The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-23
CAN'T GET CARS.
Representative Law Says Situa-
tion Isn't Improving.
Still Thousands of Bushels of
Wheat on Ground.
ELEVATORS ALL FULL.
Railroad Facilities Totally In
adequate in West.
There Is Also Much Broom Corn
Stacked on Ground.

| Representative Alvin Law of Graham
county says the car shortage question
In his part of the state is just about as
bad as ever, notwithstanding the re-
ports from other sections that there are
plenty of cars. He says there are still
thousands of bushels of grain piled on
the ground along the Lincoln branch of
the Union Pacific.
1.-The railroads simply have more than
they can do" said Mr.. Law in discuss
ing the matter. "The trainnen get
| away behind and have such big loads
that many times they cannot stop to
| set empty cars even when the cars are
available
Il think the farmers in Graham coun-
ty finally got in about the same acre
age of wheat as they had in last year,
although some of it is very late. They
only stopped sowing just a short time
ago. They could not get farm hands to
help them and the work was very much
delayed. I am afraid this late sowing
will not be very good for the wheat, and
L do not anticipate as big a crop next
year as We had this year. However,
II we have an open winter and favor
able spring such a crop is possible
again. We did not look for it this
year"
Cyrus Anderson, secretary of the
state board of railroad commissioners
has just returned from a visit to his
ranch in Rawlins county, and he says
all the elevators in that country are
full of wheat waiting for cars, and that
the Burlington is sending in three or
four extra freight trains every Sunday
to take out the wheat. He says there
is also a considerable amount of broom
corn stacked on the ground in Chey-
enne county awaiting transportation
THE Beaver Creek valley from At
wood to Orleans, Neb., is a very pros
porous country" said Mr.. Anderson.
Alfalfa and hogs are two things the
money. Very little wheat is raised in
the valley, but on the uplands a big
crop was grown this year. The farmers
do not attempt to raise very much
corn, for they have found that barley
and rye produce better, and these
grains take the place of corn. Barley
and rye are fed to hogs and stock there
just as farmers further east feed corn.
These grains, with alfalfa, are all a
farmer needs to fatten his hogs. We
have the largest hog farm in the coun-
try UP there. 1t is on the state line be-
tween Decatur county, Kansas, and
Red Willow county, Nebraska. There
are about 1000 hogs on the ranch now.
There is a hull in the land business
just now Newcomers are not so plenti-
full as they were up to about two weeks
ago, but by the middle of February they
will be coming in again. think there
will be thousands of new settlers come in
to that region in the spring. The price
of land in the Beaver Creek valley has
Increased about 60 per cent in the past
two years.
Everybody is doing we'll with the pos
sible exception Of the cattlemen and the
big forage crops this year are their sal
walton. If it hadn't been for the. forage
crops the cattlemen would have been in
pretty hard lines. The price Of cattle
is very low, and there are none selling
even at the low prices. The men wno
feed cattle are not buying, and those who
raise them do not care to sell at present
prices, as long as they have plenty of feed
RE hay, straw, kaffir corn and cane are
all plentiful and cheap, and that is what
has kept the cattlemen from losing their
through on this roughness and hold them
in the hope of higher prices"