Year: 1875

Now that the locusts have taken Il
themselves wings and flown away, new


survey Of the field dispels all cause fol


apprehension. 1t now appears that onl.


some eight or ten counties in Kansas


and parts of about the same number il


Missouri, have suffered serious loss il


consequence of the presence of the grass


hoppers this spring, and even the con


dition of the farmers in the grasshoppe1


district, is far from hopeless. With 1


fair season which we have every reasor


to expect, the farmers in the devastated


district can yet raise good crop of corn


potatoes, hay and vegetables. Our intel


ligence from the growing crops through


out the west and southwest-the grass


hopper region excepted-are the mos1


cheering character.


In Kansas we will have from thirty tc


fifty per cent. more wheat that was ey'


er before garnered, should no storms OIL


other destructive causes yet interfere


and besides wheat, all kinds of crops out


side of the rayaged territory, are full a:


good as ever before. From all the facts


we can gather, and we have taken con.


siderable pains to get at the truth, we


are fully convinced that the autumn


will find Kansas possessed of more genu-


inc wealth, in her own right, than ever


before. In view ofour Frightening pros.


poets we would say to our people, take
courage, be hopeful, be cheerful, despon,
dency and the blues will not help us out
of trouble, but, on the contrary, such
feelings breed trouble. But with view
to the past vividly before our eyes let US
learn a valuable lesson let us ask our
selves why it was, that after ten years
of bountiful crops two partial failures
brought us almost to starvation. We
hope none will he angry when we say it
was attributable largely to our own i'm
providence. We all went too reckless
ly into debt, we did not follow the ex-
ample set us by our thrifty New England
farmers. which is, carefully save every
thing you raise. We verify believe
there has been more food for man and
beast wasted annually in Kansas for the
last six years, than the whole State of
New Hampshire has raised in the same
length of time.


Let us answer, if We can, how it is
that the farmers on the hard, stony
hills OF New England can have good
houses and barns and almost invariably
give their children a good education,
and lay up something for their old age,
and still not raise one-teiith as much as
any ordinary farmer can raise in Kansas
The difference in the prices we get will
no where near make up for the quantity
we raise. To our mind there is only one
solution of the problem. They econo-
mize their time and carefully husband
their means, saving little by little till
finally competence is theirs to enjoy.
While we are altogether too rash and
prodigal, in almost everything we do, we
are too ready to predict what we expect
TO have but which may never be ours,
for some little present enjoyment, or to
assist in carrying out some wild scheme
l,at Of hA, -,
approval. We run into debt too much,
hoping that some good fortune will
bring things around all right, but Just
low it is going to come we are at a loss
% know We must learn to commenc
It the foo. of the ladder and climb up,
tep by step, making sure that the round |
lboye us is not broken, before we en-
rust ourselves upon it. Lay up little
surplus every year, be careful and take
'are of what we raise, provide food and
ome kind OF shelther for stock, don't lun
n debt for machinery that you want only |
or few days in the year, and that a
'reat many leave standing where they
asst used it till wanted next year, don't |
ry to do more than you can do well, al
Ways strive to raise the most bushels per
ere, raise the best breeds of stock you
an get. 1t seems to us that with these
uggestions adopted, Kansas would soon
AXE rank among the most prosperous
nd wealthy States of our Union. How
yer, if any any oc our readers can point


better way out of the woods, send us
our ideas, we will gladly give them a
lace in our paper.-Spirit of Kansas.