The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-08-06

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plant them or not they will sprout in the
regulation time.
4 shy, thin individual on the outside of
the charmed circle timidly inquired ifcorn
was n success there.
4 success! T. exclaimed the boom-man;
"well, Oklahoma can produce more and
better corn than all the other places put
together. I've seen itplanted there with
a two-horse planter in fields mile long.
Before the planter had reached the oppo
site side of the field the corn on the side
started from would be sproutng. ., !
tell you that il magicearthl by the time an
entire field, say, Of twenty acres, is COW
cred by the planter, the corn on the side
first planted will be high enough to plow.
Why, you could raise two or three corn
crops there in one summer The trouble
il the farmers get too strong to work.
I'm going to introduce n new kind Of
corn on my ranch. 1t grows out about
six feet high in stalk, and in place OF the
tassel which is customary on the top OF
Indian corn, it will have a round. gourd
like vessel, which will grow full of shelled
corn, and when gathering time comesmy
farm hands will just break the pods and
there will be the corn, with no cobs to
bother
This chapter in the tale OF the boom
country wonders what followed by an
awful drought, and after another wet-up
the Westerner resumed:
GRASS Is AGGRESSIVE.
Grass, the finest and richest you ever
saw. grows green there the year round,
and in many places rs high as your head
Why. as soon IA the people see that
country the blue grass of Kentucky will |
be forgotten. Many OF the settlers on the |
outskirts Of the new country have cabins |
with ground Aoors-that is, until |
they can build better houses. DO you
know they can hardly keep the grass
from growing waist-hgh right on the |
floors knew one man who couldn't. He |
lived in place where the grass was very
strong. He had TO NOW the floor once |
week so his wife could find the baby,
At this an old resident OF TowsOn
moved his pipe from his mouth long
enough to say Do tell. "
BEET MADE CELLAR CAVE.
"You ought to see our beets and pota-
toes, continued the Oklahoma boom
man. "They are not bit behind the
corn and the grass. One day last sum-
mer got up early to look after some OF
my stock Before had gone a hundred
yards met neighbor of mine who lives
about | o miles away. He was running
with his suspenders hanging down his
back
"What on earth il the matter, Sam :?
| said, thinking that the reservation In
dians might have swooped down on him.
"'Don't stop me, he said don't stop
me. Don't you hear the earth shaking? ?
Last night | planted some beet seed be-
side my cellar; | was reused in the night
by the house falling. Jumped from bed
and rushed out as quickly as | could
"Yes, said, fearing to hear the
worst. "'Well it was the seed he said.
They had sprouted and grOwna beet so
big it made the cellar cave in and turned
the hut over, and it's still growing.
Before could stop him he had clear
ed out. Pm going to my wife in Paw
nee, he shouted back at me.
"Pumpkins are the same way. One
day when | was out rounding up my
milk cows came to a whopping pump
kin vine. The country was open at that
place and as Icould see the vine far away
across the prairies thought would fol
low it a while just to find where it would
go. rode after that pumpkin vine all
morning and afternoon. About an hour
before sunset | came to where it crossed
the Canadian river. | dismOunted, tied
my horse, and, scrambling up on the vine,
walked across the stream on k. On the
other side found hepumpkin. twas as
big as two or three houses put together.
| was walking around it examining the
growth, when found big hole in the
bottom. / went in. You can imagine
what thought when | found a small
herd of buffaloes in their They had gone
in to eat pumpkin. One OF the big bulls
took after me as soon az he laid eyes on
me. hustled out like lightning and
scaling the vine recrossed the river. On
the other side couldn't find my horse.
I looked everywhere, but he was not in |
sight. was abOat to give up when
heard him neigh | went to the spot |
from whence the sound came and there
was the horse right where ! had tied him,
but while was over the river the grass
had grown up around him and hid him |
from view.
The boom-man was going on, but the |
crowd wouldn't listen. Several bystand
ers were already prostrated on the bar
and were being slowly revived with lo-
k;<sna ~ n;nk taa