The National tribune., 1902-10-30
[WAyIlINGTON~@ |
ka F. % GOSSIP

| about w OF her good cOmrade citizens TO
swell the Encampment crowds, and make
Among the other veterans was Col. w. IL.
Brown, Past Commander of the Depart
meIt of North Dakota, who marched down
Pennsylvania Avenue in the Grand Re
view i'll 1865. Comrade Brown was
private in Co. Il, 10th Mass, and later
! First Lieutenant, Co. A, 61st Mass, and
after the war went West to grow up with
the country. He thinks North Dakota a
wonderful State, bot., for climate and for
crops. The North Dakota people brought
quite an exhibit of their products with
them, among other things basket of
President, who OWNS Il big ranch i'll North
| Dakota. Col. Brown headed the delega-
| tion which presented the potatoes, and the
President had a hearty laugh over the
unique present. He took one of the big
tubers in his hand and said with IL smile
| that in his part of Dakota they did not
raise potatoes, but Critters cattle being
the wealth producing interest of his sec
| ton.
There were many veterans from the far
South attending the National Encamp
ment, more than ever before in the history
of the Grand Army of the Republic, it is.
| said. Quite large number were.up from
Florida. Among them was Comrade Chas.
| +. Haskins, of Sanford, Fla, who was an
| Alternate in the National Encampment
COmrade HaSkins enlisted at IA i'll Co. Il,
| i52d Ind, and celebrated his SD birth
day the first of the month. He is a loco
motive engineer and formerly" of Kan
sas. his home having been in Salina. Com
rade Haskins was accompanied by his
| wife and charming little twin daughters.
Mary and Mildred, who are seeing the
| wide world through two pairs of very
bright 12-year-old eyes. Mrs. Haskins has
been twice President of the Relief Corps
of Sanford, and is greatly interested in the
work of this magnificent Order.
The President is now so much improved
in health that he is able to go riding al
most every afternoon. He is usually ac-
companied by kis second daughter. Miss
Ethel. The 1.-the, slender young girl sits
her little mare very gracefully, and if she
is not spoiled by the 'abominable methods
of an Eastern riding master will have a
pretty fair seat in year or two 1t is a
very pretty sight when the President, who
is bit burly in form, mounts his big
jumper Bleistein, and with Miss Ethel OH
her small mount canters away for the dirt
roads in Rock Greek Park. The Presi-
dent is a fearless rider and n good one.
He will take jumps that experienced horse
men will consider twice.
SaDt. J. Il. CHaSe, OF St. petersburg,
Fla, every inch soldier in appearance
and il fact, was one of the interesting
personalities in Washington during the
Encampment. Capt Chase carries upon
his body the marks of 4S wounds received
at the battle of Gettysburg, where lie was
Cannoneer of the 9th Me. Battery. He
lost his good right arm and left eye on
that bloody field, and was left for dead for |
4S hours. His first words on returning to |
consciousness We're: Did we win the bat |
tle." Capt. Chase wears n Medal of
Honor for distinguished services at Chan |
celiorsville. He is now Senior Vice Com
maEder of the Department of Florida, and |
was Aid-de-Camp to Gen. Torrance. also |
on the staff of the Commander in Chief of |
Past Commander of Kit Carson Post, of
st. Petersburg.
No more enthusiastic western men were
in Washington during the Encampment |
than those who came from Nebraska. |
Comradee +. Merryman. of kearney, Neb..
is one of these enthusiasts. He served in
Co. c. 162d ILL.,, First Brigade, Third
Division, Twentieth Corps. He tramped |
with Sherman to the sea and then through |
the CarOlinas, winding up his service by |
marching down Pennsylvania Avenue i'll |
the Grand Review. He was in Washing |
ton during the Encampment, reviving old |
comrades in the march down the historic
Avenue again.
Comrade Merryman is now farming IN |
Nebraska, where prosperity and he have |
met and are apparently pretty good
friends. The stories he tells of farming in |
the country of the Platte are as big as the
State. and that is long way from being
small. For instance, on one little farm
of $40 acres-mark the little" and re-
member that this farm is mile wide |
and mile lOng-a man and his son put |
5S5 acres in wheat this year, averaging |
about ID acres day, with big six-hOrse |
team. 1t took 80 days to drill the wheat |
in, and the yield was 1900 bushels, which |
took IA days to put through steam |
thrasher, ready for the market. Opera |
ti0ns on such scale rather startie an
Eastern man, whose stump-and-stOne lot |
of % acres looks Il formidable task to put |
in wheat, which may or may not yield II
to ID bushels to the acre. Th, Turkey |
red and Russian red are the favOrite varie- |
ties in Nebraska. |
COmrade Merryman says that in many |
localities the yield of wheat is 62 bushels |
to the acre, and the average weight of |
Nebraska wheat to the bushel is about |
~ lbs. some running Ga. He says that |
Nebraska is essentially the home of i'm
proved machinery and lots OF 1t. A farmer |
in Nebraska would give the ordinary one |
shovel plow to his children for play
thing. He must have big riding plow |
with from four to six horses to pull it. |
Self-binders, steam thrashers, hay-balers |
and reapers are the rule. Alfalfa is a
great hay crop-three cuttings with n |
fourth for seed being the average for n |
field of this sweet-smeling stock fattener. |
Irrigation will not be a very great sue |
cess in the North Platte country, in the |
opinion of COmrade Merryman, because |
the soil is porous and the water too readily |
sinks to the underfow, but with the aver
age seasonable rains, Nebraska soil does |
not need irrigatins.
President Roosevelt attended services !
Sunday at Grace Reformed Church, the |
first time since his illness that he has been |
able to attend Divine services. He was
accompanied by his daughter. Miss Ethel |
Monday. Oct. q, was the 44th birthday
of the President. He is the only man who
ever celebrated the 44th anniversary of
his birth while in the Presidential chair.
The families of some of the foreign rep
resentatives in Washington are startlngly
large. Senor Godoy, First Secretary of
the Mexican Embassy, has about seven
little stair-steps. They are pretty as pic
lures and as full of rampant life as seven
boys and girls can well be. Mr.. Leger,
the Minister from Haiti has housefuI