The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-11-23
KANSAS WHEAT BELT
REGION IN WHICH ARE MANY
HOMES OF CULTURE.
The Only Real Work Of the Year Is
During the Harvest Season
Farmers Generally Are
Students.

Students.
There are homes on the wheat
ranches where culture reigns. Books,
rictures. music pianos and newspa-
pers keep the inhabitants in touch
with the best things of life, says the
Kansas City Star. The onerous toll of
the wheat harvest is mostly imagin.
airy. The only real work Of the year is
during the week of harvest. Turning
the soil with riding plow is not hard,
as farm work goes. Planting the wheat
with drill is easy. Waiting for 1t
TO grow Is not such degrading labor.
Men who raise three crops of alfalfa
a year work harder all summer than
do the wheat barvesters. The harvest
bands are softened, weakened products
Of euervating city life, and that is why
the work seems hard The harvest
season is a godsend to these men. The
outlet To the country for a season or
Iecreating toll soothes the nerves of a
fermenting element the city breeds
and harbors.
The farmers of the wheat belt, on
the whole. seem to be about the hap
piest agriculturists to be found. The
rapid growth OF the western counties
into the gigantic wheat-producing sec
tion that II now is has offered ample
opportunity for all the farmers of
managing ability TO build up moder-
ate fortunes and acquire large tracts
CT land. These they have adorned
with splendid homes, orchards and
shade trees, and have stocked with
fine cattle and good breeds OF all do
nestle stock. The wheat belt is also
"the greatest grass land on the
earth" That is, native grass grows
there in profusion, and 1t makes the
best grazing OF any grass crop. All
these things have enabled the progress
sive farmers TO surround themselves
with everything that goes to make
rural life delightful.
These wide-awake farmers are stu
dents of everything that comes into
their lives. At glance they can tell
which OF two steers will gain a pound
the quicker and on a given ration, and
this same faculty makes them judges
OF human character as well. They
know what kind OF men they are deal
ing with and treat them accordingly.
Many a man who came to the harvest
like tramp. a man used to cul-
tured home. but fallen from grace and
down on his luck" has been singled
out by the farmer or his wife as one
nj for better things. Such a man is
treated as one of the family. His
story is learned II he wishes to tell It,
When the harvest is over he is given
steady work. The bond that throws
people together Of an equal plane of
thought becomes established.
Cases of this kind can be related In
every household in the wheat belt
Said one farmers wife-she traced her
ancestry TO Ethan Allen and other
historic names of colonial days and
was herself a college graduate: zone
OF the most interesting things of the
harvest is studying the character OF
the men. Last year young man
worked for us who, we readily saw
was of good breeding and came from
a respectable home. His hand goi
sore in the harvest and | dressed II
and doctored him the best | could. II
got worse. and one day | asked hin
what was the matter with 1t. He said.
The blood does not circulate In It..
Then he rolled up his sleeve anc
showed a scar that was frightful. Ht
had been in some scrape and had re
ceived a bad cut. which had beer
sewed up by surgeon. His hand go
well and he worked for us nearly 9
year. One time he was sick for sew
eral weeks and ! said to him: John
why don't you write TO your folks?
know that yon have a home and thai
your parents are worrying about you.
He took my advice and wrote two let
ters. Awhile later he said to US: I'm
going 10 leave you will eat dinner
with my folks tomorrow In Golden
Col Well dressed and feeling good
with $3.50 in his pocket. he bade III
good-by. We soon received lette
from his mother. thanking us for wha
we had done for her SON."
When the men who have accumu
lated much land In the wheat countr!
die and divide their holdings. the ian'
will be In smaller tracts and 70 thick
ly settled that the local market viii
supply all the labor needed In the mar
vest. That will mark the end OF tn
summer migration.