The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-05-25

TO broad clean living land-The
Sunfiower State.
The chief agricultural products of
Western Kansas are Wheat, corn.
barley, kafr corn, alfalfa and forage
crops. The reader may judge the
nutritious properties Of the wild hay
and productiveness of the soil when
II is stated that in pioneer times, with
the whole Of North America to
choose from, the buffalo chose West
ern Kansas as the most favored for
age section.
Ellis County Statistics
Ellis county is pre-eminently an
agricultural section, located in the
heart of the Kansas Wheat belt and
while agriculture plays an important
part in its development there are also
vast opportunities for dairying, stock
raising and poultry production.
The county has an area of 900
square miles and a county acreage Of
576,OO acres. Of this amount 545,-
842 acres are now under cultivation
with 13, ,493 acres available for culti-
vation but which has not as yet been
put to work producing the necessities
of life. Of the county 26,966 acres
are maintained for grazing purposes
and are covered with the rich native
buffalo grasses which are noted for
their nutritive properties. In the
entire county of Ellis there is only
approximately 1000 acres that are
neither available for grazing or culti-
walton and this includes some water
area. N
The major crops of Ellis county,
which are the same comparatively of
this entire section of Western Kan
sas, are wheat, corn, barley and katir
corn. Of the county acreage 222,-
761 acres are planted to wheat and
will produce on an average of ten
bushels to the acre and in many in
stances the county has averaged
above the acre average of the United
States of fourteen bushels to the
acre. Corn is produced on 1O,5O2
acres of the county's lands and Will
average with other corn producing
states ins the corn belt. Barley Is
grown on 7,O86 acres of Ellis county
lands and will produce on an aver
age of fifteen bushels .to..the, acre
Kaifir corn is grown on 25,033J acres
and will average fourteen bushels to
the acre.
It is not the purpose of this series
of articles to mislead as to existing
conditions in Kansas and while 1t
would be possible to make a very fine
showing quoting on an average period
of ten years for production in the
state, 1T is the intention Of the writer
to present conditions in their true
light. This year prospects are not as
bright as in years past and Western
Kansas is not a country for one
year farmer. That is in other words
the tenant farmer who expects to
make a living in one year in one sec
ton and move to another for the next
year would not find this a profitable
field but for the man who comes to
Western Kansas determined to stay
and will take the good years with the
bad, there is not a section that offers
a more substantial livelihood.
This year, at the time of the writ
ing of this article, the wheat pros
poets were showing but fifteen per
cent of the making of an average
crop. Barley will produce ninety per
cent of an average crop this year.
and every Indication is that corn and
Kafr corn will produce an average
crop. unless unlocked for conditions
arise, which would be abnormal.
Wheat was hurt by dry winter
weather and high winds and in some
instances, the crop has been entirely
abandoned and the ground is now be-
ing, plowed and planted to the other
major crops.
Other crops which are grown IN
Ellis county are oats, rye, alfalfa,
some potatoes, fruits and other farm
products. These lesser crops produce
fairly and assist very materially in
the diversified farming in this section
and which is so very essential to sue
cess.
The rainfall of Western Kansas is !
ample to insure a crop in an average
year and in the period from 1868 to
1917 averaged 22.88 per cent with
approximately eighty per cent of this
rainfall coming down during the
growing season or from March 80 /
to September 80. The altitude is ]
1000 feet, which is high enough to