The Topeka state journal., 1906-01-21
RAILROAD NEWS.
Experimental Farms to Be Es.
tablished Along Santa Fe.
Commercial Clubs of EnglewOod
Section Have Novel Plan.
WILL BOOM DISTRICT.
To Show HOmeseekers at a
Glance Resources of Country.
Gossip and Matters of Interest
in Railroad Circles.

1t will be through no fault of the
colonization department of the Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe railway and
the citizens of Clark, Comanche, Kiowa,
Pratt, Barber and Kingman counties,
that that section of Kansas is not ex-
plotted sufficiently during the coming
year to attract a great many of the
! thousands of homeseekers who are Ieav-
ing the middle west and the east for
the fertile fields of the southwest.
This section has been overlooked in
the past by the colonists but the citi-
zens down there have awakened to the
fact that their country offers the great
est of possibilities through its wonder
full resources for farming of all kinds
and they are determined to let the out
side world know it. and a great boom
is looked for in that section of the
state this year
In order to be able TO show prospec-
/ tive settlers at a glance just what the
country is capable of doing in the way
/ of raising farm products a novel plan
4 has been determined on by the new
I commercial clubs at the various big
towns along the line of the Englewood
branch of the Santa Fe which taps the
| country. It was suggested by Colonel
Parry, one of the prominent men of
Clark county, who has big ranches near
Englewood. It is nothing more or less
| than the esta tabIishment of experimental
farms of forty acres each in the vicini-
ty of each of the stations along the
line of the railroad. Details for the
/ working Of these experimental farms
have not been worked out as yet but
it is probable that they VIII be develop
ed under the direction Of the CONNER
cial clubs.
Colonel Parry has signifed his will
ingness to take q trip along the line
and give his aid to the establishment
of these farms and show those who will
operate them the details of the Camp
bell system of farming which has
proved to be such a success.
On these farms viii be grown every
thing in the way of grain, vegetables
and fruit. that it is possible to grow in
that section of the state and about ev-
erything that is grown can be raised
there. When these farms are in opera
ton. and they are to be started right
away, prospective cOlOnistS who traVe
through the country can be taken tc
; them from the railroad stations and ir
a few minutes given visible evidence OF
just what the country can produce. Il
will not be necessary for them to spend
hours or a day or two in one place fol
, the purpose of driving through the
: country from farm to farm to see a crOT
, of wheat at one place corn at another
vegetables here and fruit there. Al
, varieties of crops will be grown on the
] experimental farms and the homeseekel
[ will be able to tell in a short time anC
t with little trouble just what the coun-
. try is worth.
/ Experimental farms have been estab-
2 lished here and there throughout the
- country for the purpose of developing
its resources, but the plans of the meT
in this section of Kansas. which is
called the Englewood district, for this
= esta blishment of a series of experiment.
5 al farms for the purpose of advertising
the resources of the country, are new
and original.
t News of the proposed establishment
t of these farms was brought to Topeka
t yesterday by HowsSd Miller, for many
= years a journalist in Chicago, and WHIT
is now employed by the colonization
t department of the Santa Fe under
Charles L. SeagraVes, the genera
colonization agent.
Some months ago Mr. Miller was sen
down into this country by the Santa Fs
: to write some articles for "The Earth.
. the Santa Fe magazine. on the resource:
of the Englewood district. In gather
ing the material for these articles Mr.
Miller discovered a desire on the part,
of the citizens there for the exploitation
of the country and he was given a fre,
hand by the Santa Fe to go ahead anS
help them out. He started a movenen
for the orgaHiza ton of Commercial
a clubs and such organizat ations have beer
formed at EngleWood, Ashland. Protec
ton, Coldwater, Coats. Sawyer. Isabel
Spivey and Norwich. Great enthusiasm
! was manifested by the memb bers of thes
clubs to boom the country and nat
urally each Of them started out to do i
in its own way. Tt would not have beer
, long before the clubs might be working
: at cross purposes, SO representatives o
all Of them got together recently a
Wichita and formed .sThe Fedora ton o
Eng1ewood Cubs of which Senator 7
I A. Noftzger of Anthony was chosei
/ president and Mr.. Miller. whose head
quarters are at Sawyer, secretary Thi
e federation WAS formed for the purpos
. Of booming the entire section of tn
: country in a Uniform manner and il i
/ proposed as a starter to get out an at
{ tractiye pamphlet describing the coun
try Copies Of this win be scatteres