The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-16
BUSY DAYS IN KANSAS
Rush of the Herefords Who'll Help Her Gather He
Wheat Crop.
Wheat Crop.

Down at Wichita, Kan, the other da
Lie Ratcliff. big wheat farmer from
Reno county, secured about fifty men anc
bought tickets for all Of them.
.1've paid these mons fares, said he Il
a friend, @but I haven't the slightest ide'
whether half Of them will reach Cunning
ham. They will be dropping Of all along
the line
you ought to hire car and lock them
in" said his friend.
Blamed good ideal" replied Life, and
he TALKED to the superintendent, with Tx
result that pretty soon another passergel
car was tackled to the train.
calling out:
All aboard for Cunning ham Every
man who goes with me has his fare raid
and can ride in special car in.the rear
The special car was filled in a jihy, and
as soon as it was full a man at each end
l9.9 the doors and kept them locked
The great wheat fields of he West are
pretty sights in late June. Hills and valleys
are covered with the golden yellow grain,
For miles in places the grain stretches az
level as granary floor.
Fences are rare and roads seem hut path
ways through the fields. Whole counties
| All VCStCiu hdIlcett anu eohtHMtE'''h ~
! braska are one vast wheat field.
! Down near Hill City, where Wheat hine
Rice has his dominion. one can see h''T
| harvesting machines marching through
the wheat, and the hum Of the header ana
the clicking ratchet Of the binder III tte
summer air with plea sing sound kce
has ITO quarter sections in Graham county
and 10000 acres of them is in wheat. H.
expects an average of twenty-five husheis
and saws the crop will Guido all previous
efforts In that line.
The wheat harvest usually lasts two q,
three weeks. Nature has 81 arrange
things that wheat does not get ripe al me
ing crew once started in Oklahoma in mo.
June can follow the trail north and keep
busy all summer. ,.
The wheat planting season runs through
two months; the threshing can he. done
almost any time, but the harvesting
always a hurry up job. The harvest Is d
thing Of the now, the right away.
The big wheat fields demand one OF Two
methods Of treatment by the binder OF
by the header. The latter is usually en-
ployed. The header cuts a swat oo"el
feet wide, and from the sickle the gram ~
elevated to wag ons which convey II 10 VIC
stack
horses are hitched in such a way that tlet
are behind the outing apparatus ana pussa
1t instead Of pull it. A crew Of seven llle'.
necessary to each machine and t"e'''"
five to thirty acres are cut II day .,,d
In some instances machines that nea.
the wheat also thresh and sack It IN sel's.
Of operations so that it is delivered III ua ls.
to the moving wagons. In other 'nslan w,
thresher Ia placed at the stack an u r,s
wheat kernels extracted while p'o"o
stacks the straw in the field
Very few farms have seven employeae.ss
and to equip a header crew means nv
additional men. These canno, be secu'..
from a neighbor who wants hep vs.. . Z.
badly, and 80 the call for OUTSIDE he'p
made.
A binder will cut about fifteen acres %
day, and besides the driver two t1eL 10 "a.
needed to pick up the machine iied n'''''''
and put them in shocks. -,s.,
Here in the West tn" hundred acre VIZ VIZ.
farmer IL not considered OF mich ltI'L zUs
tance. While there are no bonanza ,a ro.,
such as there once were in the Nur'hW;eSS,,
Their are many who own from on" - i l,s
quarters, while there arc prOtah,y u no.
men in the State who own large raNc'''
ming into the thousands of acr'~ a
The usual wage paid is from s? ~ 70"
day Sometimes. wher" IN" nee" ",
gent. these figures are doubled U
experienced men can command elel "n,.s
A day does not mean from 'r'hA'tsr
until supper. Daylight begins ns.
and only darkness ends it, OFTEN I"ngs
fast is served at from $50 to I ynr,
Then comes l;inc' in the field ar ' I,,cs
at II 80, supper a. J, 81 and often ,"'i al
before sciay "a red. Fourteen onH' id
aSopt TIE as"'sgr and sleep Is '' "
or seven hoYrs.