Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1903-08-20
PLAINS Department.
p. 8. SULLIVAN Rditor.

| Gideon Gillidett has purchased Z
fine team. of mules and will entel
the list of wheat growers next year
| We hear divers rumors of a wed.
ding to take place this week but are
unable to give particulars at present.
Frank Cochran has purchased q
fine new gang plow and expects to
turn over the sod at the rates oi
about $40 per day.
Messrs Choate, Meade, Globe,
| O'Brien and Fergerson are among
the lucky ones to secure homesteads
during the past week.
| Chas. Smith, who has been break
ing, harvesting, etc. around Plains
for several months will return to
Reno county in a few days to put
out a crop.
Perley, B. Chandler, a college
graduate of Chicago, has filed ON a
government quarter west of town
and at this writing is building a
house thereon.
John Collingwood, having loaded
up with Meade county land will re-
turn to Pretty Prairie the last of the
week. He has made arrangements
to put out 2, 500 acres of wheat here
this fall.
This town needs a barber and
will treat good man right. Why
doesn't some enterprising tonsorial
artist investigate our inducements
| and come where he can get a good
thing.
w. H. Wilson who has been sup
erintending the threshing of his i'm
mense wheat crop, and incidentally
buying a few more quarters of land,
and arranged to plant 1000 acres of
wheat will return east this week.
Mr.. Wilson is thoroughly satisfied
with his investments here, and though
now 73 years of age expects to live
to see this land sell for $40 per acre.
| Don't forget that there will be a
social at the schoolhouse Saturday
evening, August aand, at which ice
cream and other refreshments will be
served. This is a part of the ladies
donation to the church, and every
one should attend, not only for the
good of the cause, but because you
will get your moneys worth, not
alone in goods but also by being
served by the fairest and sweetest
maidens in Kansas.
Speaking of the wheat that made
Meade County famous, there is a
man in West Plains twp. who beyond
question is entitled to be known as
the Wheat King of Kansas. Possib-
ly there are men in the state who
have raised more wheat than this
man, but certainly there are none
in Meade County, and none any
where who have made such a sue
cess of wheat growing under such
trying circumstances. This man
came here from Champagne County
Illinois, where he was born and
raised, and where he had been rent
ing for a number of years. When
he came here he hadn't enough
earthly goods to wad a shotgun; but
he had what was better, true grit
and genuine stick-to-ive-ness. He
commenced raisiug wheat in 1888,
and since that time has farmed every
year and never had but one failure,
and that was in 1894 when the
whole country failed and would
have passed into the hands of the
receiver but there was no one will
ing to accept theresponsibility. In
the year 1900 this man bought an
80 of land and put it in wheat, he
paid sIoo for the land and sold
SIzoo worth of wheat off of it that
year. When other people were leav-
ing the country during the dark days
which followed the boom, he hung
on; when other people sat around
cursing the country he was sowing
wheat. Certain it is that his path
was not all roses, he had hardships,
drouths, grasshoppers, chintzbugs,
he was laughed at, sneered at, anc
called foolish for trying to farm il
this county. but he kept "pluggir
on" with his team of white mules,
and today he could easily buy all
his scoffers and never miss the price
He has just finished threshing 7ooc
bushels of wheat, all of which testeo
No. 2, and besides has a fine croI
of barley, and will have oceans o.
feed to keep his 100 head of higt
grade cattle. His wheat made ar
average of IL bushels per acre,
which is not an unusual thing fol