The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-08-19
BUILDING SILOS
Judge W. s. Langmade Travels
Over District in Auto.
Farmers Not Discouraged by
DrOuth-NO Place Better.

Oberlin, Aug. 19.-W. S. Langmade, of
Oberlin, judge of the Seventeenth
judicial district. ought to be conversaEt
with all the roads in Decatur and Raw
Inns counties, but on recent trip by
the auto route and a blazing sun pour
ing down on him, and the Thermometer
at more than 100 degrees the judge
seemed to forget that Oberlin and At
wood were about 40 miles apart, conse-
quently the distance had grown some 20
miles more. Our auto missed the main
travelled roads several times, and by
opening and shutting gates, stopping
long enough at another place to stamp
out what promised a severe prairie fire
started by the careleSsness of a cigar
smoker. and with the help of coaxing
the auto to climb the long and steep
hills by feeding it water and oil and the
second party getting out and helping
to push it UP the hills, Judge Lang
made and the writer arrived at our des-
tination about five hours late. The
night was more pleasant, and we stop
ped long enough at farm house, the
former home ranch of Judge Langmade,
and ate a good sized, half ripe water
melon. Fifteen hours later we bid each
other a goodbye, so We know the wa
termelon was all right if it was picked
and eaten two or three weeks aheau
of time by the light of a full moon.
The trip was interesting all the way
from Atwood to Oberlin, ev' n If Judge
Langmade did get off on wrong roads,
and run his car at least % miles fur
Their than was necessary. Maybe ne
wanted to show his guest the country,
for here and there we could see fields
of corn which will make good 'nub-
bins" and if rains hurry up there may
be some corn.
We Travelled through a part of Laing
township, in Rawlins county. RMS
township is settled mostly by Swedes.
The farm improvements, nice homes,
commodious barns, groves, school
houses and churches, indicate that this
class of people came to stay, and every
thing pointed to prosperity. This
drouth and grasshoppers, but they
have plenty to tide them over until
next year.
Talk Pit SiIos.
The pit silo question is being talked
of not only in Decatur and Rawlins
counties. but all over this part of the
state We visited the ranch of Henry
Gilsdorf, on the Sappa creek, in the
west part of Decatur county. where
large silo is in the course of erection.
1t is combined pit and stave silo. The
pit portion is completed and is eighteen
feet in diameter and is twenty-five
feet deep, the walls are cemented.
When completed the stave portion will
be twenty-six feet above the cement.
1t is estimated that it will hold over
two hundred tons when completed. Mr..
Gilsdorf intends building another silo
exactly like this one, by its side, having
the carriages run through a large feed
ing barn just below the bank in which
they are built. There are many pit
silos being built in Decatur and adjoin-
ing counties. The cost of construction
is comparatively small.
There are several others building
silos in this section. The Barenberg
brothers and John FRANKIE are digging
pit silos on their farms, each II fee
in diameter, 25 feet deep. and will have
a capacity of 40 and As tons each. 9th
ers talked of are those of c. w. Kirch-
ner, Frank Barenberg, and VIM. Rey-
nolds, who own farms near Herndon, in
Rawlins county.
Judge Langmade is a close observer
of the question, and is of the opinion
that the silo problem, although in it's
infancy, is the right course for the
farmers to adopt.
Few farmers are leaving Rawlins
and Decatur counties. 1t might be that
on account of the general drouth in
Kansas and other states many others
would get away if they could, but the