Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-13
TALK WITHF. D. COBURN
BELIEVES THE STATE TO BE THE
MOST PROSPEROUS OF ANY.
Declares That the Farmers Are as Well
Posted as Any People in
the World.
BY WILLIAM Il. CURTIS.

state than any other citizen; and. what Is
equally important. is able to tell 1t In an
intelligent ard interesting manner. He has
been with the Kansas farmer through the
ups and downs of quarter of century.
and is able To speak from experience as well
as observation.
Kansas is probably the most prosperous
state In the Union" said Mr.. Coburn. In
answer TO my question. II have never
known a people more prosperous or In bet
ter spirits.
why? Because they have had success
sion Of large crops of wheat. corn. oats and
hay that have brought good prices; their
hogs and poultry have been in great de-
maud while their dairy products have
yrown enormously in volume and value. In
1904 the total value of the farm products of
Kansas was sos. +e6, 36-5. and if you add the
assessed valuation of live stock it will bring
the total up to nearly $3T0,oo0,oOo. Last
year we had sol. G)30O0 worth of wheat.
sol .Ogb.V9 worth of corn. So2.VO,OO worth
of animals sold for slaughter. S9.UD.ooo
worth of hay nearly SS.0O0,0O worth of
poultry and eggs were sold by our farmers,
ST,CGO.OtO worth of butter, and so on
From 1890 to 1879 we raised 139, 2G0. ODD
bushels of wheat; from 1870 to 1894 We
raised Isl. 5JO4 ,953 bushels. The wheat crop
alone of the past five years paid our farm
more than two hundred and thirty-hve
millions of dollars, and their other crops
brought them corresponding amount.
That is the reason they are so contented
Mortgages Paid Off.
What have they done with the money!"
They paid OFF their mortgages in the first
place. They have bought the lands which
adtolned their farms. and now have more
than one hundred and ten millions of dol
lars in the banks. most of 1t loaned to poor
devils down east
What is the total amount OF mortgages
paid of in Kansas during the past five or
ten years."
There is no record: nobody has
made a compilation, although there have
been various estimates. more or less accu-
rate. which generally mount up into the
hundreds of millions. 1t Is certain that the
farmers have paid very large sums and are
practically free from mortgages The loan
agents complain that they are doing no
business. The only mortgages filed now
adays cover notes given for the purchase of
additional land or improvements. No farm
er with common sense and ordinary energy
need borrow money today except to increase
the size of his farm, and the country banks,
chiefly patronized by farmers. show more
than one hundred and ten millions of dol
lars on deposit.
What do you need most in Kansas 2?
Labor Needed Most.
Labor Farm hands are very scarce
We have had to import large numbers OF
men from the east 10 harvest our wheat
l do not know the exact number. The sub
ject does not come under my Jurisdiction
Kansas has a free employment bureau
maintained by the state. which does moth
ing else but try to secure help for the
farmers. and l notice by the papers that
NJ. Gerow. the director of the bureau,
has supplied about 2}.Co0 hands for the
Kansas harvest this year. The men are
given half fares on the railroads and are
paid 81 and $50 per day and their board
There is from four to six weeks work,
and If they want TO stay In the state they
can find plenty of permanent employment
at good wages. What need even more
than harvest hands is immigrants from the
European countries who are accustomed to
Cultivating sugar beets. The farmers OF
Kansas will not get down on their knees
We have the soil and the market for
unlimited supply of sugar beets If we could
get labor to cultivate them
How are your crops this year,
Crops Fairly Good
Fairly good: good enough. The corn is
late but promising. We harvested 1%2 OIL
10 bushels last year. worth $50 49, 55, and
we Will undoubtedly do well this year
The area in corn in 1904 was 6.494 1913
acres The returns of the assessors show
an increase of 10000 acres this year, or
IL per cent There should be a correspond
ing Increase In the value of the crop
our wheat is nearly all harvested and
she returns are favorable. Last year
had Gi.T93.338 bushels; the year before o.
Gi9.2E6 bushels In 1901 We had our bum
per crop, harvesting more than 90 D9O 900
bushels. and in 1900 more than 1900 900
bushels. The yearly average for twenty
years has been about 10000 900 bushels,
and We VIII go far beyond that this year,
although We may not reach the record.
1t is big crop and good one. Ninety
nine per cent of IT is the famous hard
russian red winter wheat the best in the
world
The oats are fair THIS is not an oat
country like Iowa but our yearly average
Is about 32.opD.ppO bushels, and we are
very likely to make it this season.
How about your potatoes
our farmers are losing interest in DO
tatocs. said Mr.. CobUrn. and are not
planting so many as formerly that we
shall have only medium crop They did
make great deal Of money growing po-
tatOes formerly, especially in the Kaw val
ley, and the records show an average of
about S2So.OD worth per year. During
the last twenty years the farmers of Kan
sas have sold nearly $1,000 oOO worth of
potatoes.
Welcome Novelties.
They are keeping it up in all other Ines
They are making progress in every drec-
ton. No matter where you go in Kansas
nowadays you will see new houses and
rev barns on three-fourths of the farms
II you go into the houses you will find
new furniture and carpets. pianos. hot and
cold water plumbing. hot-air and hot
water furnaces. and If you go out to the
barns you will find buggies and car
ri;.ges. farming machinery OF the most i'm
proved and expensive character and here
and there an automobile. We are ex
perding entirely too much money in farm
ing machinery. Kansas City is the great
est farm implement and machinery market
in the world and its largest trade is In
Kansas. Our farmers are always after nov
elites If agent comes around with a
new-fangled machine they think they must
have 1t, although the old does the
work Just WELL
Are the ranches dsappearing?"
Yes. they are being rapidly cut up into
small farms. The number of farms in
creases more rapidly than the acreage. The
average farm in Kansas Is now l73 acres
Formerly II was very much larger. The
average area is - per cent less than II was
ten years ago, Notwithstanding the pur-
chase OF new lands. Every thrifty and
foresighted farmer asp.res to own the land
that adjoins his He is not only land-hun-
CRY himself. but he wants Ii for his chill
dren. who growing UP and will soon
want farms of their own"