The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-09-21
SEVEN YEARS or PLEHH
KANSAS FARMERS ALMOST RIOT
IN PROSPERITY.
Farmers' Wives, Too, Make Trips TO
Cities to Put Sons and Daugh-
tiers I'm College.
(Bv C. NJ Hargarl

AbT l.. IL HarE6r-l
This IS one OF the greatest, IL not
the greatest years in Kansas history
said Secretary COburns the famous
score keeper for this states prosper
ity, and the farmers are getting the
best OF it. No mOrtals on earth any
where are 50 well prepared for happi-
ness"
He had Just completed his estimate
OF practically 5000, 600 bushels Of
high grade wheat as the crop OF the
state this year
And this great crop-the greatest
raised by any state in the nation
comes not after famine, but as the
climax Of seven prosperous years in
which debts have been paid, mort
cages Cancelled, improvement Of every
sort added
More than that, the farmers did not
know they had fl until harvest Up
TO three weeks before harvest farm
ers counted on only a moderate or
perhaps an average crop. When the
separatOrs began pouring a stream OF
golden grain into the wagons, they
woke up and added 25,OO0,OOO bushels
to their estimate. That is a pretty
good dndi
Little wonder that a farmer ten
miles from town in central Kansas
awOke one morning during threshing
time and remarked:
The wheat is so good I believe I'll
have an automobile
When We 90 TO town well see
about it." replied his wife
No; I want it now" He went to
the telephone and called up the cOun-
ty seat BY 10 o'clock he had a tour
ing car at his door; by noon he was
soaring the cattle with its Gabriel
horn, and that evening he took the
family to town to hear a band con-
cert
They are saving their wheat money.
Much Of il is going into banks. The
state has a bank to every 1884 peo-
pie, more than any other state. Hun
dreds Of them have farmers for share
holders chiefly. Their only difficulty
IS to find places to loan the deposits.
One country bank with $4,000 cap
ital rectnly had $4,000 deposits, and
three-fOuTths Of this in cash, be-
cause no one in the neighbOrhOOd
wanted to borrow it It was in the
heart Of the wheat belt where twenty
new banks have been chartered in the
past ninety days.
But they are getting good things
out OF life, too Why not with $780,
100000 in cash for a single crop.
What are you doing here2" was
asked OF a mountain resort railway
passenger agent in August ''This is
farming section" It was western
Kansas.
That's why I am here. I have sold
enough tickets to farmers who are
going to climb Pixies Peak to earn
my years salary. They are the ones
who have the money"
Then years ago a house furnace was
rare in Kansas Now the hardware
and plumbing wagons are scattered
through the country setting up fur
naCes in farmers houses. Same way
with bath tubs, same way with tele-
phones. rubber-tired buggies, pianos,
! mot organs as Of ODD, and all the
multitude Of things that go to make
up prosperity
It costs 1871 to raise an acre Of
wheat, first and last; twenty bushels
at so cents is a profit OF almost IS an
acre-many fields produce thirty-five
bushels Multiply il by 500, a COM
mon acreage, and see where you are
You too, would enjoy life.
The farmers wife comes in for her
share-and she deserves it She had
learned a great deal about the best
mode Of living in the past six years.
You look lonesome" remarked a
| traveller to a farmer who stood by the
highway leaning discOnsOlately on a
fork
Il am lonesOme-my wife has gone
east to put the girls in college and
things are rather slow"
| Why didn't you go aiOng2"-
| Couldn't The folks Just made me
/ put in water all over the hOuse-pump
l il with a windmill or the gasoline en-
| g1ne-and have got to stay here and
watch the plumbers. The wheat was
/ so good we had to spend the money
ed this
| His case was not uncommon. And
/ there are other things. In one little
/ town 800 monographs have been
l sold in the past year at $50 to $50
/ each In that county are 1000 far
mers' telephOnes-twO Of the twenty
/ five rural mail carriers make their
Il trips daily in automobiles Every
farm has daily mail; covered wagons
/ take children to union schools.
/ Wheat money is velvet more than
! any other the Kansas farmer re-
ceives- Only 1,65O,OOO people live in
/ KanSas-thOugh more are coming
] rapidly because Of the promise OF
/ competency. This is about the same
as Philadelphia has They have put
| 1929, 900, 600 in the banks and are ad-
/ ding to the amount regularly. Think
/ what IL means to dump $50, 900, 900 in
/ alone.