The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-01-21
sEDeWIcK RANKS TWELFTH.
In the Quantity of Alfalfa Raised in
Kansas.

The tabulation of 1903 returns of as
nessors by the state board of agriculture
shows many interesting facts regarding
the Increase in acreage of agricultural
productions of Kansas; also that Sedg-
wick county. ranks twelfth in the guam
tity of alfalfa raised
The increase in acreage of alfalfa all
over the state, is little less than phe-
nomenaL Each year. with the exception
OF 1900, there has been a larger area de-
voted to this product than during the
year before Alfalfa is fast attracting
the attention Of the agricultural world
and judging from the many requests for
information on this subject which are
being received daily by the Kansas board
there is every reason to believe that
future years viii record steady expansion.
Alfalfa is a wonderful crop and farm
ers and stockmen so appreciate its value
as feed that they retain it for bone
use, and Il is often q difficult matter for
others who wish to buy to find sellers
Since its introduction into Kansas the
area devoted TO alfalfa has constantly
widened The increase of the 1908 area
over that of 1902 was 10000 acres, or IS
81
$50 acres. or over II per cent, and the
increase of the 1903 acreage over the
acreage of alfalfa's statistical birth-year
in Kansas QS9D was So, 2OS acres, or a
trifie over 1,547 per cent.
In Jewell. which in 1902 ranked number
one in the list of alfalfa-growing coun-
ties, there were SS,5ls acres. which was
4,iS4 acres. or II per cent more than the
acreage for the entire state in 1891.
Every county in the state. save four
Is represented in the list of counties
growing alfalfa, with acreages ranging
from Is acres in Marion county to 81 SIS
IN Jewell county
The total acreage of the twentv-four
leading counties this year surpasses the
acreage of the whole state for any one
year prior to 1899. being II per cent great
er than 1901, and 81 per cent greater than
1900. Only five counties show decrease
Ia total of 4,l93 acres-of which loss 5. ge2
acres is chargeable 10 one county. Nor
ton, while SO show an increase of ll2.-
2o2 The largest single county increase
over 1892 was made by Greenwood coun-
~. which gained $3.50 acres; Republic
gained 5.005 acres: Jewell Asp. Harvey
<ls7, Rutler 3.s77, Pottawatomie 1855.
Smith S.SlS. Dickinson 22os. and Chase
s.oeS. In the year 1901 the total acreage
for the state was 3i.3s4 acres: the total
increase in acreage for the above men
uone1 nine counties for 1903 is So ass acres
or 2.sd acres more than the 1891 acreage
In 1895, "a counties had over ten thous-
and acres. the leading seven of which
had $1,000 and over. In 1891 but one
county. Finney, had over $500 acres.
' The twenty-four leading alfalfa coun-
ties of the state have 81. sSS acres. which
10 81 per cent Of the total area planted.
The following list shows the relative
standing of the twenty-four leading al
falfa counties for 1868:
Jewell, SS.5is; Butler. 2552s: Republic.
2. 49,: Greenwood, 1856: Smith. 1926:
Norton. 1883; Chase. 1916: Phillips. IA
7os; Lyons. 14s47. Marion. 1851: Mitchell.
14.175; Sedgwick. 1851: Pottawatomie.
1922; Wabaunsee, u. Ss6: Finney. 1853:
Cloud. 1858: Mcpherson, 1903: Decatur.
ie.e5l; Reno Hop; Saline. lass: Dickin-
son, 1888: Rice, l0,SSS: Osborne. Ii. rs:
Harvey. l0.20l
Six adjoining counties of the northern
der. namely. Decatur. Norton. Phillips.
Smith, Jewell and Republic this year
have combined acreage Of l2l.oz7 acres.