The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-28
COTTON TAKES A DROP
Over 1000 Acres Devoted to
Its Culture in 1883.
At One Time Lots Of Buck
wheat Was Grown in State.


Even those who are supposedly most
familiar with Kansas agriculture would
doubtless be somewhat astonished by
| the statement that the state in a given
! year produced a crop of hemp worth
considerably over 100000. This was in
1874 At no time in the past 25 years.
| however, has the value of any output
amounted to as much as $4,000, and no
| hemp area has been reported in four
| of the past five years.
| Another surprising feature shown by
| the record is that in 1881 nearly $4,000
worth of tobacco was produced in Kan
sas. In 1888 the value of the tobacco
| crop was placed at $77,S40, and ten
| crops were over $4,000 each in value
Last years tobacco was reported as
| worth $500.
No less interesting is the information
CLEANED from the statistics of the state
board of agriculture that $4,000 worth
of cotton had been grown in Kansas
in a. single season, and in 1875 it was
reported that growers in the southeast
ern part of the state were "enthusias-
tic in the conviction that it is ultimate
ly to be the staple crop of these coun-
ties" While the conviction did not
materialize several southeastern coun-
ties have for many wears reported some
cotton, and in no year have been WITH
out an acreage. Perhaps the largest
was in 1885, when it aggregated for the
state 2,15O acres, of which 500 acres
were in ChautauQua county. 1t IS be
lieved that Chautauqua and Montgom-
cry counties have in the past proouceo
cotton more persistently than any of the
others although this year Chautauqua
is credited with only three acres, ana
Montgomery none.
From a cursory glance at the yearly
nearly every county has experimental
with the crop. as most of them have at
one time or another had an acreage re
ported 1t seems. however, what ntlie
cotton growing there is, has snlIteo
from the southeastern to the south
western part of the state, for stevens
is now the premier cotton county,
having 15S of the states leo acres IN
1907 and Seward, its neighoor on the
east, ranking second with II acres.
Seeking explanation of this situation II
was attributed to the location OF cot
ton gin in Oklahoma, within about three
miles of the cottonT fields of stevens
county. where cotton is said to. be rals-.
ed with success, one farmer having as
many as 10 acres in, 1907. The stevens
county cotton is all raised in voorhees,
township, by SIX gs1wsI ra3sed tobacco.
hit its growing in Kansas now seems
mostly limited to Ellis~county. "nlcn
has 81 of the 81 acres reported tor 1871,
Rush being creOllep "leii- nc oeiiN
acres. 1t is reported by an EMS coun-
ty editor that every Russian farmer IN
Ellis county raises tobacco. and there
are perhaps 500 Russian families mere.
Tobacco is grown here as easily as
sorghum or kafir corn, and a lew mus
of we'll cured tobacco will keep Rus-
sian supplied with the weed Tor
year" ,,:ot,
with her other productions for which
she is famous and the, crops or lesser
note the list of Kansas soil preoucts
presents a varied assortment. Judging
from the records, however, 1t Wouiu
seem that the list is likely TO soon pc
come somewhat modified, though prob
ahIv not abbreviated Hemp, after con-
tinuing in the yearly summaries LOT
many years. dropped out several years
ago but sugar beets came in. In the
1905 summary of values castor peanS
shows the smallest, or $405 for the state.
tobacco next. its crop being valued at
$500. then comes cotton with its value
at 81 500. Buckwheat ranks next lowest,
with a value of 1854. This value, TOO
was the greatest, with two EXCEPTIONS
for anv year since 1894. The carry
seventies it seems was the PERIOD OF
greatest popularity for buckWheat, anu
in 1879 there were 1885 acres devoted
TO IFS culture. which yielded 262,661
bushels worth s236,201. The annual
areas following were much less, and
cutie huctuating. Interest in the crop
seemed somewhat renewed for the SIX
Years ending 1892, and in this time the
crop ayera ged annually APO acres, with
a WELD of 55,679 bushels, worth $4339o.
thereafter the area devoted to buck
wheat was uniformly less. Its 1SU' area
was but 705 acres