The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-15
HASN'T Been TOLD
Real Story of PrOductiVeness of
Northwest.
What the Big Wheat Crop
Really Means.
A FEW COMPARISONS.
Brown County Products This
Year Value SI57 Per Capita.
Jewell Comes Forward With
Per Capita of 1881.
A FEW COMPARISONS.

The real story of the productiveness
of the short grass country this year,
especially northwesteFa Kansas, has not
yet been told. Mere figures stating that
one county raised two million bushels
of wheat, worth million dollars, does
not convey the real meaning of the
crop To tell what the crop really
means it is necessary to take into ac-
count the number Of people who did
the work and the cultivated area on
which the crops were produced. 1t
must be remembered that on the west
ern prairfes farm houses are sometimes
few and very far between, and that
there are great stretches of prairie land
which lie uncultivated.
For purposes of comparison between
older agriculture counties and the short
grass country. Brown county is taken
as representative of a rich Kansas
county. There is probably no better all
around farming country in Kansas
than Brown 1t is generally so &C
knowIedged. and farm land in Brown
is assessed higher than in any other
county because it is better improved
and is generally supposed to be worth
more than in any other general farming
section 1t is not as large as most oth-
er counties, and this fact should be ia
ken into consideration when making
comparisons of totals
According to the returns made to the
state department of agriculture, the
farm products of Brown county this
year. including all crops. live stock
sold for slaughter, and such products
as poultry fruits and honey sold,
amounted to 50, 259, 4246e. The popula-
ton of the county is 20, 706, making the
yield Of farm products per capita. 1851.
Fal r he 9
acres, of which 2S1, SIS acres or ap-
proximately IS Der cent, are cultivated
This give a return for each cultivated
acre of S11.51. BY far the largest re-
turns in Brown county are from corn
3 and live stock sold for slaughter. The
Ncorn crop is worth s1,272, S72-70 and the
live stock sold is worth $1,106,S7 II
the farm crops alone were taken. the
returns would be reduced at least one
third
Jewell county. the banner corn coun-
ty this year. is also recognized as one
of the best counties in the central thfr6
of the state. 1t is considerably larger
than Brown. and its total farm prod
uctS this year amounted to 81, 639, S34 So
It's population. however, is less thar
Brown, being 1851. giving a return o
farm products of 1921 per capita. Corr
is by far the largest item of profit O
Jewell county farms. amounting to 81,
137,217-2S- Live stock sold amounts Il
a little less than a million dollars, ant
wheat 10 LESS IMAM NAN a IlIiI1On. In
total area of the county is SIC, 600 acres
of which 3710O0. or 81 per cent. ar
cultivated. This gives a return o
$3.50 for each cultivated acre, nearly
dollar an acre more than in Brown
county. There are other counties il
that part of the state which produces
more corn per acre than Jewell an
also had far larger wheat crops, an
they may make better showings pc
acre and per capita than Jewell.
In northwestern Kansas Decatur, tn
third county from the Colorado lin,
produced farm products to the value c
81, 799, 620.12. 1t has population of 1857
giving a return per capita of 1922, c
more than double that of Brown COUNT
It is the same size as Jewell countl
having total area of 576, 900 acres, bu
it's cultivated area is 233, 600 acres,
about 40 per cent Of its total area TIL
makes a return for each cultivated acI
of S12.01 The chief crop of Decatu
county is wheat, which amounts to al
proximately 81, 100000. Corn gives n
turn of over a half million, and liz
stock sold amounts to a little less tina
q half million.
Cove county. which gave the large