The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-15
HIS WHEAT PAYS.
Graham County Farmer VIII
Net $4,000.
This Is All from This Years
Wheat Crop.
HAD IN 5000 ACRES.
Is Now Paying Big Prices for
Men.
Much Wheat in West Still in
Shock.

One of the wheat kings of Kansas
this year is Colonel Rice, of Hill City,
Graham county. D. w. Little, former
assistant state SUPERINTENDENT of pub
lie instruction. has just returned from
that part of the state. and he says
Colonel Rice expects to net $50, 900 from
his wheat crop this year.
Colonel Rice had in a little matter
of six thousand acres this year." said
Mr.. Little. When 1 left there a few
days ago he had not threshed out any
that went less than 25 bushels to the
acre. and some went as high as 35
bushels.
The great need in that part of the
state just now is men and teams to
work. They are needed as much as
they were during the harvest. Colonel
Rice said he would like to have sixty
men and teams for the next sixty days,
and he is paying $3.50 a day besides
board for men and teams.
There are thousands of acres of
wheat still standing in the shock in
the wheat fields, and the farmers want
to get it stacked so as to get their
ground DloWed and their next crop of
wheat in. They are not worrying so
much about threshing just now as they
are about getting the shocked wheat
off the fields so as to pillow for the new
CIOp. 1nSy cdn 90 the lnT6SnlnE aIlcE
the next crop is in. Many of them
haven't any place to store their wheat
if they should thresh it, and the rail-
roads can't furnish cars fast enough
to ship it.
The acreage which will be seeded
this fall in the western and north
western counties will exceed that of
last year. Not only will there be a
larger acreage sown in the counties
which had big crop this year, but
even the newer counties along the Col
orado line viii SOW a considerable acre
age. That is. of course. if the farmers
the greatest problem out there just
now. Colonel Rice says if he can get
enough men to get the wheat off his
| fields that is on them now he will COM
mence Immediately to put in his next
crop and let the threshing go for the
present.
mot only was wheat a good crop in
that part of the state this year, but so
acreage of corn in the northwest, and
1t VIII make a big crop AS a rule
when one crop is big the others will
be light, but this year everything is
Yielding bumper crop. Barley, oats,
alfalfa, Kaff1r corn and everything
else is erst class"
The complaint about the shortage of
help on the farms is general through
out the state. Although many of those
who came to Kansas during the sum-
mer 20 aid in the harvest fields are stiu
at work On the farms, the shortage of
tafm labor is greater than ever except
in the immediate harvest rush
Complaints about the shortage of cars
for the shipment of wheat are also nu-
merous in the wheat belt At some
points not only are the elevators all
full, but also all the empty houses and
store buildings, and in addition a great
deal of grain is piled on the ground.
Complaints Of this character come in
every day or two to the state board of
railroad commissioners. The Union
Pacific seems to be getting along in
pretty good shape, but the Missouri
Pacl1c, the Rock Island and the Santa
F'e have trouble in getting enough cars.
"A complaint to the railroad board
seems to bring results all right" said
Railroad Commissioner George w.
Wheatley in discussing the question.
"andfor that reason 1 am disposed to
think it pays to kick. Not that it in
creases the number of cars but the
railroads furnish cars to the kickers
For instance, when we get complaint
from some point that the railroads are
not furnishing cars to the grain ship
pers, we at once notify the railroad
company. The company then rushes
cars there as soon as possible, and in a
day or two we hear that the shortage
is relieved. But to do that it is quite
likely that the railroad company had
to take the cars intended for some 9TH
er place, leaving a shortage there. If
that shortage is not filled within
week or two and the grain piles up in