The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-01-24
LETTER FROM l. c. KELLY.
Former Merchant and Farmer al Burnt
Cabins. But now Resident OF
Kansas.
WENT TO THAT STATE LAST SUMNER.
Ransom, Ness County, Kas.,

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seen in 'The News" letter from
our old friends and neighbors,
David Robinson and son William,
who have lately settled in North
Dakota, reminds me of promise
| made the Editor and many 9th.
er friends In 'Iittle Fulton, that
would let them hear from US IN
our new home. / must plead as
an excuse for not fulfilling this
promise sooner, that my time has
been so fully taken In farming
and building home, that it was
almost impossible to comply 5000
er.
Ransom is a town on the Mis-
sour Pacific railroad, about the
size of Burnt CABINS. 1t has 3
general stores, a drug store, a
restaurant, 2 hotels, 2 lumber
yards, coal yards, 5 churches,
and a fine graded school, and, |
think, does more business than
McConnellsburg. One Of the lead
ing stores, Shellenberger q
Dubbs, does over 100000 of bus
mess each year. Ransom lies
36S miles southwest of Kansas
City, and 269 miles east of Pueblo,
Colorado-Ness county beng the
fifth county east of the Colorado
line. The belt the Mo. Pac. R.
r. follows, appears to be more
productive than the country eth
Ell north or south of 1T. This APP
pears to hold good on westward,
through Lane, Scott and Wichita
counties. This belt seems to be
on the divide the waters flowing
aorth to the Smoky Hill river,
and on the south into the Walnut.
The section oe country adjacent
to Ransom, is considered the
most fertile part of western Kan
sas; although hear good reports
from this same belt farther west.
The chief products of this section
are wheat and cattle. The crops
this year, were under an average,
yet, number of our farmers
garnered from 1000 to 10000
bushels of wheat. Two years ago
they had Bumper crop when
some men had as much as 35, 900
bushels of wheat. For forage
crop, they raise cane and katfir
corn, together with blue.stem
hay, and some alfalfa; for iced
they raise corn, oats, and barley.
Not much fruit raised here, al
though have seen some as fine
apples, peaches, and cherries as
O'Oi ga w duy WucIS.
Land here has more than dou-
bled in value in the last four or
five years 1t has nJt been ad-
vanced by spectators, but by
men living here who made their
money raising wheat. 1t is now
selling from $1,000 to "a, 900 per
quarter (l62 acres), while 30 or 40
miles further west, good land can
be had for about one.half that
amount. | have been told of IN
stances here when men have
bought a quarter Of land and paid
for the breaking, seeding, har-
vestlng, and threshing, realizing
a net profit from one years wheat
crop to more than pay for the
land. OF course, that was done
before the advance ia land. The
country looks beautiful, with the
exception of an occasional draw.
The land is as level as a floor, aud
you can see as far as the eye VIII
carry. From our house, wc can
see the electric lights of the loco
motives 40 miles away. They tell
me the country looks its best just
before harvest, when the whole
country is covered with waving
grain.
The farm machinery used here
Is of the most modern kind. Our
gang plows are riding plows that
turn two furrows at one time.
Our harrows are Is feet wide
with sulky attachment to ride on.
Our drills are l2 disc and one half
wider than the Pennsylvania
drills Wa use four ho,aoa n, an J