Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1910-06-25
Kansas Grain Grower Who Began
as Years Ago With Little
Except Hope.
MADE S15O,OOO LAST YEAR
how Has $4,000 Acres of Land and
Will Plant 1t All in Wheat
Sowing and Reaping.

The r of wheat from one farm IN
Thomas county, Kansas. sold last year
for $4,000. That farm embraced 49,
00G acres of land. This year 1000
acres have been added to ii and If
the crop is as large and prices as
good as last year the farm revenue
should approximate closely 5000, 200.
And that, most any one will agree,
is a pretty fair income for any down
trodden farmer.
But beginning with that kind of a
statement is telling the story back
ward. To bring the real Kansas at
mosphere into a story one must never
speak of the dollars first. the Kansas
City Star says. They always come, of
course, in Kansas stories, but at the
last and plentifully. To tell it right,
one must start the story back twenty
five years, in this case, to the conyen-
ticnal setting when a pair of thin,
jeded, harness-scarred ponies draws
INTO the landscape and outlines against
the setting sun a dilapidated covered
wagon.
Bronzed by the sun, and with that
spring that ambition puts into the
young, the driver, Jim" Fike, springs
from the seat TO the ground. From
under a canvas he swings two chubby
babies to the thick carpet of buffalo
grass and turns to give his arm to his
wife. They are young and vigorous
and at once begin the making, on that
wide prairie, that which they have
been planning for years-a home.
There is the regulation routine, the
location, the trip 10 the land Office, the
fling Of homestead papers. the build
Ing Of the sod shanty, the like Of
which dotted the prairies IN thousands
In those days; the breaking Of virgin
soil and the planting of the crops,
md Extraordinarily harvest.
Through all the years Of drought and
hard times, through an The disappoint-
ments that come with the early set
toment OF a country, through the
bountiful golden haryests, this man
toiled on, working harder and harder.
but always with the firm belief thar
the country was destined 10 De a great
country of homes.
Hope died in many a breast these
trying times and many were those
who wendell their way back 10 the old
home because they lacked The brave
heart 10 face che hardships But Jim"
stayed, Jim be- was 40 everyone Who
knew him in those days. and Jim" he
sun As 10 every resident of Thomas
county, Jim file rs one of the larg
.si and most successful wheat growers
ln America to-day.
The average yield last year on hls
10000 acres MAJ about nflen lushols
an acre. Tho price paid ior ne wheat.
Nhlen was not sold in fAe usual way
pui marketed m carload lots. pas
'iNlln a few conif al 81 d lushel.
q large portion oi a Ras shipped to
l1f West bhere mlllora Nele especial
\ saEef ~ optaln AN
1be llhf HAeai falm does noi AL Ia
'pniitnpuf being mado pp IA d mum
'l NJ ialplf ranging flom 800 ~ 240O
'e~ w fttepi Harvest uaually Ia
flnf spovi JNly " bui lasl yaar haf
'ff' hH lRte ano RN over 1Aomas
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