New-York tribune., 1917-07-30
Bv THEODORE M. KNAPPEN

ing harvest front northward Our conveyance
- one of those formidable looking cgarshaped steel motor
hes that Western roads instead Of steam trains for
heal and branch line They have ports instead OF windows
md look like between Pullman and submarine How
Ger formidable they look riding in Of them gives you
macy with the country that you feel in locomotive
drawn train.
In from the valley of the Republican and Great Smoky and
b Kaw-name loaded with the Of the Indian fighting
ys-we followed the sadly misnamed Blue River 1t is as
rocked as snake going through and nohbound track
was lust The of the color Of chocolate Sub
ute chocolate for honey and you might say this land flow
ng with milk and chocolate 1t early and many farm hand
Was milking near the track passed These our oval coach
m Of migrating harvest hands chaed right merrfor be it
novn that hand be confused with hired
mar" Some social gulf
Wheat and corn oats and alfalfa potatoes and mo tat
kers beef steers as barrels comfortable dairy cattle
occasionally sheep and always poultry-the whole land literally
covered with some form Of oodstu 1t realized dream OF
penty-riotous, all-pervading plenty.
But how do all these people make living?
1t was yellow corded soldier from The Bronx in the next
seat talking TO another from Neutrality-suspicious. who had
never bestrdden hosecy boys who were innocent OF the
country. ,
Ah nevah like to interrupt conversation gemmen, sweety
wled the keen-eyed harvester from Corpus Christi but you
all h right now in the durndest biggest factory the world
Factory asked the rookie from The Bronx as he scanned
the horizon for snokestacks
Yessuh this where they make what you eat Honest now
did you evah such big factory beore and the Texan made
gesture that swept the horizon
The Texan was right
Confronted by such colossal food factory hard to think
that the world is the famine line The harvest hands scoed
the idea and general food the conversation went naturally
particular food the quantity and quality of the eats served
10 the field laborers Appezng word pictures were painted
somewhat in this way:
Irsualv the farmers wife Of long table
That table is stacked high and wide with grub fresh fruit canned
u potatoes tomatoes onions radhes reshes patent sauces.
bio stacks of bread blocks yellow butter pitchers Of milk ham
and eggs beef fried chicken two three kinds OF pie
and a lot of other stuff that can't think Of
"But no hot bread" admitted the Foridian mourntully
Three times day the sturdy soldiers OF the harvest vaanty
attack such bill OF fare Moreover in the forenoon anS
once in afternoon the farmers daughter or boy with
little lunch" that would last clerk week.
Truly it is a OF all honor the harvester He to-day
privileged guest Kansas and Nebraska and all the great tood
factory that stretches from the Aeghnes to the Rockies and
from North Saskatchewan the Gulf No second table
stuff for him. No more sleeping the barn in the hay For
him the finest fare first table with mother and daughter
eager bidding for him the best bed and the guest room
for him rapid transit in the farmers motor car from
station TO farm and back 81 S. day cash and above
his entertainment.
Living thus on the lat the land the great annual migration
harvesers sweeps up from Texas into Canada Reception
made up competing best citizens meet them
stations ard bid for their services When they tee hush ana
an for luxury they pay railway fare and ride at ease Other
times they ride On the bumpers brake rods Perish the
thought The tops OF freight sometimes the caboose
for them The unwren Of the West the time of the
year for anmen is Lose your sight going north but be hawk
Eyed going south
Once in while overconscentlous brakeman reieoel0
only his written instructions.
I'VE were riding the tops the other day, said the man from
Miami Fla "and brakey along and tells to get off,
Notin doing We told him if he anxious about US ne
might try putting us off,
a." won't now he says but when get in the country
III stop the train and throw youse Off
That's just what we want
Even the brakeman perceived the humor OF attempting to
punish harvester by putting him off opposite a JOB.
Al G, 49, Bushman Beverley Bayne and