Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-09
THE KANSAS WHEAT BELT.
A Region in Which Are Many Homes
Where Culture Reigns.
From the Kansas City Star.

From the Kansas City Star.
There are homes the wheat ranches
where culture reigns. Books, pictures, mu-
sic, pianos and newspapers keep the in
habitants in touch with the best things OF
life The onerous toll of the wheat harvest
is mostly imaginary. 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 a drill is easy Waiting for 1t
to grow is not such degrading labor Men
who raise three crops of alfalfa year work
harder all summer than do the wheat har-
vesters. The harvest hands are softened,
weakened products of enervatiug 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
recreating toll soothes the nerves OF fer
menting element the city breeds and har-
bors
The farmers OF the wheat belt, on the
whole, seem to be about the happiest agrI-
culturists to be found The rapid growth
OF the western counties into the gigantic
wheat-producing section that II now is has
offered ample opportunity for all the farm
ers of managing ability to build up moder-
ate fortunes and acquire large tracts or
land. These they have adorned with SPLEEN
did homes, orchards and shade trees. ana
have stocked with fine cattle and good
breeds of all domestic stock The wheat
belt is also 1.-THE greatest grass land on the
ear mat is, native grass grows Ihers
in profusion. and IL makes the best grazing
of any grass crop. All these things have
enabled the progressive farmers 10 surround
themselves with everything that goes TO
make rural life delightful
These Wide-awake farmers are students
of everything that comes into their lives
At glance they can tell which of two
steers will gain a pound the quicker and
on given ration, and this same faculty
makes them judges OF human character as
well. They know what kind of men they
are dealing with and treat them according
ly. Many man who came to the harvest
like a tramp, a used to a cultured
home, but fallen from grace and down
his luck has been singled out by the
farmer his wife as one fit for better
things. Such man Is treated as one or
the family. His story is learned II he
wishes to tell 1T. 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 college
graduate-"One Of the most interesting
things of the harvest Is studying the char
acter of the men. Last year a young man
worked for us who, readily saw was or
good breeding and came from a respectable
home. His hand got sore IN the harvest
and dressed It and doctored him the best
] could. 1t got worse, and one day L asked
him what was the matter with IL. He said.
The blood does not circulate In it Then
he rolled up his sleeve and showed scar
that was frfghtful. He had been In some
scrape and had received bad cut. which
had been sewed up by a surgeon. His hand
got well and he worked for nearly a
year. One time he was sick for sevef<i
weeks and | said TO him: John, why don't
you write to your folks? l know that you
have a home and that your parents are
worrying about you He took my advice
and wrote two letters A while later he
said to US: I'm going to leave you. 1 will
eat dinner with my folks tomorrow IN
Golden, Col Well dressed and feeling
good. with $3.50 In his pocket he babe US
goodbye. We soon received a letter from
his mother, thanking for what we had
done for her SON."
When the men who have accumulated
much land IN the wheat country die and d.
vide their holdings, the land will be IN
smaller tracts and thickly settled that
the local market will supply all the labor
needed in 1.-the harvest. That will mark the
end of the summer migration,