The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1920-06-03
AGRICULTURE
mature with her magic hand
Built an empire rich with land;

mature with her magic hand
Built an empire rich with land
Then came man with Drawn and
brain,
And turned the west to golden grain.
The cultivation of the soil offers
big opportunities in Seward county
OF the acreage in the county only
about one-half has been cultivated,
and owing to many causes there will
not be as much acreage planted this
year as in 1919. One chief reason
for this is the inability to move crops
owing to shortage of railroad cars.
The material resources of this
county have never been no greater
than its mental. 1t will always be
so. Twas only few short years
ago that this was the home of the
steers; little thought was given to
agriculture; many attempts were
made and failed because the tiller did
not understand conditions here; but
since those days, in fact, just within
the past thirteen years, has agricul-
ture in this section been placed on a
slentific and firm basis. Today it is
safe and sane venture. Seward
county has girded her loins, took her
bearings and is in the procession for
agricultural prosperity toward its ul-
innate end.
The COW business was settled back
in the late eighties, but not without
struggle of the live stock and agri-
cultural interests. There were many
troublesome days, but the cowmen
of the west is made of Spartan stuff,
he saw the handwriting on the wall,
or rather on the prairies, and he also
turned to agriculture-live stock
farming.
While Seward county is in the
great wheat belt of the west, it and
adjoining counties, practically speak
ing the the center of the worlds sor-
ghum family rops. The climatic con-
ditions and the soil are particularly
adapted to the growing of the sor-
ghum family.
The soil of the county is a rich
sandy loan and some light sand and
some hard pan in the north and on
the other side of the Cimarron river.
The sandy loan is from two to six
feet deep. There is nothing known
in agriculture in the temperate zone
that is not capable of being produced
here, but the farmers have learned
which are the best to be the most pro-
ductive. Biologists say that the lands
of this section were once the border
of an ancient inundated inland sea.
nhn IN hot ctoh hla h,,,,o,,1 e L. ,.,a1I
of decaying herbage of many centur-
les.
The average rainfall for the past
ten years has been twenty-one inches
before that time eighteen
inches.
Let us compare some of the early
day acreage figures and those of to-
day:
Here are some records from the as
SCISSORS books for the year 1905. The
county's at that time had popuation
of only 1,024.
Winter wheat, 1855 acres.
Corn, 331 acres.
Oats, 342 acres.
Rye, 65 acres.
Barley, 1,205.
Broomcorn, 80. acres
Sorghum for forage or grain, 5,208
acres
Millet, I'll acres
Milo maize, 300 acres
Kafir corn, 2,612 acres
Alfalfa, 73 acres
Tame hay cut, 1898 tons
Prairie hay cut, 1894 tons
Butter made, pounds, 5,94O
Milk and cream sold, 81, $40.
Poultry and eggs sold, 1888.
Value of animals slaughtered or
sold for slaughter, $77,173.
Horses, number, 1857
Mules and asses, SO
Milk cows, 331
Other cattle, 17,257
Swine, 275
Then according to the records the
wheat fiutuated thus: in 1908, 49,
$50 ares; in 1911, 17,051 acres; by
1914, the acreage jumped to 38,919
acres. in 1917 to 90716 sacres. and