The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-01-08
KAY COUNTY
AGRICULTURE
KINGDOM
ONE v AST FL ED OF
CEREALS IN THE GROW
ING SEASON
HAS 1O,102,614 ACRES
UNDER CULTIVATION
Property Owners Pay Taxes On
Over Twenty Millions
Valuation
(By Staff correspondentl

(By Staff Correspondent
Eddy, Okla, Jan. S.-No station in
Oklahoma Is more Interested in agri.
cultural affairs than this little one
on the west side of Kay county, al.
most on the Grant county line, the
TWO banner agricultural counties,
Kay holding the best statistical rec
ord for its products among the many
fertile counties of Oklahoma. POS.
sessed of splendid railway facilities,
still Kay county has only the vari.
Gus branches Of the great Santa Fc
system and this branch of the Fiisco
between Wichita and Enid, the lat
Ter monarch of the plains In Northern
Oklahoma According to the official
statistics of 1908. as published By the
Oklahoma state board Of agriculture,
Oklahoma had l0.1S2,6l4, acres un-
der cultivation, as compared with no..
SGT 800 acres In 1907. a decrease OK
Go per cent. The amount in actual
cultivation was 5l,4 per cent Of the
total amount under farm control, and
when the acreage reserved for native
meadow Is added this proportion is
increased TO $40, which compares
with $50 per cent In 1907. The total
land area Of the state is 44.424.960
acres; therefore the amount in actual
cultivation, together with that resery-
ed for native meadow in 1908 was
24.5 per cent OF the total area of the
state, compared with 24.4 per cent in
1907.
( " au q Auri~uIk.traI r ~, ,xStr.
Among all the great counties, Kay
stands on the top. It is one vast
field of cereals In growing season
peopled by practical. thrifty farmers,
natives OF almost every state in the
Union, who have formed 4 lcfal, law
abiding citizenship that Is unsur.
passed and that reflects credi. lpon
the great state OF their adoption The
land slopes 10 the southeast the
great Salt Fork Of the Arkansas drain
ing this section. being but few
miles below this village. To the
west of here is the great county of
Grant, being but a continuation Of
the splendid agricultural empire
which starts on tile immediate south
west bank Of the Arkansas river aud
extends westward TO the high hills,
/ broken only by the small 0utcrop-
! pings and a few little strips Of scfub
Timber. ore of the most beautiful
farming countries in the whole South.
west
Comparative Farming Statistics
i Because the state Is new aud SO
many poltions have lands not yet
! open for actual cultivation and also
because so many hundreds Of thous.
ands of acrcs have been held back
Under deluslon that school lands
would increase proportio, atcly with
other lands nearby, Gkianola ~ i
whole has not been able to establish
a record for production in the least
manner indicative Of It's fertility of
soil and possibilities OF the owners
thereof.
In 1908 the total amount OF land un
der farm control was l9,Sl3,10O acres
compared with u ,353,395 acres In
1907, decrease Of ~ per cent. That
however, Is due to leases for grazinG
being in each list. The actual mum
ber OF acres cultivated in 1908 ex
cecded the acreage of the year pre-
sious 10 4 considerable extent
There Is no way to compare the
well TILED farming OF Kay and Grant
counties With the slipshod, half
hearted methods la vogue In many
o,hei sections OF the state, as Is yeri
lied by the millions produced In kdS
as against the few thousands in som,
sections Of the state.
The average size OF the Oklahomf
farm according TO the board Of agri
culture is 1896 acres, while tnt
average amount in actual cultivation
, per farm Is 1853 acres The ayerag,
amount OF land reserved for native
meadow is 5.5 acres, and the average
amount held for pasture or In idle
ness is GA acres or within 10 acre.
or the average amount In cultivation
: On each farm.
! The average acreage In corn pc
? fam Is 32.3. while the average farm
/ grows ISL acres to cotton; l0.C acre
, wheat. "a acres to oats, AMI H..
! acres TO all other crops.
Kay produces some Of all the crop
D grown In the state, save berries an
. melons for. the markets. II has
! light acreage In orchards and iis co
! ton crop Is light. but In wheat. corr
: oats, hay (includiDg alfalfa) II take
7 high rank. Kay also feeds muc
J. stock, farmers utilizing their ow
I grain In almost every instance. Gran
has about the same list Of prodncti
!. but. proportionately. IL d heavif