The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-15

Plainville while Waldo held her an
nual Woodman carnival. Oakley has
held her tri-county fair Other towns
will have their amusementS later on.
One unfortunate town the forage crop
special train visited was Grinnell, Cove
county. A disastrous fire had burned
several of the business buildings, err
failing loss of about $12, 900. This did
not hinder big turnout of her towns
people and farmers to listen to the adj
dresses of the visitors.
During the visit at Grainf1eld the Wis
itors were taken in autos to Cove City.
county seat of Cove county, a dozen
miles inland. Fine meetings were held
in both Grainfield and Cove City.
To See Fair at Colby.
The forage crops special train WISH
tors will be given treat in Colby
which isn't down on the train sched-
ule The town will be full of people,
the occasion being a one-day fair or a
contest day, as the Colby people called
it,, at which Srizes were offered for the
best displays of garden produce raised
in Thomas county this year. The prod
ucts will be arranged in commodious
room in the Wardin block.
The forage crops train visitors will be
shown through this room, and the
many happy EXPRESSIONS and remarks
from them as they size up the large,
healthy piles of the products of the
garden, the samples of corn, wheat.
milo and Kaffir. pantry stores, butter
and fancy work only led the visitors to
believe that Colby and Thomas county
ought to have been blessed this year
with all-round prosperity.
The Union Pacific special forage train
will be a big boost for the section of
the state it passes through. Interested
crowds of farmers have met the train
al all stops. They were interested in
the talks and regretted the fact that
the visitors couldn't stay longer. The
farmers listened to information given
by these learned students who have
made it their study in the universities
of the country and it is believed the
forage special will result in a right
about-face in farming. More silos and
less acreage in wheat is interesting the
farmers of Thomas county. And dairy
ing. too is spreading, in fact, is already
quite popular
At Colby the forage crops train
people will hear something of what
was once known as the "blowed out"
district of Thomas county There was
a time when this district was bare as
a floor, but this year the blown dis
trict" has right about faced in raising
crops. 1t is claimed by those who are
in a position to know the facts that
the district raised the best crops grown
in Thomas county, and that some of
the wheat made as high as IS bush
els an acre. The growth of Kaffir,
milo maize and cane is thrifty and
green. There will be plenty of feed
raised in Thomas county this year,
there being about $1,000 acres listed
in the "blown district" alone. The
only trouble seems to be that there will
not be stock enough to eat it.
Barbecue at Hill City.
Another special treat the Union Pa
cific forage train visitors will meet
with is the big free barbecue the Hill
City people are going to give the peo-
pie of Graham county, Sept II the day
the train will be there P. G.. Holden
one of the most widely known agricul-
tural experts. will be one of the chief
speakers on this occasion. Business
houses will be generally closed that
day, as was the custom at the big bar
becue in Beloit, where not less than
10000 were served The Hill City peo-
pie request that everybody on Sept. Il
leave their pocketbooks at home. There
will be plenty of amusements. While
Graham county was hit as hard by the
drouth this year as all the rest of the
state, there is plenty left for all. and no
need of a special session of the legis-
lature.
On the special forage train besides
Prof. P. G. Holden, the noted corn ex-
pert, other speakers are R. A. Smith,
J. G. Haney. c. II. Allen, c. w Farr,
r. w Lamson W. r. Baughman. J.
E. Waggoner and Others The work
of these noted agriculturists is to help
the farmers and give them practical
ideas so they can help themselves, and
thus build up more prosperous agri-
cultural communities. One of the prac-
teal farmers in Graham county is of
the opinion that the farmers have been
sowing too much wheat, besides the dry
weather DESTROYED the corn crop What
we need. this farmer says, is to grow
more forage crops. and Kaffir curn
should be grown more extensively He
also is enthusiastic for the building of
more silos.
In the towns visited by the Union
Pacific special forage train the visitors