The Holly chieftain., 1919-02-06
Advice Of One Who Has
Had Experience.
KEEP A FEW CATTLE
AND YOU'LL WIN OUT
H. w. Crabill Points Out That 1t Is
Far Wiser to Stay Now Than to Sell
at Present Prices and Come Back
Poorer.

1AOly, SOlO., Gu. O.-bCdi
Holly Chieftain: would like to write
few lines regarding the possibility
of our country, especially to the land
In Prowers county north and south of
Holly, called dry land. Now, on ac-
count of the hard winter and loss of
stock, it seems to discourage many of
the settlers and no doubt will make
them want to sell their land and try
some other country, and if they do
sell many of them will make mistake
and be glad to come back. For if
they go east, north or south they will
find there are no opportunities except
for .men with capital, and none for
man with small means, and renter
has hard time to make living be-
cause he will find he is working one
half the time for the other fellow.
l have brother that came to Sum-
ner county, Kansas, in 1880; he bought
100 acres for 100000. Now the same
land would sell for $4,000 per acre.
made him a visit in 1883 and they
were bothered with drouths and the
land did not look any better than our
country does 20 miles south of Holly.
There was nothing but prairie to look
at and now there is plenty of timber
along the streams and fine houses and
nice groves OF trees at every farm
house. Yet it may never be possible
that our country will be sure Of crops
as Sumner county, Kansas, but l Will
venture to say that the people who
laouQ pf will
If they come back in 20 years, will see
wonderful change.
My first experience in new coun-
try was in Gray county, Kansas. l
settled there in the year 1886, lived
there three years and had a failure of
crops each year. Many of the settlers
left that country and the few that
stayed are today in good homes and
) in good circumstances, and many that
left are today renters or day laborers
and some came back in a few years
and rented land, where they could
have owned the land if they had stay
ed. Land in that country now sells
from $4,000 to $4,000 per acre. Wheat
is, the principal crop.
l find out there are many hardships
in new country, but if one has plenty
of grit and ambition to stick to it, he
will win out in a few years, and own
a home, and the hardships in new
country are nothing to be compared
with the hardships he would have to
go through on rented farm for
lifetime. Unless one has capital l
think the chances in new country are
better than an old country to get
home, for the older country grows
the higher land becomes, and a renter
or laborer never can gain enough to
own home. You can judge this by
the old countries. Therefore, any one
that owns home in this country had
better know where they can better
themselves before they let it go.
Our country is like nearly all new
countries. 1t first settled up with peo-
pie with plenty of grit and ambition
but with small means and it takes
money to improve in new country.
Trying to make living and improve
the home at the same time, and then
drouth some years, brings on hard
ships and encouragement to some.
This winter losing cattle is quite dis
couraging, but if one can have one
half their cattle left in the spring they
can have something to start up with
and have an income, which is better
than man that depends on day labor,
Y for when a mans work stops his in
come stops.
! don't think any one will make a
mistake in buying either dry land or
irrigated land in Prowers county, Colo
RADIO. There is no danger Of land de-
creasing in value, but rather it will
increase, and any one that owns land
here now and will hold on to it will
in few years find out that it is
good investment, for the opportunities
and the advantages are a great deal
better here than he will find in many
countries. We are not taxed to death
like in some countries. This is the
only country / have lived in where l
had chance to own home.
The buffalo grass we have here on
the dry land is another advantage we
have over the eastern farmer and
stockman, and when there is no snow
is quite saving on feed. AS it cures
on the ground in the fall it. makes
good winter pasture and some years
stock will get fat enough to butcher
and this saves grain. Any one that
will combine stock raising with farm
ing on this land will make more money
than a grain farmer in the eastern
states. Some winters there is very
little snow and cattle can Craze the
whole winter long without much feed.
1t takes industrious people to make
country prosper and if the owners of
land in this country will stay on their
land and farm it, their land will be