines out of PoEca City and u
few other places in the Indian Territory
and Oklahoma, by which ranchmen
keep themselves connected with each
other and the outside world.
Another place in Missouri where the
farmers are literally patronizing the
company is Greenwood, Cass county.
There are 100 phones in the Pleasant
Hill exchange, large proportion Of
which are in the homes of farmers.
Twenty five farmers living around Mon
trose, in Henry county, are similarly
equipped.
Nose Harvey has large sheep ranch
near LeavenworJh, Kas., and is interest
ed in the live stock business in Kansas
City. He lives on the ranch, and directs
his business in Kansas City by tele.
phone. Dr. j. w. Perkins, who has a
tiue stock farm near Parkyille, Mo-, re
verses the process. He lives in Kansas
City, and uses the Telephone to direct
the daily operations on his farm
With Independent Companies.
Farmers in Northwest Missouri have
not been slow TO grasp the telephones
advantages. Independent companies
co 'trol large part Of the business in
that section. David Rankin, the mil
lionaire farmer at Tarkio, Atchison
county, owns n large interest in one Of
them. lie has 81 100 acres OF land in
Atchison county, which, is divided into
fourteen ranches Formerly "Uucle
Dayey" rode all day long in his buggy,
going from ranch 10 ranch TO see that
things we're progressing satisfactorily.
Now, however, he has an almost perfect
telephone system, and be can sit in his
office in the rear of his bank at Tarkio,