Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1904-07-23

Franchise Granted.-OttaWa has.
after an extended negotiation, granted
a franchise through Main street to
the proposed electric line from Kan
sas City. The franchise is understood
to be satisfactory to the promoters.
The line must be completed from Kan
sas City through Ottawa in eighteen
months or the franchise will be for
feited. Hugh A. Holmes, who is pro-
noting the enterprise, is now at work
securing right of way between Otta-
wa and Wellsville.
KaW Valley Potatoes Ruined-The
Kaw valley potato crop will be al
most a complete loss. Most Of the
potatoes not destroyed by the food
are rotting in the ground as a re-
suit of the heavy rains and the ex-
tremely hot weather of the past few
days. Many farmers, in hopes of
realizing something, have been dig
ging during the past few days. The
markets have been flooded, and po-
tatoes are now selling for so cents
a bushel.
Best In Stack-Millers in the wheat
belt are issuing cards urging the farm
frain from threshing it while it is
wet. They claim that wheat blight
ed somewhat from the rains will re-
gain its color and strength in the
stack. This will avoid demoraliza-
ton of prices by throwing damaged
wheat on the market, and in the long
run will net the farmers much
profit.
Erect G. A. r. Monument-All the
Grand Army posts in Atchison have
united in a movement to find all I'M
marked graves of old soldiers in the
cemeteries, take up the bodies and
inter them in a common burying
ground. A plot in Oak Hill cemetery,
which has not been used much of late
years, will be selected, and a monu-
ment will be erected on the plot by
the Grand Army posts of Atchison.
Drowned Out Game.-This year will
not be a good one for hunters, as
there will be few rabbits and few
quail. The incessant rains and floods
have drowned out all the rabbits and
have killed the young quail which
had not the power to fly. For some
reason the prairie chickens seem to
have escaped; western Kansas re-
ports an unusually large number of
these birds.
In Sumner County.-A few days
dry weather has enabled the farmers
to get into their fields and the stand
ing grain is being rapidly harvested.
Most of it is being headed, because
. of its ripeness. Several threshing
outfits are also at work and a great
deal of grain will be threshed di-
rect from the header barges. The
quality is much better than was an
ticipated.
Harvest Held in Check.-The wheat
harvest, now generally under way, is
held in check by too much rain Dur
ing the last few days much water has
fallen and cloudy weather prevailed
Fields are too soft for machines, and
much of the best wheat is down or
badly tangled. Black rust is doing
much as a result.
County System For HarVey.-Har-
vey county is soon to have county
system of rural free delivery. This
information comes to Congressman
I Victor Murdoch in the shape of a
! letter from Fourth Assistant Post
master General Bristow.
! New Rural Route.-A rural free de-
4; livery route will be established Au-
gust Is, as follows: Kansas-Valley
! alIs, Jefferson county, additional,
! length of route twenty-six and one
/ half miles, population served 428.
Quality Good.-In Mcpherson coun-
| ty the first wheat of the season was
! threshed this week on the Frank
Lundstedt farm. The yield and quail
/ ity are said to be very good.
Overcome BY Heat.-W. H. Repp, a
/ laboring man in Eureka, while unload
! ing household goods into a car at
the Missouri Pacific yards, was over
come by heat.
Lutheran League To Meet.-The
second annual convention of the Kan
sas conference Lutheran League will
be held at Kackley, Kans., August 10,
20 and q.
Cutting Wheat-Many upland farm
ers in western Kansas are trying to
cut wheat, and are using headers in
stead of binders where possible. Bot
tom lands can not be entered for some
days.
Aged Kansan Dies.-W. P. Dock
ray, who during the Civil war was
captain of the gunbOat De Soto of the
Atlantic blockading squadron, is dead
at his Douglas county home, aged So
years.
Property Greatly Damaged.-Much
property in towns all over the state
has been damaged by the flood.
Corn Looks WeII.-The upland corn
over the entire state is looking we'll
and the prospect is fair for q big
crop. Potatoes that were not over.
flowed are said to be in a fine con
dition.
No News From Outside.-During
the food no news reached Lincoln
Center from the outside world for
three days. Farmers are unable to
get into their fields, and wheat is
suffering badly. 2
Fruit Going to Waste.-Fruit is said
to be going to waste in Rice county
because of the lack of a market.