Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07
OF INTEREST TO FARMERS.
The Railroads Of Kansas have Granted
One-Half Rates on Seed Bought of
State Experiment Station.

Last fall Miss Mary Best, who
owns an extensive farm and ranch
adjoining this city, purchased four
bushels of a fine quality of seed
wheat from the State Agricultural
Experiment Station at Manhattan
and when she was presented the
freight bill she was not a little
surprised that the freight charges
amounted to $2.o5. She address
ed letter to Prof. A. M. Ten
Eyck, superintendent of the farm,
protesting against the enormous
cost OF carriage and her letter had
a wholesome effect. Prof. Ten
Eyck took the matter up with the
Trans Missouri Freight Bureau,
and mailed copies of Miss Best's
letter to officers Of the different rail-
road companies operating in the
state, with the result that on De-
cember 1o, 1905, a rate circular was
issued granting one-half tariff rates
by all the railroads on all seed
grain shipped from stations at Man
haitian, Hays and Mcpherson, Kan
sas, to points within the state when
accompanied by certificate of the
state authority that the seed is to
be used for seeding purposes.
This is quite concession and
one of which every Kansas farmer
should avail himself. For new
and tried varieties of seeds there
is no better place to send than the
state experimental station,an now
that freight rates are more reason
able farmers who desire a change
of seed can do so without so great
an expense.
The interest taken by Miss Best
in this matter entities her to great
commentator and we are certain
that her good work will be ap-
preciated by farmers everywhere.
The Index takes the liberty of re-
producing the correspondence here
with, which led up to the issuance
of the one half rate circular.
MISS BEsT's LETTER.
Med. Lodge, KS. Sept, IS, 'o5.
Prof. A. M. Ten Eyck.
Manhattan Kansas.
Dear Sir:-For the four bushels
of seed wheat received from you
last week | paid $2.o5 freight. 1t
seems to me there is something very
radically wrong. Flour can go
from Kansas to Liverpool at 40
cents per hundred-we pay more
than double that for wheat from
Manhattan to Medicine Lodge.
There is no encouragement for any
farmer to try and buy good seed
several of my neighbors would like
to buy from you, or other parties,
but the rate is outrageous; surely
the railroad companies are short
sighted in this also, for if we had
fair rate we would get new seed
and have more grain to move. 1t
appears to me that it is worth a
strong effort to get just rates for
new seeds. Yours truly
MARY BEST.
PROF. TEN EYCK's REPLY.
Manhattan, Kan, Jan. 26, 1906.
Miss Mary Best,
Medicine Lodge, Kansas,
Dear Madam:-I inclose COPY of
rate circular, from which you will
observe that the railroads of Kan
sas have granted one halt freight
rates on all seed grain shipped from
our Station to farmers in Kansas.
This comes about largely through
the letter which you wrote to me
September 18th, 1905. | made
copies of yoarletter and inclosed
these copies with letter which |
wrote to the officers of the different
railroad companies in Kansas.
The matter received favorable at
tention, and the one-half freight
rate is the result. / thought you
might be interested in learning
this. With best wishes, remain,
Very truly yours,
A. M. Ten EYcK.
B. F. Blackmore of Sharon de-
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