Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-28
IN LOVELY OKLAHOMA
Abundance In the Garden of
the Southwest.
CROPS PROMISE WE'LL
WONDERFUL PROGRESS IN THE
TERRIToRY'S SHORT LIFE.
Excellent School System-Evidences of
Culture and Refinement - A
Church-Going People.
by WILLIAM E CURTIS


has the loveliest landscapes 1 have ever
seen. Its hills are not too high, its prairies
| are not too fat its streams are not too large
| and it's forests are not so great as to hide
| the rest of the country. In June the terri
| tory looks like grand park and is the
greatest triumph of nature in her role of
landscape architect. Just now everything is
| in perfect condition. The foliage is fresh
and perfect, and as lustrous II every leaf
had been washed and newly vanished only
day or two ago. The yellow fields Of RI
pened wheat and the rustling corn make the
| picture perfect The farmers complain of
having had too much rain, although no
damage has been done to the crops. 1t has
left the territory as fresh and bright and
| as beautiful as if 1t were newly made.
ecord-Breaking Crops.
| And what crops they arel Nature is going
| to furnish an unanswerable argument for
| statehood, and unless some cyclone or other
disaster comes the soil will yield such har-
vests this year as were never known before
| Nearly all Of the territory is under cultiva-
| ton. The 365 miles from east to west and
| 30 miles from north to south could swallow
| up Massa chusetts, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and half of
Connecticut, and almost every acre is pro-
ducing something this year-somethng that
will bring money into the pockets of the
people and increase their Importance as
members of our great commonwealth. In
| the western part of the state. you per-
hapS know there is an area of high and dry
| land that needs irrigation in order to make
| it a producer; but this year it will not
| fail to do its share in rolling up a big col
| umn of agricultural statistics. To make the
future sure it is proposed to build reser-
vor covering 1915 acres by constructing
dam across rocky gorge in Otter creek and
there store water enough to irrigate 1900
acres. Another reservoir may be construct
ed on the north fork of the Red river. which
will furnish water enough to irrigate $1,000
acres and that is all that will be necessary
to reinforce the rainfall of nature. The
farmers of western Oklahoma are not TAX
ing very much interest in the project. how
ever This scheme is too far from them.
They do not need the land for agriculture,
and they do need it for grazing.
Sixteen Years Old.
Oklahoma is sweet sixteen. Her birthday
was celebrated on the ODD of April last. for
on that day in 1889 the gun was fired as
signal for the rush Of home-hunters Those
sixteen years have witnessed a miracle of
growth and development. They have no
parallel in the history of any other state
1t must be said. however that the condi-
tons here were favorable to it-more favor
able than were found by the pioneers of
any other country on eartn-and the homes
that stand upon these beautiful prairies
cost less aDOr ana less narCSnlp tnan those
OF any new land that was ever settled.
The history of Oklahoma is unique.
The population now, according to the best
estimates, is between I0oWO and 1oo.ooo,
and 1t is increasing at the rate of about ~
per cent year. Seventyone per cent of
the people are engaged in agriculture, and
1t is asserted that larger variety of crops
can be produced on this soil than in any
other part of the world Upon many a farm
you can find growing, side by side. all OF
the staples; all of the botanical products
than can be found between the two oceans
and between the great lakes and the gulf.
Kansas has plenty of corn and wheat, but
1t cannot grow cotton; Oklahoma can pro-
duce not only an unlimited quantity of corn
! and wheat, but an unlimited quantity of
cotton also. and of the very best quality of
each Its reputa ton has reached other parts
of the world. On the steamer which
brought me from Japan last summer was a
representative of the Cotton Manufacturers
Association at Osaka on his way to Okla
homa to make contracts for cotton that is
now growing, and he told me that his en-
ployers preferred the Oklahoma fibre to all
others.
Wheat and Potato Crops
Wheat grows just as well as cotton and
the crop last year amounted to about &c.,
600 900 bushels, ranging from fifteen to
thirty bushels per acre. Nearly all of the
Oklahoma wheat is consumed at home.
Mills sprnging up in every part of the
territory, with other manufactures, and
are scarcely able to meet the local demand.
Sixty million bushels of corn were raised
last year. varying from thirty-five to sixty
bushels acre, and nearly all of 1t was
used in feeding Oklahoma hogs. Very few
oats shipped, because they We're all
needed at home, and 1t may be said that,
with the exception of cotton. the people of
the territory eat their own agricultural
products. The cotton fields last year yield
ed nearly $4,000 bales and this year it is
expected to reach 3Co, 600 bales
The potato crop also is money maker.
two crops being grown on the same ground
each year. The first is harvested the latter
part of June and brings fhncy prices; while
the second is dug late in the fall and is
kept chiefly for seeding purposes. Poultry
Is important item also, and last year
more than 81 500, 600 worth of eggs and
chickens were shipped outside the territory
in addition to those used at home.
The diversifcation OF crops is the best
kind of insurance, because ii is impossible
for them all to fail in the same year. There
have been crop failures in Oklahoma
since the settlement of the territory, but oc-
casionally the farmers find a narrow mar
gin between profit and loss on some grains
or vegetables. and 1t is a lucky thing for
| them to have others to fall hack on rev.
enue producers. Secretary Wilson, who is
the great apostle of diversified farming,
finds profound satisfaction in the condition
of things out here. Not long ago he told
me that Oklahoma was an ideal country in
that respect. The planters of the southern
states would do well to come here and
study the methods and learn how wise it
is not to put all of ones eggs in single
basket.
Small Farms Well Titled.
Another great advantage in Oklahoma is
that the farms are all small. Very few
families have more than 160 acres An
other is that nearly every acre is worked
by the man who owns 1t. Unless 1t be one
of the Scandinavian countries, do not
think any section on earth has SO large a
proportion of home-owners as klahoma:
and seeing the homes today: as you
pass through the territory railroad
train or drive about, you would never be-
leve that almost every one of them has
been developed from the dug-out. the sod
hut, or the canvas tent within sixteen
years. While there no splendid man
sions in the territory: while probably no
house outside of the city of Oklahoma is
worth more than $15, 900 or $4,000 the great
majority of homes much more COM
Portable than the palace of any king. They
cost from 81 500 upward and are filled
with many luxuries well as all the com
forts that are needed. An old-fashioned
frontiersman was complaining to yes
terday of the extravaganza of the people