The Minneapolis journal., 1905-10-09
MANY SOILS; N0NEP0OR,IN
C0MANCHE COUNTY, OK,
Where the Prize Wheat Shown at
the vt. Louis Exposition Was
Grown-Great Capacity for Crops.
BY w. HI. HORNADAY.
Special Corresnondenca

0peCAd1 correspondence.
LAWTON, Ok, Oct. 3.-Comanche coun-
ty has great variety Of soils, and none of
them are poor. Whether it is sandy loam
or black, close soil, or the chocolate COL
ored, 1t is always very rich, and produces
enormous crops. The Lawton greenhouses
use fine, close, dark soil for growing the
| finest plants and flowers produced any
where in America. It is little too tight
| for good corn soil, but it produced the
s1xty-tour pound wheat which beat
everything shown at St. Louis. Almost
any quarter section of land will have a
field with loose, friable soil, and an open
subsoll, which will grow corn with I'LL
| nois, and the best four crop alfalfa, On
| the same farm will be soil for wheat and
oats, with some of the best pasture and
| meadow land. In this county almost any
| OF the soils will grow fine cotton, Kaffir,
| Droomcorn, and oats, but the best Epota-
! toes are grown on the corn land. -. -
! The wheat ground is plowed in July and
! August, regardless of moisture. They use
| the dry land' plow, which is a double
| disk, drawn by three horses, which does
| good work in any ground. Late in August
or the first Of September the rains set in
and the ground is harvested and put in
hne condition, and wheat is soWn during
| October. ~ :.
| The first spring crop Is potatoes, plant
ed about Feb. 10 to Is, with oats as soon
after as possible. Corn is planted before
March 10. Garden and vegetable plant
Ing Is done in February and very early
In March. Kaffir, broomcorn, sweet po-
tatoes, sorghum, cowpeas, ETC., are plant
| ca as early as the farmer can reach the
| 1ob, some OF them as late as June. AL
1aIfa Is soWn in September and in April,
| 1llSt tho hod ho
/ erly prepared. AS the potato crop is dug
the seed for the second crop is planted,
and that is dug in September. Fall crop
o. garden sas" is put in late in Sep
| tember. Cabbage and cauliaower are
| planted very early and are fine crops.
celery Is planted early or late, just as an
| early or late crop may be needed. 1t
| grows nearly all winter. Sweet pota-
toes and beets grow until about Christ
| mas.
The native grasses of Comanche county
embrace the old blue stem ana the usual
| long grasses found in the West. On the
| black, tight lands-table lands between
the streams and the foothills near the
W1ch1tas-the mesquite is found. It Is a
hort, fine stem grass, on which cattle
will fatten ffty-two weeks in thes year
The Bermuda is a short, rich grass, but
must be sown to- get good, strong sod
either for pasture or meadow. All these
grasses ripen In the fall without any
frost, and are therefore very valuable fol
winter grazing. AS a general rule the
short grass indicates soil better fitted
for wheat and oats, while corn, potatoes
and alfalfa make greatest crops on the
long grass lands. -.
Outside of the foothills of the Wichitas
there is very little stone or rough LAM
anywhere in the county. The only waste
land is along the deep draws or dr.,
] reeks, where the channel is cut littl
too deep to run a furrow across. These
rough places are generally found on tn.
land best adapted and most desirable TO-
pasture and nothing Is lost. Where ,
pond for stock water and fish is desiret
these rough places are utilized, and man,
FARMERS are building such ponds, ever
where they are not needed. for watering
, stock They are stocked with channe
cat or croppies and wild duck find then
IN the fall, and winter near them II no
, disturbed. Willows, and any nyvarieties O
!, hardwood trees, thrive around them an
! help transform it into a shady grove
leasing to the eye and profitable to tn
farmer. -, -S.1Sc.' :
= With3these varied soils, with a workin
season of at least ten months, with tn
| wonderful productiveness Of all the soils
4 with the great diversity of crops, with
2 natural stock and dairy country, with tn
\ finest fruits of every kind, with all thes
: added to country beautiful in scener,
j rich in historic interest, and the health
/ est climate-with all these provided, th
a energetic home builder will search n
e longer, but will settle here, plant his ow
8 6g tree, water his own vine, and enio
). the prosperity, health, and happiness pre-
b vided by his benedcent Maker for his en-
+ joyment -