Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-06-01
ALSO A HORTICULTURAL COUNTRY.

Sharon, Kansas, May, 80, 1904.
Editors Index: l have read with
interest the contributions from your
Hazelton correspondent, comparing
Kansas with Illinois, as we'll as
one from my neighbor near Sharon
concerning dairy farming, which
meet by hearty appreciation, but l
would like a little of your space to
take up the fruit topic which to my
mind is more important as a
wealth creator than any other
product. Few people in Sharon
Valley and in fact the entire coun-
ty realize the adaptability of our
land for horticultural purposes.
An ILLUSTRATION occurred to my mind
recently. One day last week l
approached ]. R. Dunkin, one of
the Valleys fruit growers, and
asked him to price his grape vine
yard IA piece of ground containing
one and one-fourth acres.) He
evaded the question entirely and
finally | asked if he would take
500 per acre. He met my
suggestion with an emphatic "no"
and went on to say that his grape
crop last year, and short crop,too,
yielded him $175, and that this
year it would increase to $500.
Think of it a moment: oneand one
fourth acres producing $175 to
$500 worth of fruit every year!
Do you wonder that the owner re-
refuses 500 per acre forsuch land?
In eastern states, if land pays for
itself in five or ten years it is do
ing well. Suppose we figure the
income from the small piece of
land mentioned at $500, in five
years it would yield $1,000. Of
course, it is not claimed that every
acre of land in Kansas is adapted
as we'll for this purpose as Mr..
Dunkin's but we do claim that
there are acres and acres that will
produce as much fruit as his. This
is not the only instance of good
profits in small orchards in this
valley. c. A. Blackmore, perhaps
the best known fruit grower in the
county, says he sold $1,000 worth
of fruit last year. He has forty
acres of young trees and vines.
There are many others who de-
serve honorable mention.
The point l desire to make is
that we have land here, which,
with little work and effort will
produce 500 to $500 per acre and
yet many of us will get down on our
knees and beg men to come west
and buy our land for $40 to $25
per acre. The trouble is we don't
pause to consider the value of our
land.
Every man who raised 20 bushels
of corn per acre last year is now
realizing $40 per acre and every
man who raised 80 bushels realizes
SIS. have myself been trying
all winter to sell tract of land for
$40 per acre which last years pro-
duced 80 bushels of corn per tacre
and the present wheat crop prom
Uses to yield equally as much value
this year.
Getting back to the fruit propo-
sition, think the industry is only
in its infancy in this country. |
believe when it is we'll developed
that our land will double in
value several times. l believe
also that it would pay our farmers
and real estate dealers to have men
at the Worlds Fair this year to
exhibit our fruit and other pro-
ducts. Extensive shipments could
be made so that it could be sold
after exhibition and in this way
make it self-sustaining.
Farmers and fruit growers in
this county should organize, meet
and discuss these subjects oftener
than they do, and get in touch with