/v RESOURCES F IFTEEN YEARS EXPERIENCE BY C. C. HUTCHINSON. WITH A NEW MAP AND FORTY ILLUSTRATIONS. "The rudiments of empire here Are plastic yet, and warm ; The chaoa of a mighty world Is rounding into form." TQPEKA, KANSAS: THE 187L Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year A. D. 1871, bj C. C. HUTCHINSON, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. PRINTED AT THE COMMONWEALTH " STATE PRINTING HOUSE. Bancroft Library fHIS little book is designed to anticipate and 1 answer many of the questions which would be asked by persons contemplating a removal from some other region to Kansas. At the same time it has been my purpose- to convey information which will be of service not only to Kansas immigrants but to all other immigrants as well. For instance, the articles upon " The Survey of Government Lands," indorsed by the Surveyor General of Kansas; and upon "Acquiring Title to Government Lands," in- dorsed by the United States Land Officers, are intended to be so explicit that with their help any person may locate Government Land by its corners, and then take proper steps to acquire a title by any of the various methods established by Government. I have endeavored to be strictly impartial as relates to different localities in Kansas, and have written as if addressing an intimate friend who was entirely ignorant concerning the subjects discussed. It is designed to furnish a hand-book which will be worth all its costs to any person interested in the West. VI PREFACE. This book is the outgrowth of experience in rela- tion to the matters of which it treats, and the reader is requested to bear in mind that it is not written by a professional author. It is hoped that upon this ground its many defects will be more leniently regarded. The map has been drawn and engraved with great care, and everything upon it is from official sources excepting the proposed railroad lines. With this exception it is intended to be strictly accurate, and it is probable that most of the projected roads will be constructed in a few years. I gladly record my gratitude to the numberless friends who have rendered valuable service in fur- nishing material for this work, and especially to the members of the Legislature of 1871, which almost without dissent appropriated twenty-five hundred dollars to aid in its publication. "Without these kind offices on the part of my friends and those who desire to see the State correctly described, it would have been impossible to sell the work for the small sum at which it is offered. To Mr. T. G. Haskell, the accomplished architect of the State Capitol, State University and many other buildings which bespeak his taste and skill, I am deeply indebted for assistance -in the matter of engravings. Through his introduction I have been able to obtain precisely what was wanted from Mr. S. S. Kilburn,*96 Washington Street, Boston, Massa- PREFACE. Vll chusetts, whose promptness and accuracy I can com- mend and whose work commends itself. Two or three coarser engravings were obtained from other sources, but they give accurate views of the objects presented. The views given are only samples of what is to be seen in Kansas. From several * towns it happened to be impossible to procure such views as were wanted; and there are buildings, bridges, water powers : etc., in all 'parts of the State which would interest the reader equally with those given. The engravings are nearly all from photographs, but in a few instances, the buildings are not yet com- pleted, and the views given are from the architect's plans. It is believed that this feature of the book will commend itself to all who desire to know Kansas as it is. This book points out various means whereby more extended information can be obtained in regard to any particular locality, and the author will also an- swer all letters addressed to him at Topeka, with stamps inclosed. I shall give especial attention to all changes in the laws, or in the rulings of the Gen- eral Land Office, in relation to public lands, and will furnish the same at a trifling expense to my correspondents. C. C. H. BOUNDARIES AND AREA. fHE parallel of 40 degrees north latitude, which i passes eastward a little north of Springfield, j Illinois, and Indianapolis, Indiana; arid through Columbus, Ohio, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, forms the northern line of the State of Kansas. The southern boundary line of Kansas is the parallel of 37 degrees, which is the latitude of Southern Kentucky and Virginia, passing through Norfolk in the latter State. Westward from Kansas this line strikes the Pacific coast fifty miles south of San Francisco. Nebraska lies on the north of Kansas ; Missouri on the east ; the Indian territory on the south ; and Colorado on the west. Kansas is about 210 miles wide and 430 miles long. Its area is about 90,000 square miles, or 57,600,000 acres. RIVERS. , A considerable portion of the boundary line be- tween Missouri and Kansas is formed by the Mis- souri river n upon the windings of which navigable stream, the State presents a water front to the east of about one hundred and fifty miles. This river is navigable for steamboats for twenty-five hundred miles above the northern State line, north and west- ward to Fort Benton, near the Bocky Mountains and British Possessions; and southeastward five hundred miles to the point of intersection with the Missis- 10 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. sippi, twenty-five miles above St. Louis. The length of the bridge which spans the Missouri at Leaven- worth City, is one thousand feet, but the river is, in places, half a mile wide. The other principal rivers of the State are as fol- lows : The Kansas or Kaw River, is formed by the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill .Rivers, near Junction City, and is about one hundred and fifty miles in length. The Smokjr Hill River rises near the Rocky Moun- tains, in Colorado. It receives the Saline River, which is about two hundred miles long, and the Solomon, about two hundred and fifty miles in length. The Republican River rises in Colorado, flows through Northwestern Kansas into Nebraska, whence it returns to Kansas, about one hundred and fifty miles west of the eastern line of the State. Its length from its source is more than four hundred miles. The Kansas River receives on the north, at Man- hattan, the Big Blue River, which rises in Nebraska and is about one hundred and twenty-five miles long; and the Grasshopper, about seventy-five miles in length. On the south it receives, near Lawrence^ the Wakarusa, which is nearly fifty miles in length. The Kansas River flows nearly due east from Junc- tion City, and enters the Missouri River at a point where the latter, making a great bend to the east- ward, leaves the State line. About two-thirds of the State lies south of the Kansas and Smoky Hill Rivers, whence that portion is frequently called Southern Kansas, and the remainder of the State Northern Kansas. The Kansas River is not prac- tically navigable, although steamboats have ascended it, in one instance to Fort Riley, which is on the Smoky Hill, above the mouth of the Republican. The Marais des Cygnes River, or River of Swans, which Whittier has immortalized in song, rises east RIVERS. 11 of the center of the State, and flowing south of east about one hundred and twenty-five miles, crosses the State line near Fort Scott, and becomes the Osage Eiver of Missouri. Spring Biver enters Kansas from Missouri, and flows about thirty miles in the southeast corner of this State, whence it enters the Indian Territory. STATE UNIVERSITY, AT LAWRENCE. Old building erected 1865. The Neosho Eiver rises near the center of the State, receives the Cottonwood and other confluent streams, flows southeast a distance of about two hundred miles, and enters the Indian Territory twenty-five miles west of the southeastern corner of Kansas. 12 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS, The Cottonwood, which enters the Neosho near Emporia, is much the larger stream at their junc- tion. It is about one hundred miles long. The Yerdigris Kiver flows south nearly parallel to the Neosho, and enters the Indian Territory about one hundred miles from its source. It receives Fall .River on the west, which is about sixty miles long. The Arkansas Kiver rises far up among the Eocky Mountains in the South Park of Colorado, and re- ceives many tributaries in the latter State. It crosses three-fourths of the length of Kansas, flowing east and southeast, and with its tributaries, waters two- thirds of Southern Kansas. It then flows through the northeastern one-third of the Indian Territory, receiving all the remaining streams of Southern Kansas, crosses the State of Arkansas, and enters the Mississippi Eiver midway between Memphis and Yicksburg. Its entire length is more than two thousand miles. ; its windings in Kansas must amount to about five hundred miles. The first tributary of the Arkansas, commencing on the north or east side, near the south line of the State, at Arkansas City, is the Walnut, which flows from the north a distance of about seventy -five miles, receiving as tributary, the Whitewater. At Wichita the Arkansas receives the Little Arkansas, a deep flowing river, about seventy-five miles in length, Next comes in the Cow Creek, nearly as long, and at Fort Zarah, on the northernmost part of the Big Bend of the Arkansas, Walnut River enters from the west, it being about one hundred miles long. Beyond are Ash Creek, Pawnee Fork, &c. On the south or west side of the Arkansas it receives the Sha-kus-ka, the Nin-ne-scah or Good Eiver, the Cow Skin and others, from fifty to seventy-five miles long. In the southwestern corner of Kansas the Cimar- ron flows a considei'able distance in the State and receives the waters of Medicine Lodge, Mule Creek, SURFACE AND SCENERY. 13 Nes-cu-tun-ga, Bluff Creek, &c., each from fifty to one hundred miles long. This region has not yet been surveyed, so that these streams, as well as streams of importance in Northwestern Kansas, are not put down on the map. There are numerous streams from twenty- five to seventy-five miles long, including tributaries of the Republican and Solomon .Rivers, which have not been mentioned. The rivers named above, with their innumerable tributaries, fed by rivulets flowing from never-failing springs, have given to Kansas its reputation of being the best watered region of all the prairie States. SURFACE AND SCENERY. To describe the surface and scenery of Kansas so that it can be appreciated by those who have never seen a prairie State is quite impossible, and scarcely less difficult is it to describe it to one who has only seen the flat prairies of Central Illinois. In general it may be called an undulating plateau, the surface of which very gently slopes from the western line, which has an altitude of about thirty-five hundred feet above the ocean, to the eastern line, which is seven hundred and fifty feet above the ocean at the mouth of the Kansas River. The rise of the first one hundred miles on the Kansas Pacific Railroad from the Eastern State line to Wamego is two hundred and fifty-four feet; for the second hundred miles to Brookville the rise is three hundred and forty-eight feet; the rise of the third hundred miles to Ellis is seven hundred and sixty-nine feet, and the rise thence to Eagle Tail which is near the Western State line is thirteen hundred and seventeen feet. The interval lands along the water courses, called bottoms, are from one fourth of a mile to three miles in width, but towards the western part of the State 14 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. are sometimes from five to ten miles wide. None of the bottom land in the State is regularly subject to overflow and when high waters occur on a few streams they subside in three or four days. The ordinary flow of water, in the larger streams, is fifteen or twenty feet below the surface of the bottom lands, almost invariably insuring perfect drainage. The bottoms in the eastern half of the State are about equally divided between wooded and open lands. Leaving the bottoms, one comes upon the next highest surface called second bottom. This forma- tion is almost entirely absent from many streams of the State, and it varies so much in different places that it can hardly be described. It varies in extent from a narrow belt, to a width of two or three miles, and usually rises gently as it recedes from the stream. The surface is diversified by gentle rolls ordinarily running nearly at right angles with the streams, with their crowns from an eighth to a half mile apart and rising twenty to forty feet above the intervening depressions. Back from the second bottoms the traveler strikes the bluffs which rise to a hight of from fifty to two hundred or three hundred feet, with a slope of about twenty to thirty degrees. Once upon the summit of the bluff the traveler sees stretching before him what we term the upland prairies, a succession of rolls similar to those upon the second bottom, but with much longer slopes forming a series of earthy billows. Their crests or summits are from a quarter of a mile to a mile apart, and perhaps twenty to eighty feet above the intervening depression or miniature valley. Down many of these little valleys flow rills of clear water, frequently making a narrow gulley as they break through the bluffs and near the streams to which they are tributary. These rills, which sometimes attain the dignity and SURFACE AND SCENERY. 15 names of creeks are, in Eastern Kansas, usually fringed with timber as they approach the main stream. On the upper front of the bluffs, ledges fre- quently crop out in bold parapets a few feet high, and along the crests of the large prairie rolls these ledges wind like ribbons around the irregular face. There is no portion of the State which is flat and and monotonous, or cut up by disagreeable and in- convenient gullies and ravines. The western half of the State is not so much diversified in its scenery, but it has everywhere a rolling and varied surface. No other such scene is to be found in the United States as presents itself to the traveler who stands upon one of the higher Kansas bluffs. The patient reader, wearied by the formal description we have given of the surface of the country, must now give scope to his imagination else he will not see Kansas as it is. Nature, ever symmetrical in her combina tions, is irregular in all her details, and nowhere is this better shown than in the picture we are contem- plating. The prairie rolls vary in direction and size nearly as much as the streams and bluffs, and in some localities they are short and comparatively sharp, while in a mile or two they so broaden their extent and lower their surfaces as to appear nearly level to one from a mountainous region. No two streams or bottoms or bluffs or prairies are alike in all this beautiful country. Here is a broad valley miles in extent, and embracing in itself and its sur- roundings many .of the features we have so imper- fectly detailed. The bluffs advance and recede at capricious pleasure: on one side of the stream push- ing their promontory fronts like the parapets of some vast fortification full into the low lands, or not far away closing nearly together upon either side of the stream, or again with gentle descent approach their grass clad slopes till their harmonious shades mingle w'ith tho rich verdure of the forests below. SURFACE AND SCENERY. U Elsewhere, lowlands, bluff and prairie so impercepti- bly blend their various characteristics that the fea- tures of none can be accurately traced, while here and there the eye rests upon an isolated mound of a few acres in extent, which rises to the level of the high prairies beyond. These views combine the qualities of grandeur in their vast extent and of the picturesque in their loveliness of detail to such a degree that the poet preacher, Kev. Eobert Pierpont, upon his visit to Kansas exclaimed : " God doubtless might have made a lovelier country, but it is certain that he never did it." The landscape, even of the unsettled portions-of Kansas carries with it an impression that this is not really a new country, but an old one long since deserted of its inhabitants. Concerning this feature, which immediately strikes all observant travelers, Bayard Taylor remarks : "The counterpart of this region is not to be found in the United States, yet there was a suggestion of other landscapes in it which puzzled me considerably until I happened to recall some parts of France, especially the valleys in the neighborhood of Epernay. Here too, there was rather an air of old culture than of new settle- ment, only the houses, gardens and orchards were wanting." Upon the surface of hill and dale which we have described place the artificial groves and hedges, which four or five years suffice to perfect, place here the flocks and herds and growing crops, and you have a scene of pastoral beauty which few countries can equal. Such views are now to be found in the older portions of the State and will in a few years be com- mon throughout its extent. 18 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. SOIL. The soil of Kansas is similar to that of other prairie States. Indeed, this State having been largely settled by Illinoisians, its agriealta,ral resources have always been estimated in e Massachusetts. Connecticut. I New York. Pennsylvania. I Kentucky. o i Michigan. d 5 s, M | Missouri. Wisconsin. A Minnesota. as Report for 1865 Indian Corn Wheat 43 18 33 17 31 17 24 15 40 I 9 34 7 41 | 38 15 40 8 35 11 39 12 41 16 42 14 38 V.O 41 15- Rve 16 1 \ 14 15 IS q 1? 11 12 16 16 17 18 V? 23 Oats 39 26 35 34 34 ?4 81 S7 28 35 V?6 40 38 41 34 Barley ?8 19 28 ?? >0 '1 >> r>.> 22 ?1 ?3 l >6 26 29 38 Potatoes 164 104 1?1 107 75 59 8S H5 84 117 im, 141 i w 197 Il!> Report for 18 66 Indian Corn. ... Wheit 33 9 34 14 33 17 27 15 34 n 31 f, 38 4 32 IS 36 | 31 13 30 16 28 14 31 16 34 21 Rye 18 17 13 16 is q 10 15 12 1,5 19 16 19 26 Oats 40 29 3-> 33 33 ?1 82 S4 28 34 30 n 37 39 Barley - 88 9-> 28 28 22 IS IP 28 19 2f 20 28 28 29 Potatoes 148 1V 109 107 99 88 78 no 79 88 qo n 7? 81 Report for 1867 Indian Corn "Wheat 36 u 35 16 33 17 30 14 32 12 24 8 28 n 31 i? 29 10 23 11 27 1? 81 1 33 1? 30 1? 38 14 Rve 15 15 14 15 is 10 is 17 14 15 16 It, 16 18 2O Oats 30 M 7 26 80 18 31 so 10 30 30 35 4'> 38 3ft Barley . U 0'> 28 20 20 17 24 20 1 01 17 1 28 26 ?3 26 Potatoes Report for 1868 Indian Corn Wheat 116 38 16 96 37 15 n 34 Ifi 84 32 14 74 35 1 50 32 8 75 34 IS 97 33 1" 73 34 n (50 34 11 73 80 14 96 33 13 108 37 14 110 33 l r > 109 18 15 Rve 1 | 16 11 15 IS 11 IS 18 11 If! 18 18 10 20 2O Oats 90 24 ?7 "6 91 22 oq So 26 31 82 n 88 36 25 Barley Potatoes Report for 1869 Indian Corn Wheat 23 135 3-1 18 20 116 34 IS 20 117 31 17 21 94 27 Ifi 21 88 31 1 1 16 So 25 n 22 79 30 15 23 94 28 1 -, 20 8S 28 14 20 71 23 n 24 90 30 14 24 77 26 15 26 96 33 IS 25 1M 20 16 23 85 48 18 Rye 16 18 IS 14 13 n 14 If. 15 14 16 15 16 18 35 Oats B8 N ss 88 n 10 89 to 20 33 88 86 37 37 43 Barley <->> 26 28 "1 28 10 28 24 >> 20 28 2fi 26 "5 3O Potatoes IGo loi; 108 114 !<)> 69 112 155 11 Hi 10:5 115 lo7 123 11-2 149 20 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. The bottom lands are usually considered most val- uable, but they do not invariably produce the best crops. In a wet season the uplands are most pro- ductive. The soil on the bottoms is from two to ten feet deep, and on the uplands, from one to three JOHN BROWN'S CABIN. P3WThe above cut is from a photagraph taken for this book by Barker, photographic artist, of Ottawa, Kansas, who has copies for sale. It is a view of the only building now standing in which John Brown, the Abolitionist, ever lived in Kansas. No less than six of those who fell at Harper's Ferry upon the occasion of Brown's raid into Virginia, had eaten and slept in this cabin. The figure with uncovered head is the venerable James Hanway, and the other Mr. Wasson, who were neighbors, com- panions and friends of Captain Brown. The former at one time lived in this cabin, when it was that Old John Browa wrote his famous " Parallels" under its roof. (tfe Kedpath's " Life of Brown," page 218.) Through the doorway, and against the open space made by the falling of the huge old fashioned chimney, may be seen the ends of ox-bows suspended to dry. These tell the story of " the piping times of peace" which have come since the days when John Brown threw himselfinto the laws of death to rescue an oppressed people. The cabin, now rapidly falling to decay, stands in Franklin county, about two miles from Lane post-office. SOIL. 21 feet deep. In the eastern half of the State, it is a black, sandy loam, intermixed with vegetable mold, and the soil of the entire State has in its composi- tion what is lacking in many prairie soils, an abun- dant supply of mineral constituents, it is for this reason that many practical men who are familiar with the entire west believe that Kansas soil will prove to be permanently rich, when other soils now very productive will be exhausted. Lime is everywhere abundant in this soil, and gypsum or land plaster is found over a very large extent in the central and western portion of the State, intermingled largely with the soil, as well as existing in ledges, ready to be used as a fertilizer at a trifling cost. Under date of March 31, 1871, Professor Wm. H. Saunders, M. D. of the State University, furnishes me with the following analysis of average prairie soil, the specimen being taken at the depth of seven inches below the surface : Organic matter Silica - - Alumina ... Sesqui oxide of iron - Potassa - - Soda - ... Lime - ..... Magnesia Chlorine - - - - Sulphuric acid - - Phosphoric acid - ... 100.00 The Professor says: " From the above it will be seen that we have a a soil rich in all the chemical elements necessary for the vigorous growth of vegetation, and thor- 22 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. ough, intelligent cultivation will certainly bring the most gratifying reward." There are to be found, occasionally, small isolated tracts, where a stiff sub-soil comes near the surface, and which at first only produces light crops, but greatly improves by cultivation. The common grass of the prairies is of tender, rapid growing varieties, covering the earth like a mat, but the grass growing on these "patches" is short, wiry and scattering. It is called " buffalo grass," but is distinct and totally different from the nutritious grass with its long curled leaf, which covers the western half of Kansas, and upon which vast buffalo herds feed and fatten. Not one acre in a thousand in Kansas is of the objectionable " buffalo land" character described above, and even this land with deep plowing (it is very heavy plowing the first time), or by the appli- cation of a little manure to give it " life" eight or ten loads per acre produces excellent crops of all kinds. Lime is also beneficial to such soils. It is confessedly capital wheat land. There is rarely more than one to ten acres of it in a body, and some- times a few square feet only. It is not found on one farm in ten in the State, but settlers who, in the early history of the State, happened to cultivate a patch of it, at once jumped to the conclusion that Kansas was a barren region. This land is some- times improperly called " alkali land." The unerr- ing certainty with which it is detected by the grass, and the insignificant amount of it in the country, almost makes it inexcusable to devote so much space to the subject; but I desire to state the facts about Kansas, whether favorable .or unfavorable, so that strangers need not be deceived when purchasing land. After the above went to press, I learned that Prof. W. H. Saunders had made an analysis of this soil, and upon application for his opinion of its qualities SOIL. 23 I received the following letter, under date of April 6th, 1871 : "I have the following reply to make in answer to your letter of inquiry respecting the nature of ' alkali spots' on < buffalo wallows.' Any one can easily detect them in cultivated ground by the color, which is much lighter than the surrounding soil, especially after a spell of dry weather, when a white, efflorescent powder forms on the surface of these spots. "The composition of the soil, which is an exceed- ingly tough and compact clay, is chiefly silicate of alumina, containing a little organic matter, a little sesquioxide of iron, and occasionally a little lime. This soil has become strongly impregnated with sulphate of magnesia, (epsom-salt,) which is the white powder seen on the surface. This salt in small quantity, is valuable as a fertilizer, but when in excess is very destructive to vegetation, hence the barren nature of these spots. " Of more practical interest, however, is the ques- tion : what can be done to render these spots fertile? This, fortunately, admits of easy solution. After the soil is well loosend, a top-dressing of quick-lime, applied just before a rain, will decompose the sul- phate of magnesia, and form sulphate of lime, (gyp- sum,) a valuable fertilizer, while the magnesia will soon absorb carbonic acid and be converted into car- bonate of magnesia, which being insoluble in water, will be much less injurious to vegetation. Lime should not be thus applied when a crop is on the ground, for the caustic action of the lime and mag- nesia would destroy it. This method is, liable to the objection that it simply converts the noxious agent into a less injurious form, but does not assist in removing it from the soil. "A much more effectual and better way is simply to thoroughly pulverize the soil as deeply as possible 24 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. at least once a year. The magnesian salt, being very soluble in water, will be leached out by the rains, and the soil thus permanently freed from its presence ; fertilizers then applied will render the soil productive. The experience of those who have tried this method confirms me in the belief that it is the best way to treat this soil. The popular notion, that these spots contain an alkali and that the soil has been rendered hard by the wallowing of the buffalo, is erroneous. The soil contains no alkali, and its hardness is owing to its chemical composi- tion, but the buifalo have discovered the salt taste of the soil impregnated with the sulphate of magnesia, and, by long repeated licking and tramping, have worn considerable depressions in places, which dur- ing the wet season are filled with water." Occasionally sandstone soil is found in tracts of a few square miles. This is confessedly the best fruit land in the State, and is highly regarded by many persons for purposes of cultivation, owing to the fact that it is ready for spring work sooner than lime- stone soil, and can be more readily cultivated during a wet time. Many of the limestone ledges lie higher than the sandstone formation, and it is probably from this cause that there is a good deal of lime to be found even in sand stone soils, but if this is lack- ing it may be cheaply supplied, because lime is every- where present, either in the form of limestone (lime and carbonic acid), or gypsum (lime and sulphuric acid). There is less waste land in Kansas than in almost any other State in the Union. In fact there is really no waste land at all, because there are neither swamps nor sloughs, and the entire State can be cul- tivated, excepting those portions covered with timber or where rock prevails. The latter feature is fully described elsewhere, and it will be seen that the rock of Kansas is of SOIL. 25 immense value to the State. It is only necessary to say here that there is probably not one acre in five hundred in the State where rock is so exposed as to make cultivation impossible, and even this is not waste land, for it affords excellent pasturage with a plenty of springs and running water. Bayard Taylor says: "I consider the country within one hundred and fifty miles of the Missouri Eiver in Kansas, to be the finest unbroken tract of farming land in the world." HUMBOLDT BRIDGE. The above is a King's Wrought Iron Bridge of 190 span. It cost about $13,000. The soil of the western half of Kansas is very different in appearance from that of the eastern half of the State. While the latter is black, the former is usually light colored, or reddish toward the southwestern part of the State, excepting upon the larger river bottoms" but the soil of western Kansas is the deepest, running from two to ten feet. Perhaps upon no point is there a greater lack of knowledge concerning Kansas, even by some citi- 2 26 zens of the State, than in relation to this western Kansas soil. This soil has mingled with it very little vegetable mold or humus that deposit of decayed vegetable matter which gives to the soil of eastern Kansas its dark color. The attentive observer will notice a perceptible difference in this respect" however, even at the extreme western State line, between the surface and the soil two feet below. In some localities, espe- cially on bottom lands, the surface is quite dark, and gradually grows lighter as you penetrate the earth. This is. called by geologists, " The Bluff Forma- tion," so named by Professor Swallow, because it forms a large proportion of the bluffs which are so conspicuous and unique in the scenery about Council Bluffs, Iowa, and in general all along the Missouri River bluffs above the mouth of the Kansas River. This formation occupies the surface of a consider- able portion of western Iowa, extending east in the north part of the State a distance of forty or fifty miles. Its eastern limit seems to run in a south- westerly direction, and it forms the surface of nearly all the State of Nebraska, and of the western half of Kansas. It also underlies a good portion of east- ern Kansas, but is here largely affected by the char- acter of the subjacent rocks. This accounts for the fact, which has often been remarked with wonder, that the sub-soil in many places upon being thrown to the surface, and exposed to the action of the air and frost, produces as good crops as the surface soil. Its analysis by the Missouri State Survey, gives, when dried at 212 Fahr., 77 per cent impalpable sand ; 11 per cent alumina (clay); 31 per cent, lime; 5? per cent .pottassa, magnesia and carbonic acid, and about 3i per cent of water and loss. This analysis proves its agricultural value; but that point is sufficiently demonstrated by long experience. SOIL. 27 The, best of crops grow upon this soil in Iowa and Nebraska, as I can personally testify. Its sand is so fine that no grit is perceptible to the touch, and those who cultivate it in Iowa, call it a fine light clay, but it has none of the physical characteristics of a stiff clay soil. It never bakes, is ready for cul- tivation in a few hours after a rain, and with deep plowing will keep crops in a thriving condition with very little rain. As the reader well knows, it is not essential that a soil be black in order that it be productive. With the single exception of corn, as good crops are raised upon much of the red land of Virginia and Tennessee as is ever grown upon the blackest soils of Illinois or Kansas, and deep plowing is all that this red land needs for Indian corn. Having seen the luxuriant crops that are grown in northwestern Iowa about Sioux City, upon the light colored soil which we have described, as well as the heavy crops upon newly cleared red lands of Yirginia and Tennessee, I have learned not to con- demn land until it is tried, whether its color be black, white or red. In Kansas this soil has not been largely culti- vated, (although it is held in high esteem by those western settlers who have tilled it,) because there are at least twenty million acres of rich black soil unoc- cupied in the State. But no man appreciates Kansas as he ought, until he realizes that it not only ranks pre-eminent as a grain producing and blue grass State, but that within its limits and within one or two days drive of its rich farms, are to be found the finest of pasture fields now open and easily accessi- ble to the public. Here is free grazing upon the buffalo grass and winter grasses which grow on the rich soil we have just described. Not only this but with deep plowing, and deep and early drilling of the seed, this is to be the great winter wheat storehouse 28 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. of the nation. It is not too far north or south ; its altitude gives it a superb harvesting season, while there is rain enough for growing the crop during the cool season, The admixture of lime and gypsum, with all this soil, is a matter of the utmost moment. That gypsum is almost universal, admits of little doubt, for it is seen in ledges in many places, and it is found crystalized in the form of thin semi-trans- parent sheets, wherever geologists have explored western Kansas. The blue-stem, a tall variety of prairie grass, chiefly used for hay in eastern Kansas, and which only grows on rich corn land, is rapidly extending westward upon this soil, and taking the place of buffalo grass. Finally, the bottom lands of the Kansas and Arkansas Eivers, are largely made up of the wash of these western regions, and there is no better soil in the world than these valleys afford, CLIMATE, Many flowing sentences and well rounded' periods- nave been framed in the endeavor to describe the Climate of Kansas. It has been called "ArcS call for recital. But without taking the reader to Europe and Asia, where the most disastrous consequences have occurred, these effects may be traced in -all the older northern States. During the year 1870 a drouth of alarming severity occurred in New England, which is ascribed, as have been many lesser drouths of the last quarter of a century, to clearing off nearly all the timbered land. The effect of railroads and telegraphs, is undoubt- edly to cause more frequent showers, perhaps by promoting a more even distribution of the magnetic forces. From some cause it is certain that thunder storms are less severe than formerly, in Kansas. A. D. Richardson, after returning from his last trip across the continent, informed me he was con- vinced that railroads and telegraphs do have an effect upon the climate and cause an increased and more frequent rainfall. It is quite well understood also that trees and he.dges, in various ways tend to in- crease the fall of rain, and the planting of these ob- jects is the cause usually indicated for our change of seasons. But I think the main cause remains to be stated. When rain strikes upon the compact surface of our rolling prairies, it almost immediately runs off, very little settling into the ground. Having no ponds or swamps in the State, and our streams all being rapid, the rain so.on runs away. But with the settlement of the country, every piece of cultivated land becomes a reservoir, or cistern, wherein is collected and retained for a considerable time, most of the water which falls upon its surface and sinks into the mellow soil. A portion of this rainfall gradually finds its way to the surface in lower places, causing living springs to appear where before there was no sign of water, while another portion of the rainfall caught in the RAINFALL AND CHANGE OF CLIMATE. 39 plowed land evaporates from the field. Thus the atmosphere is charged, to a degree, with moisture, and a very little addition in this respect is often suf- ficient to produce rain. Sometimes we say " it almost rains," yet there is lacking in the atmosphere a very- few degrees of humidity, and in consequence of this lack no rain falls. It is plain that at such times, the slight change in the atmospheric conditions caused by the evaporation of water retained upon tilled land would cause rain. In this State the entire pro- cess of subjugating the country is precisely opposite to that which takes place in a timbered country. In the latter case the trees which, with their foliage, protected the ground from the direct rays of the sun, are cut down. The logs and sticks and withered leaves are removed, which caught the rain and re- tained it in little pools or bogs. Fallen trees are cleared out of the streams, and in every way the water is given free course and more rapidly finds its way to the sea. On the other hand, in settling a prairie country more water is retained, as already ex- plained, and the ground is shaded during summer months by growing crops, while newly planted trees and hedges add their influence to the causes which produce a climate continually growing more humid. Upon the contrary the climate of a timbered country continually grows less humid as the country is cleared of timber, and the springs and streams dry up. There are in Kansas to-day thousands of springs where there were no springs a few years ago, and other thousands of springs which formerly were dry in the summer, now flow continually. It is for this rea- son, in part, that there is now so much greater value attached to the water power of the State than there was a dozen years ago, as the streams are continually increasing in power and regularity. This process will go on, and all one has to do to induce springs upon his land is to break up and cultivate his soil. 40 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. In the western portion of the State especially, and generally in all the country called " The Plains/' the ascent towards the Eocky Mountains is very rapid, and the falling rain runs off almost immediately. The rise in the western half of the State and in Colorado is ten to fifteen feet per mile. Consider that the fall of the Missouri river, one of the most rapid of large rivers, is less than one foot per mile, and it will be seen that the streams upon the plains must be very rapid, while the entire face of the country is also considerably undulating, carrying off the rain from the compact surface with extraor- dinary rapidity. Add to this influence the-inereased rapidity of evaporation arising from the increased altitude, and we discern at once one of the causes why "The Plains" are not "covered with a deep layer of vegetable mold like Eastern Kansas. TABLE showing the average rainfall of Kansas, in comparison with that of other States, for the five years from January 1, 1865, to January 1, 1870. By Prof. F. H. Snow : STATES. SPRING. SUMMER AUTUMN. WINTEB MARCH 1, TO OCTOBER 1 TEAE. Kansas 1082 1806 979 542 34 15 44 09 Maine 1374 1055 13 33 9 99 28 23 47 61 New Hampshire Vermont 10.40 1031 10.49 1044 12.66 11 82 7.85 732 25.40 2501 41.40 39 89 1346 11 17 11 72 1020 28 71 4655 Connecticut 1301 1334 1311 1054 3088 50 00 New York. 11 16 11 19 1241 992 2685 4468 1318 13 88 1253 11 39 31 81 50 Q8 Pennsylvania 1204 1246 11 17 1001 2905 45 68 13 67 1395 1239 11 22 32 05 51 23 15 18 13 77 9 88 1250 33 92 51 33 Ohio 12.34 11.73 9 80 8 09 2924 4196 Michigan 8 32 9 90 11 00 647 23 19 35 69 1435 12 84 1032 9 27 32 94 4678 Illinois 11 53 1207 814 602 27 92 37.76 892 1323 8 16 5 87 2553 36 18 Minnesota 6.09 13.39 8.42 378 2443 31.68 lo'vsa 1057 16.72 886 638 32 14 4253 Missouri 12 67 1334 9 29 642 3074 41 72 Nebraska 8.76 12.56 6.25 5.09 24.93 32.62 Average rainfall in 20 States for 5 years. 11.52 12.75 10.55 8.19 28.86 43.01 42 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Concerning this table, Professor Snow writes as follows : " Twenty States were included in the comparison, those States engaged in the rebellion being omitted because the returns from them during the years 1865, '66, '67, were too meager to afford trustworthy results. From the comparison it appears that the total annual rainfall for Kansas, during the five years, was greater than that of the following States ; New Hampshire, Vermont, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. (10 States out of the 19). I have also calculated the amount of rain in each of the twenty States for each of the four seasons. The result shows that while Kansas has less rain in the winter months than any other State on the list, except Nebraska, she has more rain in the remaining nine months than any of the other States, except Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and Kentucky. It also appears that for the seven months from the first of March to the first of Octo- ber, when rain is needed for the germination and growth of crops, Kansas stands at the head of the list, having more rain than any of the nineteen States with which the comparison is made." Mr. Watts Beckwith, of Olathe, Kansas, who re- ports meteorological observations for publication by the Agricultural Department at Washington, has kindly furnished me with the following table, which also illustrates the last statement of Professor Snow, given above, and shows the heavy rainfall that takes place in Kansas during the growing mosths of the year: HEALTH. 43 TABLE showing the rainfall in Kansas during each month for six years, from 1865 to 1870 inclusive, from recorded observations by Mr. Watts Beck- with: MONTHS. 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 2.5 26 o 6 39 3 49 6 34 1 o March ." 36 20 2 9 7 7 1 9 2 April.... 66 30 4.1 49 5 6 May 7 9 43 84 49 5 6 7 1 15 8 106 3 5 8 11 7 27 July 137 98 57 67 17 7 65 August . 13 1 1 4 22 162 4 9 7 81 166 2 5 63 22 October a 9 56 2. 2 23 61 o 38 1 5 1 7 5 December 1.8 3.4 1^3 3.5 9 5 Mr. Beckwith also says : " I think of late years we also have less thunder and lightning, but this I have not recorded as care- fully as the amount of rainfall." It should be noted that all the records from which the foregoing figures of rainfall in Kansas, have been collated, were made in the eastern half of Kansas. Unquestionably less rain falls in Western Kansas, than the tables" indicate, but the increase in that por- tion of the State is very noticeable. HEALTH. To write upon this subject so as to be understood, we must compare this with other States. Although the climate of Eastern Kansas is somewhat less bracing and vigorous than that of States farther north, it is much more so than the same latitude anywhere east of us and west of the Alleghanies, and it is conceded that Kansas will eventually be reckoned as the most healthful of all western States. In northern latitudes it is to be observed that peo- 44 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. pie usually build close houses, so constructed that no fresh air can enter. Shutting themselves up in small rooms, heated by that modern barbarism, an iron stove, or hot air furnace, they hibernate during the long winter months. This seems to be a necessity of all that damp, inhospitable winter climate, which is found north of our latitude and east of the Missis- sippi Eiver, but the hydra-headed diseases which seize so many victims in those regions are largely induced by this housing process. In Kansas people live more out of doors. Dwellings may safely be constructed with less care to keep out fresh air, and during many winter days, doors and windows are left wide open. There is no place in the world which is best adapted to all persons, but regions like Kan- sas, which occupy an admirable mean between the extremes of latitude, are best suited to the constitu- tion of a majority of mankind. It is not true, as many suppose, that Kansas cli- mate is uniform in temperature. This cannot be truthfully asserted of any portion of the United States east of the Eocky Mountains, but the remark- able dry ness of our climate so mollifies the influence of the sudden changes to which, in common with other States, we are subjoct, that their effect is much less injurious here than elsewhere. The rains of Kansas chiefly fall during the summer months, caus- ing the fertile soil to yield a vegetation almost trop- ical in its luxuriance, but during the cooler seasons we have little rain, and the air is dry and bracing. Damp air causes damp clothing, and moisture is a good conductor of heat. In the humid atmosphere of more eastern States, clothing is at times ineffect- ual towards keeping the body warm, and at these times sudden changes are fatal to many, and danger- ous to all. But in the dry, elastic Kansas atmos- phere, woolen clothing 'completely protects the per- son, and thus protected, sudden changes are sustained HEALTH. 45 with little danger to health. An atmosphere so pure and dry that it will preserve fresh meats in hot weather, without salting, must be a healthy and invigorating atmosphere. This is the case in the extreme western portion of the State. "Jerked meat" layers of lean meat, jerked off by tearing the fibres, and then cured in the sun keeps through the season, and after August, quarters of beef, buffalo, ven- ison, etc., suspended a few feet above the ground, keep perfectly sweet. In this atmosphere, Kansas offers great advantages to all consumptives, or per- sons with asthmatic or bronchial difficulties. In this, too, there is great room for choice in location. In the three degrees of latitude which Kansas occupies, we will find st very considerable difference in temperature between the northern and southern extremes of the State, but to a greater extent will the careful observer note a difference between the eastern and western limits .of Kansas. This differ- ence arises from two causes. It is a well known fact that the .Rocky Mountain range induces a heavy precipitation of moisture upon their western slopes, leaving their eastern slopes, and a belt of considera- ble width stretching eastward therefrom, and known as "the plains," that has but little rain. The wes- tern limits of Kansas trench upon this region, and the dry air which passes over these plains is vastly beneficial to invalids, whether suffering from pulmo- nary complaints, or from general debility, indigestion or nervous exhaustion. The second cause to which I refer is the altitude to which one may attain in Kansas. As already shown the State rises gradually from its eastern to its western -boundary, attaining an altitude of 3500 feet above the level of the sea. The height of the Cumberland Mountain plateau, in Tennessee, is only 1000 feet above the miasmatic bot- toms of the Tennessee River, which flows at its base, and its average altitude above the ocean about 1800 46 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. feet, which is less than the average altitude of Wes- tern Kansas above the same level. The former is famous as a resort for invalids the latter will be more famous whenever its advantages are fully known. The entire State is so favorably situated in these regards that little attention has been paid to the relative claims for healthfulness of its various portions. "Burleigh," the well known correspon- dent of the Boston Journal, (Matthew Hale Smith), write thus under date of November, 1870 : " Before I speak of Topeka, the Capital of Kansas, I will mention a few peculiarities of the State. The name given to -the atmosphere is that of * cham- pagne,' from its exhilarating properties. It is very elastic and invigorating. Its effect on diseased, de- bilitated and worn out systems, is very remarkable." It may be mentioned as illustrative of the peculiar properties of the atmosphere of Kansas, that horses are never known to contract the "heaves" in this State, that disease which is so common and fatal to horses in States east of us. Kansas also occupies a favorable mean in relation to two distinct types of diseases which are found the one in very low miasmatic regions and the other in elevated and mountainous localities. Concerning the former complaints, they have not extensively prevailed in Kansas, excepting in unfavorable situa- tions during the early settlement of the country, and it is confidently asserted that in no country east of us did the early settlers experience less sickness. It is a fact also worthy of mention that all localities most subject to fever and ague have been settled for some years, and this disease is consequently disap- pearing with the improvement of the country, while the newer and more elevated portions of the State are not subject to its attacks. Concerning the class of rheumatic and acute febrile diseases which prevail in all mountainous WATER. 47 regions, Kansas is almost entirely exempt from them; Vendors of " liniments and " Poor Man's Plasters,' are not advised to come to Kansas. WATER. The water of springs and wells in this State is pure and good. There are small isolated tracts, em- bracing two or three farms each, where good, clear water is not easily obtained by digging; but the LUDINGTON HOUSE, OTTAWA. settlers here, like the settlers upon large tracts of country in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois, where the well water is uniformly turbid and unpalatable to the taste, must drink rain water caught in cisterns. This is healthful, and by use becomes agreeable. It is probable that on some of the high divides between streams in the western portion of the State, it may not be easy to find water by digging. In fact, the Kansas Pacific Railroad failed to obtain water by 48 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. digging at two or three of their stations near the western State line; but of the many emigrants, buffalo hunters and others who have traversed all the western portion of the State, none say that they have much difficulty in finding water, either flowing from springs or by digging a few feet in favorable localities. It is a peculiarity of some streams in the extreme western portion of the State, that they sud- denly sink into quick sands, and appear again a few miles below. One of the first things for a settler to do here, as in any country, is to provide good pure water. Dig a well at once, unless you are near a spring, and do not drink surface or creek water. This custom of west- ern settlers, I believe to be the cause of more sick- ness than any other, or prehaps all other bad habits or unnecessary exposures of western life. Of all the eastern half of the State, a tract of country two hundred miles square, and if we except the inhabi- table portions of Maine ras large as all New Eng- land, it can be truthfully stated that it is abundantly watered with springs and streams for stock pur- poses, and that clear, healthful" drinking water is universally obtained from springs, or by digging from twenty to sixty feet. It is a peculiarity of the country, that water is often found upon the high prairies at a less depth than on the low lands. The water here is not, as in other western States, uni- formly hard. Settlers can locate where they may have soft or freestone water if they prefer, as in a small portion of the State the sandstone formation predominates, which furnishes soft water. All the streams in the settled portion of the State are larger than when the country was new, and many brooks and creeks flow continuously, which were formerly dry several months in each year. Not only is this well known to all early settlers, but there are thousands of springs on the prairies where WATER. 49 there was formerly no indication of one. This phe- nomenon is owing to causes to which we have more fully alluded under the head of Climatic Changes. The editor of the Chicago Railway Review, spent several weeks of 1870, in a thorough examination of Kansas, as he had previously examined the other Western States. In his paper of October 27, 1870, he says : " The readers of our previous articles must fce convinced that eastern Kansas is anything but a region destitute of streams. No country in the world is better watered." In the early settlement of the country all the prin- cipal roads were laid out on the divides, winding about between the sources of the streams, because bridges could not at once be erected, and roads cut through the timber growing on their banks. From this fact many early travelers in Kansas, following the principal roads, concluded that there were few streams in the country. The railroads, however, take a direct course across the country, and bridg- ing is an expensive part of the work. A report of the bridge contractors of the Leavenworth, Law- rence & Galveston .Railroad, was published in the Ottawa Journal of December 16, 1870, and this report shows that in'a distance of one hundred eight and one-half miles south from Lawrence to Thayer, there were constructed sixty-seven bridges and trestles, (besides culverts,) being nearly one to every mile and a half of the road. More than three million feet of timber was used in the construction of these bridges and trestles. A glance at the map will show that this railroad does not follow the windings of one or two streams. The line is directly across the country over divides from the Kansas Eiver to the Marais des Cygnes, thence to the Potta- watomie and thence to the Neosho. A few trestles 3 50 are reported as over unimportant ravines, in which probably there is not a constant stream of water flowing, but the general evidence of this report is, that Kansas railroads are pretty well bridged for a country "destitute of stock water," as she has been reported to be. TIMBER. In the eastern half of Kansas there is a sufficiency of timber for practical purposes. It is found along the streams and in adjacent ravines, sheltered from the ravages of prairie fires by high rock-capped bluffs. The following is a list of the trees and shrubs of this State, prepared by Dr. C. A. Logan for a State document on the sanitary relations of Kansas : White Oak, Red Oak, Burr Oak, Black Oak, Black Jack Oak, Water Oak, White or American Elm, Red or Slippery Elm, Black Walnut, White Walnut or Butternut,' Cottonwood, Box Elder, Hackberry, Honey Locust, Willow, Shell Bark Hickory, Pig Nut Hickory, Pecan Nut Hickory, Sycamore, White Ash, Sugar Maple, Red Mulberry, Linden or Bass- wood, Crab Apple, Wild Cherry, Coffee Tree. Of shrubs and vines he gives Elder, Sumac, Green Brier, Gooseberry, Hazel, Pawpaw, Prickly Ash, Raspberry, Blackberry, Prairie Rose, and Grapes of several varieties. The streams, with their attendant timber belts, varying in width from two or three rods to as many miles, so cut the prairies in every direction that few farms of Eastern Kansas are more than one or two miles from timber, and cordwood sells from four to six dollars per cord in our towns. This wonderful advantage over most prairie States is appreciated by the writer at least, for my first experience in western farming was in Illinois, forty miles from Chicago, when every rail and fence post and stick of fire- TIMBER. 51 wood, or whip stock even, was hauled ten miles. Many splendid farms have been opened in that State, by hauling timber twenty miles. Kansas really needs less timber than any other western State. Nowhere else is there as much good stone available for building purposes, while coal is abundant and good. Yet I think that in no other prairie State, is there a fair supply of timber so evenly distributed. The mild climate of this State and the comparative dryness of the winter months, really makes the demand for timber less imperative than in localities subject to excessive cold weather, or where cattle need continued shelter from cold rains. In the latter respect the timber in this State is distributed in exact proportion to the wants of the country, for on the western and comparatively treeless prairies the*e is very little precipitation of moisture during cold weather. In the older settled portions of the State, consider- able of the best timber has been cut, but railroads are already constructed in every county in this re- gion, bringing pine at moderate prices (which are given elsewhere) from the upper Mississippi and Michigan pineries. Two or three lines of Kansas railroads are also soon to penetrate the pineries south of this State. By these roads pine will be fur- nished at low rates. It now sells at the mills in the pineries of the Indian Territory, Arkansas and Tex- as, at ten dollars to fifteen dollars per thousand feet. The hard pine of southern pineries is unsurpassed for fencing, framing stuif and flooring, and much of it makes excellent siding, shingles, etc. When large timber is cut, the remaining young trees grow with accelerated rapidity, and as soon as prairie fires are checked timber springs up on the open prairies, and in our rich soil soon becomes avail- able lor domestic uses. Besides, as is shown else- where, it is a very easy matter to grow a thrifty 52 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. young forest. In these ways the growth of native timber in the older settled prairie regions of Illinois and Missouri have exceeded the consumption, so that there is actually more timber in many localities than there was fifty years ago. PRAIRIE GRASS. Some writers have erroneously treated of "prairie grass " as a distinct variety of grass, whereas all grasses growing upon the prairie are classed under this general name. There are many distinct varie- ties of these wild grasses, which it would be tedious and profitless to mention by name. Excepting those varieties which pass under the general name of buffalo grass, the prairie grasses of Kansas are similar to those of other prairie states. They cover the entire surface of the earth, and stand from one foot to six feet in hight. Tall coarse grasses grow on the bottom lands, and the hay made from them sells in towns for a dollar or two per ton less than "upland hay," which is made from the shorter and finer varieties grown on higher lands. A constant change takes place in the varie- ties of prairie grass certain kinds disappearing upon the settlement of the country, while other varieties take their place. The wide-leaved blue-stem or bluejoint a very valuable variety occupies most of Eastern Kansas, and is rapidly extending Westward. The nutritious pea vine and wild rye grow abundantly among the grasses in many places, and make a hay which is equal, if not superior, to the best of tame hay. Upland prairie grass, when properly cut, cured and stacked, makes a hay but little inferior to tim- othy. There are good farmers who feed both kinds and have little preference for either, but their prairie hay as well as tame grass hay is carefully prepared and stacked. PRAIRIE GRASS. 53 Wild grass like tame grass ought always to be cut for hay as soon as it is " in bloom," that is, when the pollen can be rattled from the head like- a fine dust. By allowing grass to stand any considerable length of time after this period, the sugar, starch and other elements which give it value for food, are converted into woody fibre, as any one can see who notices how hard and stiff the grass gradually becomes. Many persons neglect hay cutting until the grass is not only hard and unpalatable to stock, but permit frost to come and find them haying. It is not sur- prising that such farmers think prairie hay of little value. Hay should be cured and stacked as soon as possible after cutting. By sprinkling a little salt upon it, the stock will eat it more freely, and as many think with better thrift ; and if the hay is a little damp when stacked, salt will keep it from spoiling. Hay is generally stacked in ricks about ten feet wide, twelve or fifteen feet high, and as long as con- venient. Stacks or ricks of hay (or grain) ought to be kept the highest in the middle from the com- mencement of the rick ; carry the sides straight up for two-thirds the hight of the stack ; when com- plete, twist large hay ropes and pass them across the top of the rick, fastening a heavy weight to the ends,' or tie two rails or poles together, and throw across the top. Hay is put up in this manner with mowing machines and horse rakes, for two dollars to three dollars per ton, and by selecting a good local- ity, and stacking on the ground where cut, it can be put up for one dollar and a half per ton. Our prairies yield from one to three tons per acre, varying with the soil and the season. From early spring to midsummer, the prairies ajre gaily decked with flowers of various lorm and hue, presenting through this season a fascinating pano- ROADS. 55 rama of ever changing color, and affording boquets which rival the delicate tints of costly exotics. THE MUD. "How many days in the year," asks one, "is the mud deep and sticky in Kansas ?". I answer that on the average, during three hundred days of the year, you can put your span of horses to your buggy and drive at a smart trot over our common natural prai- rie roads. At times the mud is deep and sticky, but this is a feature inseparable from a good soil, and owing to the excellent natural drainage of Kansas, the mud dries very soon after the frost goes out of the ground, or after a rain. Excepting other portions of this peculiar trans- Missouri region, there is no other good agricultural country so favored in this regard. The mud is not as troublesome here as in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. No people from any locality, which is a good farm- ing region, need fear the mud of Kansas, and those who wish to live in towns will find sidewalks ready made, or if not made, the price of lots will be so low that they can afford to endure the discomfort of thick boots occasionally, to be benefited by the inevitable rise in such property as they purchase. THE ROADS. The entire State of Kansas has the best natural roadways of any State in the Union, excepting Ne- braska, which in this regard is like Kansas. (Indeed, if Nebraska had our timber and stone and coal and climate and soil, she would be as good a State as Kansas is.) With either a carriage or a loaded team, you can drive over the entire State -regardless of roads, by selecting good natural crossings at the 56 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. streams. There are no swamps as in Michigan, Ohio, or Indiana; no sloughs as in Illinois or Iowa; no bogs or half-filled ponds as in Minnesota. Ko labor whatever is expended on the prairie roads. The first settlers ride over the country, select- ing such routes as suit their convenience, and mak- ing a trail which soon becomes a well beaten track. The double track made by teams is soon worn below the level, leaving a ridge in the middle which is inconvenient for a single horse in a buggy. This is eventually worn down, and a wide smooth road-bed is formed whereon in dry weather the horses' feet clatter, as if upon the macadamized roadways of Central Park, in New York. Very few drive less than two horses in this country, because feed is so cheap that the keeping of one or two horses, more or less, is a small matter. Men who have floundered through the intermina- ble sloughs of other Western States, can appreciate the satisfaction one feels at driving into a ravine or bed of a run, and passing over upon solid rock or a gravel bed. The only difficulty in crossing streams here is at the steep banks of the larger streams, or from high water. Short stretches of bad roads are occasionally to be found on river bottoms. As before remarked, the roads upon the rolling prairies, or the second bottoms, need little repairing, making it a small matter to secure splendid public highways at all seasons of the year. For bridging the streams, rock and cimber are usually at hand upon the river .bank. Those who manage the public highways often make the same mistake here that is made elsewhere, by attempting to round or " pike " up with dirt, or fill in with stone at bad places, without first cutting ditches to carry off the water. Who ever saw a railroad that was not thoroughly drained by open ditches upon each side ? Professional road makers WIND AND WINDMILLS. 57 understand that the basis of all good roads is drain- age. All must have noticed that our roads even in the lowest places, are firm and smooth when the ground is dry. This ought to teach that such drain- age as shall make it impossible for water to stand a single hour upon the road, is the first thing to be secured ; without this, all other labor is vain, and in nine cases out of ten, this is all that is needed in our deep soil. Whatever is thereafter done, will be per- manent and enduring. At a small cost, therefore, there will everywhere be solid roads in Kansas. Limestone rock broken in pieces, none of which contain more than eight cubic inches, two inches each way, is placed upon our city streets at prices ranging from seven to ten cents per cubic foot. The layer is made from six inches to a foot thick, and this is called " macadamizing the streets." If the road bed is well drained and rounded a very little, this is probably the most economical and en- during pavement we can use. The city of Law- rence, however, is testing wooden pavement by putting it down on her principal street. WIND AND WINDMILLS. The most disagreeable feature of prairie life and what life has not some disagreeable features is the wind. I call this a feature of prairie life, because there is more wind on prairies than there is in the timber. So far as my observation extends, there is no more wind in Kansas than in Illinois, Iowa or Minnesota, and it is reasonable to believe that there is less, because the country is not in general so flat as in the greater portion of those States. There is compensation to be found, if we seek it, in all .the ills of life, and the general reputation of the prairie regions for healthful ness, is, without doubt, to be largely ascribed to the motion of the atmosphere. 58 It is rarely entirely calm throughout any day in the year, a gentle breeze prevailing from the south during the warmest days or nights of summer. A close " muggy" atmosphere is unknown here. A night when you strip off and sit down to gasp and pant for a breath of air; such a night is never expe- rienced in Kansas. There are days when the wind blows and the dust flies in a very disagreeable man- ner, but I have seen as unpleasant days in this regard in New York or Boston, although there are more of them here. But people readily accustom themselves to almost any condition of the weather, when they are healthy and prosperous. Western people "reckon the wind is a good thing," and some regard it as a blessing. Of wind-mills there is not much to be said, be- cause few farmers are obliged to pump water for stock, and the exhaustless and universally diffused supply of coal, will make steam a cheap motive power. Add to the latter consideration the fact that water power is abundant over a considerable area of the State, and it will be seen that" there is not a great demand for wind-mills. There is at Lawrence a wind grist mill of the old fashioned kind, such as were built a hundred years ago. It has been in constant use five years, and is a paying investment. Professor F. H. Snow, of the State University, furnishes me with the following transcript from his records concerning the wind for the year 1870 : "From the 1095 observations, it appears that the wind was from the south, 325 times ; north, 185 times ; northwest, 182 times ; east, 106 times ; west, 77 times; southwest, 71 times; northeast, 56 times; southeast, 56 times ; calm, 37 times." The average* duration of the winds from the differ- ent quarters, as deduced by Assistant-Surgeon, Gr. "W". Sternberg, TJ. S. A. } from the recorded observations GEOLOGY. 59 for nine years, at Fort Biley, Kansas, is in the follow- ing broportion : N. NE. E. SE. S. SW. W. NW. 19. 11. 7. 9, 23. 10. 12. 7. C'EOLOGY. No thorough Geological survey of the State of Kansas has yet been undertaken, bat preliminary examinations and reports were made prior to 1866, by Professors G. C. Swallow and B. F. Mudge, State Geologists, assisted by Major F. Hawn. Prof. C. D. Wilber, late Superintendent Illinois Scientific Sur- vey, also made a more recent examination of a portion of the State, in the interest of certain rail- road and mining companies, of which survey an instructive report was published. These reports are so nearly out of print, as to be inaccessable to the public, and I have therefore taken some pains to col- late therefrom such matter as will be most likely to interest and instruct my readers. In no other prairie State is the study of Geology to interesting sometimes in strata from ten to fifteen feet in thickness, and in future will be found by our farmers to be one of the most valuable natural deposits of our State." Professor Mudge gives above sufficient evidences of what all geologists assert to be true: that this entire region was submerged in water during the past ages. At this period a portion of the rocky formations, enumerated above, were ground to pow- der, and intermixed in such a manner as to give to our soil its various and valuable chemical properties, which have been so fully described in preceding pages. STONE QUARRIES. Frequent allusion has already been made to the important part which rock deposits play in the frame work of Kansas scenery, and in the economy of Kansas life. The importance of the subject in its pecuniary aspects merits still further mention. The rock of Kansas chiefly consists, as is shown in the foregoing, of limestone, sandstone and gyp- sum. At least 90 per cent, is limestone of various texture and color. There is no better limestone in STONE QUARRIES. 65 the United States than is to be found in Kansas. Columns dressed to eight inch face, fourteen inches deep, and fourteen feet high, are used in two story brick fronts at Topeka. Professor J. A. Bent, of Wheaton College, Illinois, expresses the following opinion which is founded upon extensive travel and observation : " No state in CORNER MAIN AND SECOND STREETS, OTTAWA. the Union is so generally and so well supplied with rock as Kansas, and at the same time so free from rock which comes in the way of cultivating the soil." The reason why these two advantages are here combined in so extraordinary a degree, is found in the fact that the strata of rock are nearly all hori- zontal, while the entire State slopes very considerable to the east. The strata are thereby caused to ap- pear one above another, like broken and irregular 3* 66 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. terraces, or steps all the way westward. Then con- sider that excepting some of the river bottoms, there are no flat surfaces in the State, but that the entire face of the country is swept by valleys, and rolls, and gentle bluffs, and it is easy to see why the rock is found on almost every farm, so situated at its projecting edges as to be convenient, but not troublesome. Above the rock are several feet of earth and soil, and below it, upon the sloping sides of the bluff or roll, is to be found a soil which is especially deep, quick and fertile. Horace Greeley writes from Kansas to the New York Tribune, October 9, 1870, as follows : " When- ever a declevity, however moderate, is seen, there choice limestone for fencing, or building, or burning, may be rapidly taken out with the pick or bar. Most of it is in flat, square, (or oblong) blocks of ten to sixty pounds, whereof the poorest may be laid up with facility into excellent wall, leaving the better available for building. This limestone has yielded, and is still yielding, near the surface, to decay, enriching the soil, while increasing the facility with which the uncorroded portions are broken into con- venient blocks for use." With this rock, wells, cisterns and cellars are walled, and foundations laid for wooden or brick buildings, while cheap and substantial buildings are erected of stone. Many hundred miles of stone wall have been built at a cost of $1.50 to $2.50 per rod. Frequently the rock is quarried on the fence line, and the wall laid by the side of the ditch thus made. Judge James Hanway, of Lane, writes me : "I have a stone wall which three hands quarried, hauled and put up at the rate of four rods per day, using two yoke of oxen, and alow wagon, and haul- ing a few rods. A skillful man can lay up five rods in a day, while others would be industrious at two rods." STONE QUARRIES. 67 The following account lately appeared in the Topeka Daily Commonwealth, of a new quarry of flag- stone opened at Osage City, on the Atehison, Topeka & Santa Fe Bailroad, thirty-five miles from Topeka : " The visitor sees, laid one over another in beautiful regularity, layer after layer of blue limestone, from one to four inches thick, in slabs from three to eight feet wide and from ten 'to thirty feet in length. These flag-stones are as smooth and even as a board, and are so situated that they may be taken up, one after another, with wonderful rapidity. The toughness of this stone may be estimated when I say that I saw a slab twenty-four feet in length, three feet wide and only three inches and a quarter in thickness, and weighing 2,800 pounds, suspended by a chain in the middle of it without breaking ! It is very hard and durable, and can be put down in sidewalks for much less than our cut stone walks, and will be equal if not superior to the very best of them. The thinner grade of flagging will make good walks for front yards, gardens, etc., and can be put down almost as cheap as board walks. The quarry is known to ex- tend a mile along the edge of a ravine. The side track from the railroad to the ledge will soon be completed." This rock has the appearance of slate, but an acid test indicates the presence of lime. I have examined the stone and seen it placed in sidewalks, and it promises to be very valuable. I measured one slab which was brought to Topeka. Its dimen- sions were 7 feet wide, 28 feet long and three inches thick. Stone of the same quality was found near Yineland, in Douglas county, several years ago, and used to pave sidewalks in Lawrence. One layer less than two inches thick, was used upon a sidewalk which has stood constant usage for about six years with little injury. This ledge did not prove to be extensive. 68 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Occasionally a traveler, following the principal roads which uniformly seek the high divides to avoid streams, will pass over a rocky piece of ground which looks uninviting. But no man need purchase such land, (although it is valuable for pasturage,) when there is a plenty to be had for nothing, or at a nominal cost, as beautiful and as fertile as any the sun shines upon, and which has upon it rock suffi- cient for use. Magnesian limestone and gypsum, which together cover an area including most of western Kansas, can be cut with hatchet or saw like wood, into blocks of any desired size, which soon harden upon exposure to the air. The former stone has been extensively shipped from Junction City to the Mis- souri River, where are large factories, at which it is sawed and turned into various shapes for architect- ural purposes. It is reckoned by scientific men as among the most durable kinds of rock in the world. The State House at Topeka, is built of it. The abutments to the Leavenworth bridge are also mag- nesian limestone. Until recently it has been supposed that magne- sian limestone was not to be found far east of Man- hattan, but I find it exists in all parts of the State in isolated quarries, and geologists say there are more than twenty varieties. There is a fine ledge near Quenemo, in Osage county, others near Pomona, Franklin county, others in Johnson and the eastern portion of Miami counties. In Labette county it is abundant, and probably will be found in nearly every Bounty in the State. In township seven, range six.- teen, Jackson county, this is the prevailing stone, while in the remainder of the county it is not known to exist. The sandstone as well as limestone, is firm in tex- ture and v is largely used for building purposes. It should be understood that stone needs seasoning as MARBLE. 69 well as lumber, before it is used for good work. When quarried it contains a considerable quantity of water, and upon drying may expose seams not at first observable. If cut and used for fronts while still damp, and cold weather comes on immediately, it is liable to be cracked by the expansion of the water it contains. Fine buildings have thus been disfigured in Kansas through the ignorance, or more likely the neglect, of 'builders who did not like to delay their work'. Stone is frequently thus con- demned, when in reality it only needed seasoning. MARBLE. This variety of limestone is found in many places in Kansas, ordinarily of various shades of -buff, brown and black. No white marble has been discovered. Marbles have been found at Fort Scott, near Latf- rence, also in Doniphan county, at Leavenworth and other localities, which take a fine polish. The Fort Scott marble is black, "full of yellowish veins." The Leavenworth marble was found in sinking the coal shaft hereafter described. It is four hundred feet below the surface; its thickness is sixteen feet three inches, and it is described as ' ; solid, fine in grain, of a drab color, very handsomely mottled, and the hard- est merchantable marble in the United States." Experts who have examined Kansas marbles say that the quality is such that a large demand may be supplied for mantle pieces, -tops to bureaus, wasa- stands, etc., but the question of export depends alto- gether upon the fashion as to colors. In other words, the stone is suitable, if the color is acceptable. FREESTONE OR SANDSTONE. Enough has already been said concerning the ex- cellent quarries of this rock to be found in almost 70 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. every county, excepting as to its adaptation to the making of grindstones. Many persons have selected fragments which they MORRIS PUBLIC SCHOOL, LEAVENWORTH. used for sharpening edge tools, but as yet, however, I do not know that quarries have been opened which furnish stone of precisely the right grain for this purpose^, But no two quarries are alike in their GYPSUM. 71 characteristics, and there is reason for believing that among the thousands of various texture and degrees of hardness, a good variety will yet be found for grindstones. All of these articles now used in the West are brought from Ohio. GYPSUM. This exceedingly valuable rock is not found, to any considerable extent in the carboniferous forma- tion which we have described, but it prevails to a greater or less degree over the western three-fourths of the State that is, over an area of about sixty thousand square miles. The most easterly beds reported by the geological survey, are in Marshall, and perhaps Nemaha county, in Northern Kansas, whence it crosses the State to the southern line. It is found in beds of all thicknesses up to fifty feet, and in the western half of the State it occurs in crystalized semi-transparent sheets, resembling mica (or isinglass) in texture, and alum in color. It will be seen by a glance at the map, that five of the .Railroads now running in Kansas, cross the gypsum deposits, thus making it easily available to all portions of the State. The uses to which this article is applied are vari- ous and important. It is used as a cement, and in taking casts by artists, dentists, and othors ; in making busts and ornamental designs for the orna- ment of inner walls, as well as in giving to the walls themselves an elegant and durable "hard finish." But it is most extensively used as a fertilizer, whence it is called " land plaster." Vast quantities of this article are imported to the Eastern States from Nova Scotia. It is also sold from beds in Virginia, New York and Michigan, but I think is not found west of the latter State. Desiring to publish accurate infor- mation as to the proper method of preparing gyp- 72 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. sum for various uses, I applied for this purpose to the State University at Lawrence, and received the following letter : " STATE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS, LAWRENCE, January 18, 1871. Mr. C. C. Hutchinson : DEAR SIR : Your letter of inquiry in regard to the effect of heat on the fertilizing properties of gypsum is received. " Heating gypsum would injure it as a fertilizer. If heated below 300 degrees Fahrenheit, till the water of crystalization is driven off, it would harden on coming in contact with the moist soil; if subjected to a high heat it would be decomposed. " As a fertilizer gypsum is most valuable in a finely ground state. I hope in your forthcoming work, you will strongly press its claims upon Kansas farmers, for it would be especially valuable on our rich prairie soil. " To make plaster of paris, ground gypsum should be subjected to a heat of about 250 degrees Fahren- heit, till watery vapor ceases to rise, but the heat should not exceed 300 degrees Fahrenheit, for if heated above that point it will not harden on adding water. Respectfully yours, Wm. H. SAUKDERS, M. D., Professor of Chemistry." It is usually applied to land at the rate of one to five bushels per acre. The practice most in favor is to sow it broad-cast over young grain or grass, es- pecially clover, or to apply it by the small handful upon and around vegetables and Indian corn, when young. I have seen good planters in Virginia put a " pinch" in each dwarfed or stunted tobacco plant, in COAL. 73 order to bring it forward. The best immediate effects seem to follow its application during damp weather, or jdst before a shower. Gypsum is largely used by food farmers who have rich lands and who want to eep them rich. Its use in Kansas, applied directly to growing plants, would doubtless be highly bene- ficial. Its almost universal presence in Kansas soil accounts in part for the extraordinary yield of our land. In reply to a correspondent who inquired as to the relative value of lime and gypsum as fertilizers, Moore's Rural New Yorker recently published the fol- lowing: " On heavy clay soils, the action of lime is to disintegrate and loosen ; on sandy soils it supplies a lack ; it sweetens some soils ; it decomposes organic matter in all soils. Plaster, applied as a top dressing to land, furnishes plants with sulphur, absorbs and retains for the use of plants the ammonia of the at- ii.'O^here, and is a useful application on limestone soils, or on soils that have been dressed with lime. It exercises an entirely distinct agency from that of lime in promoting vegetable growth." As an article of commerce our gypsum beds are to be of great value. It is every year coming into more general use by farmers, and we have enough to supply the entire Mississippi Valley. The quality of much that is found in this State is said by experts to be equal to the best in the world, it being uniform in grain and pure white in color. COAL. The geological formation called carboniferous, (coal-bearing,) occupies the entire eastern portion of the State, having a general width from east to west of about one hundred and twenty miles. Its west- ern limit crosses the Kansas JRiver through Davis 4 74 HUTCIUNSOSl'S KANSAS. and Eiley counties, in a northeasterly and south- westerly direction, and its area is about seventeen thousand square miles. There are outcroppings of bituminous coal throughout the entire extent of this vast surface, an area more than twice the size of the State of Massachusetts. Professor Swallow, the State Geologist, counted "twenty two distinct and separate beds of coal. Many of these are thin, and of but little value, but ten of them range in thick- ness from one to seven feet of coal, suitable for domestic and manufacturing purposes." The thick- est outcropping veins are displayed in the south- eastern portion of the State, and it is supposed that these continue westward under the other veins which lie higher, and which appear at the surface further west and northwest. No considerable experiments have been made in boring, or by test wells or shafts, excepting at Leav- enworth City, where, at the depth of seven hundred and ten feet, an excellent quality was found, the bed varying from twenty-two to twenty-eight inches in thickness, averaging twenty-five inches. This mine has an excellent steam engine and good facilities for delivering coal. It is proposed to sink the shaft to a greater depth, as it is believed that a vein three feet in thickness can be reached at a depth of a thousand feet from the surface. The miners receive nine to nine and a half cents per bushel, and the coal has been sold by the car load for eighteen cents per bushel, but is now reduced to fifteen cents per bushel for manufacturing purposes. One of the upper coal veins, much inferior in quality to the shaft coal men- tioned, was formerly worked a few miles distant from Leavenworth, and other veins have been worked in several localities in northern Kansas. The coals of the upper strata, which are most worked, are in Osage and Franklin counties. The western portion of the latter county, and perhaps COAL. 75 the entire surface of the former, with portions of adjoining counties, are occupied by veins showing themselves in many places, and everywhere within a few feet of the surface. The citizens usually work the mines by drifting into the banks, but mining companies also work by putting down shafts or wells. There is one company in Franklin county, and four or five in Osage county, that deliver coal on the railroads. The mines in these two counties show about twenty-two to twenty five inches of solid coal. It is sold throughout the counties at the mines for fifteen to twenty cents per bushel of eighty pounds. I quote from a letter dated Topeka, January 27, 1871, received from W. H. Fisk, Superintendent of one of the Companies working in Osage county, as follows : "We have two shafts at Osage City, some fifty feet in depth, and a mine at Carbondale entered by a slope or drift, the main entry being some eight hundred feet long. Our present force and facilities will enable us to take out twenty car loads per day, six thousand bushels. We have contracts with the Kansas Pacific, and Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Companies, to supply them with coal. Our Osage coal is pronounced by good judges to be equal to any in the State. The dimensions of the Osage shafts are 5x13 feet, 50 feet in depth." Mining is prosecuted extensively by organized companies in Bourbon county, near Fort Scott, and in Crawford, Cherokee, Neosho, and Labette coun- ties. Extensive mines are opened near Chetopa in the latter county ; one company ship from twenty- five to forty car loads per day from Fort Scott, em- ploying about two hundred and fifty men. The veins that are worked in this region range from two to four feet in thickness, and are but a few feet below the surface. Coal is found in workable veins in every 76 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. county throughout the coal formation, but approved methods of exploring and opening these veins have been employed in but few instances. Very little, indeed, is known, as yet, of the resources of the State in this regard, and discoveries are constantly being made. Six years ago, it was supposed that coal could be found in but three or four places in the entire extent of .Franklin and Osage counties. Now it is known to be almost universally diffused in work- able veins. The same result will follow thorough explorations in other counties. The coal of which we have been speaking is bitu- minous coal, and of a superior quality. There is considerable luster to its broken edges, and it does not crumble to dust by handling and shipping, as does much of the coal in other Western States. It contains but little sulphur. It is used upon all our railroads, both for locomotives and in machine shops. It is also extensively used for domestic purposes, and universally .by our blacksmiths. It is retailed in our towns and cities for twenty-five to thirty cents per bushel ; but it should be remembered that it was not in the market in salable quantities until the con- struction of railroads, which cut some of the better veins, and this has only been accomplished within eighteen months of this writing. When properly developed and there is in its development ample field for capital and enterprise coal will be deliv- ered at less rates, but with great profit to mining companies. All the coals of this State, it should be mentioned, lie like the rocks, in a position nearly horizontal. Concerning its quality we introduce the testimony of Professor C. D. Wilber, late Superintendent of Illinois Scientific Survey : " These coals are excel- lent for all purposes ; making iron either in furnaces or rolling mills ; making steam whether for factories, mills or locomotives ; in gas works or for domestic COAL. 77 use. They are singularly free from sulphur, and burn with the clear white flame of Pittsburgh coal." In western Kansas, beyond the carboniferous for- mation, there is a species of coal which is spoken of by Professor Mudge in his preceding letter. Major Hawn, of Leavenworth City, who was associated with the Geological Survey of the State, and who has made extensive explorations of Western Kansas, in connection with the lineal surveys of Government, writes me as follows, under date of January 9, 1871 KANSAS VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, TOPEKA. ' "There is a species of coal in the western portion of Kansas classified as 'lignite.' This is a distinc- tion without an apparent difference to the ordinary observer, between the best specimens of it and the common bituminous varieties. It is a lighter coal, containing more gas and less carbon. Generally, the proportion of fixed carbon is so small that it is not suitable for smithies, but answers well for heating purposes. From recent discoveries, it seems to have 78 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. a wide distribution, and will play an important part in the settlement of that region." Little is really known about the mineral deposits of Western Kansas, as the State Geological Surveys have not extended so far; but there is evidence that among its abundant sources of wealth, we must reckon the coal deposits as not the least valuable. The lignites have been little examined, and yet they are to-day held in higher esteem than were the coals of Eastern Kansas a dozen years ago. The veins of lignite coal now worked in Colorado, near Denver, are from six to ten feet in thickness, and the coal, while not so heavy as our bituminous variety, is suitable for all mechanical purposes, and burns with a brighter flame, making a very cheerful open fire. Preparations are making to use it extensively in smelting the gold and- silver ores of Colorado, which are now shipped across the Atlantic to Wales for smelting. This coal is chiefly found in perpen- dicular veins thrown up by volcanic action. Scien- tific gentlemen, who recently visited these mines, have informed me that they are found in the same geological formation as that which prevails in West- ern Kansas. They also believe that the same veins continue, at an unknown depth, eastward, and that the lignites discovered in Western Kansas, are their broken and irregular out-croppings. They think that further explorations will undoubtedly reveal a vast supply of this coal in Kansas. There is not space here to present concurrent testimony upon this point ; but all, whether pioneers or manufactu- rers, may rest assured that Kansas is abundantly supplied with coal of excellent quality. A vast amount "of coal lies under the surface, even of a small farm. Mining engineers allow one million tons for every foot in thickness of bituminous coal covering one square mile. This gives five hundred thousand tons under a farm of one hundred and SALT. 79 sixty acres, in a vein only two feet thick. Estimat- ing that a ton of coal is equal to one and one-half cords, and some say two cords, of good hard wood, it appears that most of the farms of a quarter sec- tion, (one-half mile square) have under their surface coal equivalent to about one million cords of wood. " Let us suppose all Kansas to be covered by a forest, affording one hundred cords of wood to the acre. This would be considered an ample supply of fuel. Yet a six foot vein of coal under sixteen toicnships, or five hundred and seventy-six square miles, (the ordi- nary si ae of one county,) will afford more fuel than the entire State if covered with such forests.'' Pro- fessor Mudge. But all geologists assert that there is not only six feet under one. county, but two to six feet under every county in all the carboniferous region of seventeen thousand square miles. This will do very well for a country that has been said to be destitute of fuel* SALT. The statement is made by Professor Mudge that " the most valuable mineral in this (western) part of the State is salt, which is found in numerous springs and extensive salt marshes, in suf/.cient quantities to supply half the population of tl.o United States. There seems to be no reason why any limit should be placed to the capacity of Kan: us for supplying salt, as the following- exhibit will ^how. And first we copy from the u First Annual Report on the Geol- ogy of Kansas," by B. F. Mudge, A. M., 1864 : " The buffalo licks or tramps, so common in almost every county of the State, in most cases owe their origin to the presence of salt brine, even when it does not appear in the shape of springs at the sur- face. The valleys of the Yerdigris and Fall Eivers have salt springs which supply a part of the loca 80 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. demand, though no exertions have been made to develop the supply, the water from open springs or wells only being used, which is much diluted by the surface streams." Here follows an enumeration of springs and wells in Eastern Kansas from which salt has been made in small quantities, but which 1 think have all been abandoned as unprofitable. They are but the sur- face indications of the vast reeervoir farther west. We continue to quote from the report. "On the boundary of the State, a very large deposit of crys- talized salt 'exists south of the great bend of the Arkansas River, in which it lies in beds from six to twenty-eight inches in depth, in one instance, two Government wagons were filled in a few minutes, without being moved. The salt is so compact as to require a hatchet to cat it. These deposits are un- doubtedly caused by the drying up of salt ponds or salt branches of the Cimmarron .River. But this is situated so far from the settled portions of the State, or any regular route of transportation, that at pres- ent it is of no practical value. A railroad toward that region would make it of vast commercial impor- tance." The Professor thus dismisses these great salt plains, for he had at that time little idea that rail- roads would so soon reach their rich stores. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad is speedily to be completed to that region, and other lines are pushing in that direction. The area of these plains is estimated by the best authorities at more than five hundred square miles, entirely covered with an incrustation of pure salt of various degrees of thick- ness. Yery few white people have ever visited this remarkable spot. But many bushels of excellent salt have been brought from there, and the wilder Indian tribes who formerly inhabited Kansas, annu- ally went thither to procure a supply of salt in addi- tion to that furnished them by the Government. SALT. 81 These salt plains lie partly in Kansas and partly in the Indian Territory, and are surrounded by a tine grazing and agricultural region. Professor Mudge proceeds to describe the salt region of Western Kansas, which he says embraces a tract of country about thirty-five miles wide and eighty miles long, crossing the Republican, Solomon and Saline Valleys. Here are to be found numerous springs, but more frequently, extensive salt marshes. One of these he thus describes at length, as illustra- tive of the character and appearance of them all. "Take that in town four, range two, west of the sixth principal meridian, in the Republican Valley, about seventy-five miles northwest of Fort Riley. It is sometimes called the Tuthill marsh. The valley here is wide, gradually rising to the high prairies so common in that part of the State. The marsh covers nearly one thousand acres, more or less im- pregnated with saline matter. About one-third is entirely void of vegetation, which the brine will not allow to grow. It is perfectly level, and at the time of our first visit was as white as a wintry snow field, with a crust of crystalized salt. "The incrustation of salt is frequently three- eighths of an inch in thickness. This is scrnped up and used, in its natural state, for salting cattle, etc., but for domestic purposes it is dissolved, by being mixed with about twenty gallons of water to a bushel of salt, when the mechanical impurities, sand, etc., readily settle. The salt is again returned to a solid state by evaporation. According to the observations of Mr. J. G. Tuthill, who lives near, and has made borings in over one hundred different places, to a depth of twenty or thirty feet, there is a very uniform supply and strength of brine. The water preserved for analysis was obtained by me from a boring made at random. It was found at four feet from the surface. The density, by the salome- 82 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. ter, was 24 deg., (6.16 Baume, or specific gravity of 1.0421,) with the thermometer at 60 deg. This should give a bushel of salt for one hundred and thirty gallons of the water, (not counting the im- purities,) which is three times the strength of the .ocean. It was taken at our second visit, immedi- ately after a heavy rain, which must have diluted the brine. " The large quantity of salt, within the tract designated is evident from the fact that the waters of the Solomon and Saline are so impregnated as to have a saline taste from points eighty miles above STREET SCENE, HUMBOLDT. their entrance into the Smoky Hill river. The waters of the latter, when the stream runs low, also show the presence of the brine. The supply of salt sufficient to meet this daily and hourly amount thus carried down, must be immense." Here follows a statement of localities, where the Professor found salt marshes, varying in size from a few acres up to three thousand acres, the latter located in townships four and five, of range five west. Throughout the country south of the Ar- SALT. 83 kansas Eiver, there are also extensive and very promising indications of salt. Having shown that these deposits are found in the true salt bearing geological formations, as developed in this country and in Europe, and having proved that the strength of the brines is entirely satisfac- tory. Prof. Mudge proceeds as follows : " The analysis of the salt and brine from the Tut- hill marsh, made by Prof. C. F. Chandler, of the School of Mines, Columbia College, New York, is as follows : Brine Brine, 1 Salt. IWpts. U.S. gal. Chloride of Si dium (salt) 96.689 4.708 2,861.20 Sulphate of Soda 1.959 0.573 348.23 Sulphate of Lime 0.216 0.157 95,41 Chlorid of Magnesium 0.300 0231 14039 Oxide of Iron trace trace. Sand and Clay 0050 0.010 0.61 Water 0.786 94.221 57,327.35 100,000 99.900 60,773.19 Density of brine, 1.0421 6.16 Batime. Total saline matter in brine, 5.779. Chloride of Sodium per U. B. gallon of 231 cubic inches 6.53 oz. 11 This gives one bushel of solid matter to one hundred and ten gallons, or one bushel of pure salt to one hundred and thirty gallons of brine. The water was taken by me from a boring made at ran- dom, within four- feet of the surface. The salt, I took from one of fifty hollow logs, in which it was being made. The percentage of solid impurities is 2.55, and contains no chloride of calcium. No attempt was made to purify the salt, as the parties making it had no previous knowlede of the business. The oidinary market salts of the United States contain from two to six percentage of impurities; a larger portion being nearer the latter than the former standard." The report of the Onondaga Salt Springs in the State of New York, shows that the " Factory filled refined for table and dairy," contains 1.60 per cent, of solid impurities. The celebrated " Stoved Ashton 84 Salt," of England, contains about the same amount of impurities, and they are prepared with great care, and are acknowledged to be among the best salts in the world. Thus it is seen that our unrefined salts are nearly equal to the best commercial salts. Subsequent to the explorations of Professor Mudge, a few gentlemen, residents of Kansas, stimulated by these discoveries in which indeed they had taken part, by defraying certain expenses incurred therein, organized the Continental Salt Company and ob- tained eight hundred acres of land in the forks cf the Solomon and Smoky Hill Rivers. " The first thing done was to sink an artesian well in the ordinary manner, at a point where the brines oozing through the soil at the river bank had formed by solar evaporation an incrustation of salt thereon. Indications were apparent at twenty feet from the surface, which steadily increased in volume and strength to the depth of two hundred feet. The driling was continued to the depth of six hundred feet, but the strength of the brine was not very perceptibly increased below two hundred feet." This company is yet in its infancy, but they have a number of vats with movable covers, and by solar evaporation have manufactured salt for three years. They have'produced several thousand bushels with very satisfactory pecuniary results, as is proven by the increased number of vats used each year, and the erection of dwellings for workmen. This salt, in its unrefined state, as taken from the vats, has been analyzed by Professor Grossman, of Syracuse, New York, with the following result: Chloride of Sodium (salt) 980.565 Sulphate of Lime 17.220 Sulphate of Soda 3.511 Chloride of Magnesium 2.400 Chloride of Calcium Not a trace, It is to be noticed that " not a trace " of Chloride of Calcium was discovered by this analysis, agreeing SALT. ; 85 perfectly in this important particular, with the analysis already given from Professor Chandler, of the Tuthill marsh salt and brine. It is asserted upon good authority that no other brines have yet been discovered in the United States that are entirely free from these " deleterious bitter waters." Even the celebrated " Petite Ause " deposit of salt in Louisiana, which has been repeatedly claimed as the purest salt in the world, contains Chloride of Calcium, as shown by the following analysis, made by Dr. Rindall in 1863, acting under the direction of the United States Government : Chloride of Sodium (salt) 98.86 Sulphate of Lime 76 Chloride of Magnesium 25 Chloride of Calcium 13 100.00 In order to make butter which can be preserved sweet and good any considerable length of time, it has become the universal custom of dairymen to use ground rock salt, manufactured with great care and at considerable cost in the United States. But here in Kansas, in the center of the Union, are found inexhaustible stores of salt, entirely free from these bitter waters. This salt supply is also where it will be in great local demand, both for dairy purposes and for pack- ing beef. There can be no question in the minds of any who read this book that numerous beef-packing establishments will soon be erected where cattle are so easily grown and fattened, and salt so easily man- ufactured. And those who examine the testimony given by the letter of Eev. J. Sternberg must con- cede that Kansas promises wonderful results in dairy products also. Add to this the fact that there are no salt works west of Michigan, and it will be seen that here are openings for enterprising capital- ists which cannot long remain unoccupied. 8o HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. People will ask the thoughtless question, have not these salt resources been developed? " One might as well ask why people settled in the forbid- ding regions east of the Alleghanies, when Illinois and Kansas were all unoccupied. It takes time to develop great resources, and it is an advantage which Kansas offers to the enterprising, that there is something here to be developed. The Saginaw Salt Works produced twenty thous- and bushels in 1860, but now they produce three mil- lion bushels annually. The demand for salt in each State is nearly one bushel per annum to every inhab- itant, and probably more than that in the great beef and pork packing Western States. IRON. Iron ores, varying considerably in character, have been found in various portions of the State ; but, as yet, nothing has been discovered which gives any promise of competing with the vast supply of iron found in Missouri, at a distance of only about one hundred miles from our eastern border ; and, in Col- orado, but three hundred miles from our western border. We have the coal for manufacturing, and it is not far to bring iron, either from the east or the west. But it is not improbable that it will yet be found in paying quantities in unexplored Western Kansas. Professor Swallow says : " The tertiary strata in the western part of the State probably contain extensive beds of this ore." Professor Mudge says : " We have been shown a specimen of brown hematite iron ore from the western part of the State of very supe- rior quality, and containing nearly sixty per cent, of iron. LEAD. Lead has been taken out to a small extent in Linn TIX. 87 county, and those familiar with the locality believe that it would be profitable to develop the mines. It is evident from the debris about the excavations that considerable work haa been done here many years ago, but there is no clue by which we can determine who were the miners, and there are no evidences of ancient habitations in that vicinity. Lead ore from Howard county was presented to the Kansas Historical Society by Professor J". D. Parker, in December, 1870, and was analyzed by Professor W. H. Saunders of the State University, with the following result : Sulp'aur 1333 Lead 86.67 100.00 The analysis will be seen to be satisfactory, but whether the ore exists in paying quantities is unde- termined. G-eologists tell us that there is no probability that lead exists in any considerable quantities in Kansas; but it has often been asserted by friendly Indians that they knew of extensive deposits of lead ore. The Ottawas, who lately removed to the Indian Ter- ritory from Franklin county, were confident that within a half mile of a certain spring on their reser- vation, there is lead in abundance. I once had in my possession a very fine specimen of lead ore, which an Indian of the Sac and Fox tribe asserted that he found on their reservation in Osage county, but the location he would not point out. Uneducated Indi- ans believe that the Great Spirit will be angry if they reveal to white men any mineral deposits. TIN. Concerning this metal, Professor Mudge holds the following language : "Frequent reports have been in circulation that this, usually rare mineral, is found ALUM. 89 here. Several fine specimens of rich protoxyd of tin have been, on several occasions, produced by the Indians. As their statements concerning them were, in some cases, not true, it still remains an unsettled question whether they originated in the State. ***** " Until we find some eruptive rocks breaking through the recent strata, we must conclude that it is not native to Kansas. The western portion of the State, however, is so far a geological terra-incognita that it is possible that some local igneous action may have brought tin to the surface." ALUM. On page 28 of Professor Mudge's report occurs the following : " We have noticed the presence of alum in quite a number of places in the State. At Zeandale it is found in small crystals; also, at several points on Mill creek, in Wabaunsee county. In the eastern part of T. 4 ; E. 10, west, it is found in connection with a seam of lignite coal. It is associated with native sulphur. A similar deposit is seen on Chap- man creek, in T. 11, K. 2. east, about twenty miles west of Fort Riley, with the additional associate of salt-petre or nitrate of potash. It is also found in various places on the southern side of the Smoky Hill, from Saliua eastward, over a tract of fifteen or twenty miles in extent. It exists in a sufficient quan- tity to make a commercial commodity, whenever capital and labor shall become more abundant in our State. "In England, alum is manufactured from alum slate and analagous minerals, in which it becomes neces- sary to calcine and pulverize the material before the alum can be extracted. But in our deposits the artu 4* 90 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. cle is so free that the manufacture will be much more easy and economical." HYDRAULIC CEMENT. Professor Swallow says : " Limestone suitable for hydraulic cement is abundant." From Professor Mudge I quote as follows : "A bed of brown hydraulic limestone was worked, about eight or ten years ago, by the late Dr. F. Barker, at his farm four miles northwest of Lawrence. Not being familiar with the manufac- ture of the article, he probably did not succeed as well as a person of experience. Still he made a good cement, which was used by various builders at Law- rence, for cisterns and other similar purposes. Many of the cisterns are still in use, with the cement in good condition. They show a durability which compares favorably with the best Kentucky cements now sold in our State. Dr. Barker was intending to pursue the business more systematically and extensively, when his death closed the opera- tions. No one has worked the bed since his decease. His experiment, so far as it was tried, was perfectly satisfactory, and the stratum has all the qualities of a good hydraulic cement. This bed of hydraulic limestone extends across the country over Leaven- worth and Atchison counties, and also southwest- erly, nearly, if not quite, to the southerly bounds of the State, and probably it will be found to retain good cement properties in the whole of that exten- sive area." It is probably the same bed which has but re- cently been opened in Cowley county, near the Arkansas River, which I am informed produces an excellent article of cement. PETROLEUM. This oil flows to the surface through the fractures PAINTS. 91 in sandstone rock in many places. The Indians from earliest times, have collected it from springs and used it for medicinal purposes. Whether it exists in sufficient quantities to furnish an article of commerce, remains unsettled. Considerable expenditures have been made in borings in Miami county, and oil in quantities was obtained, but the final results were unsatisfactory. Professor Mudge says : "It is found at so many different places, that it is reasonable to suppose that a large body may exist below. The nature of the clay shales which com- pose a large portion of the deposits for seven or eight hundred feet below the 'surface, would not readily allow it to come up, if it were there. Should it be found in paying quantities it is probable that it will be below the coal measures. No one should invest in the business more than he could afford to lose without embarrassment. The question cannot be considered as settled without numerouri borings to a depth of eight hundred or one thousand feet." PAINTS. Professor Swallow says : " There are several beds of purple shales in the coal measures which appear to have all the properties of a good outside paint. One of these beds has been used at Parkville and other places, and found beautiful, durable, and fire proof when used in thick coats. The bed thus proved is over ten feet thick, and crops out in the bluff of the Missouri all the way from White Cloud to Wyandotte, and up the Kansas to Lawrence. It also appears southeast to Mound City. Other beds which appear equally valuable crop out on the Big Blue, the Neosho, the Cotton wood and the Verdigris/' At Fort Scott,. twenty-five miles south of Mound City, a vein or bed of paint was discovered after the 92 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. above was written. This is a few feet below the surface, and is extensively used in that locality. It is also coming to be an article of export to other places, and gives good satisfaction. There is no room for doubt that in Kansas, awaiting develop- ment, there is material for making a fire proof and water proof paint for roofs, as well as for walls and fences. Learning of a deposit of paint at Osage City on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Eailroad, I ad- dressed a letter of inquiry to one of the principal citizens of the place, Mr. John F. Dodds, and received the following reply, dated March 1st, 1871 : "The mineral paint at our place is ochre. The vein or bed is about three fourths of a mile in width, one mile or more in length, and twelve feet six inches thick. It lies from five to eight feet below the sur- face, and upon a strata of solid limestone rock, vary- ing in thickness from two to three feet. The pig- ment has been analyzed by Dr. W. H. Saunders, of Lawrence, and by Dr. Murray, of Dayton, Ohio, with Ihe following results, viz: Ochre 98 Alum 1 L!me .'. 1 100 *' I send you the fallowing figures, taken from accurate measurement of the strata underneath our town : Section of 34 feet 8 inches below the surface. tSoil and earth 5 feet Qjhre 12 " 6 inches Limestone 2 Clay and Shale 3 Limestone 3 Slate and Shale 3 Goal 1 lire Clay , _4 Tdial...., 31 LIME BURNING. 93 CLAY FOR BRICK. Notwithstanding the abundant supply of excel- lent stone for building purposes, many people prefer to build of brick. There is a plentiful supply of clay for brick making, and it is often so intermixed with sand as to be ready for tempering and mold- ing. With clay and timber convenient to the house site, a farmer may, with the aid of an experienced brick maker, and two or three cheap hands, burn a kiln of brick at a small cost for the construction of his buildings. When sold at kilns, the prices range from eight dollars to ten dollars per thousand, in the season for the business, but the supply is always exhausted before the demand ceases in the fall, and prices become somewhat higher. LIME BURNING. From what has been said of the configuration of the country, and of the location of stone quarries, it will readily be seen that it is little trouble to make quick lime. Any of the limestone rock makes lime, but the strongest quality obtained from com- mon limestone, is made from the darker layers. All the varieties of maguesian limestone, make strong and white lime. Having selected a good quarry, and one need not go far to find it, an excavation of the desired size is made in the side of the hill, all quarries being upon the edge of a declivity. This opening is walled up from the bottom, and an open arch five or six feet high is left on the lower side, where the fuel is put in and the lime taken out when burned. The top of the kiln is drawn partly together to cause a draft. Rock are then laid up roughly on the bot- tom in the form of an arch, to contain fuel, and upon this rough arch the stones for lime are thrown 94 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. from the top, until the kiln is fall. Either wood 'or coal is used for fuel, and a brisk fire is kept up three or four days, after which the lime is ready for use. When coal is used it is mixed with the stone, instead of being placed under it, as is the case with wood. The lime thus burned is somewhat injured chemi- cally, owing to the presence of more or less sulphur in the coal. To obviate this, a patent coal kiln is used, wherein water can be applied in such manner as to counteract the effects of the sulphur. If left in the kiln the top and entrance should be covered to keep out water. Lime long exposed to the air re-absorbs carbonic acid, which was thrown off by burning, and becomes limestone again, in a finely pulverized state. In slacking lime, add to it at once enough water to cover it, and stir it constantly until it is slacked, when it should be of the cousistency of cream. If only a little water is added at a time it injures the quality of the lime. Fresh lime is largely used by many eastern farmers, and especially in the famous and fertile Shenandoah Yalley of Virginia, as a top dressing for the soil, five to fifteen bushels per acre being applied about every ten years. That valley is in a limestone formation. There is little doubt that much of our Kansas soil would be benefited by the appli- cation of lime. For whatever purposes needed, whether mechanical or agricultural, it is abundant in Kansas. It sells at the kiln for about twenty, cents per bushel and with a good profit to the burner. WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS. The western third of Kansas now demands our particular attention the portion so lately included in that mythical region, " The Great American Des- ert." I am firmly persuaded that no portion of the WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS.' 95 United States east of the Kocky Mountains deserves this title, for the simple reason that there is no des- ert. Wherever buffalo, antelope, and deer graze and fatten, there domestic cattle may also graze and fatten, and it is known that these animals have from LEAVENWORTH. time immemorial, ranged in countless numbers in all the region called the plains. Certainly it is a mis- nomer to speak of any country as a desert, that will, by a few months grazing, so fatten cattle that they actually compete in Eastern markets with stall-fed 96 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. cattle. This may be done in all that country alluded to. It is true that there is a great difference in the amount of feed produced per acre in different locali- ties, but even the poorest of all this vast area pro- duces scattering tufts of buffalo grass. The treeless expanse called " The Plains," sweeps along the base of the Rocky Mountains, two or three hundred miles in width at its southern extremity, and gradually widening as it extends fifteen hundred miles northward into British America. On most of this vast area, the grass is not simply scattering, but is a continuous mat of fine herbage, three to six inches high. The best grass growing in Texas is called mesquit, and produces two or three times as much feed per acre as the buffalo grass. Near and among the Rocky Mountains, is gramma grass, and also a va- riety called bunch grass. On a portion of the plains is a grass called small, or bastard mesquit. All these grasses have a curled leaf. The name, buffalo grass, is given to all grasses of this kind in Kansas. Some think the true buffalo gra.-s to be a distinct variety from the small mesquit, and others claim that they are identical. The buffalo grass spreads on the ground somewhat in the manner of a strawberry vine, and its leaf curls close to the ground, so that it looks more like a bed of bleached moss than it does like common grass. Its seed grows on one side of a delicate stem. This grass is extremely sweet, and the more so the nearer its roots. It is true that there are considerable alkali tracts on the plains, (but not in Kansas, according to the best information which I can obtain,) where grazing is not practicable, by reason of bad water, but not for lack of a fertile soil, because, by irrigation, alkali lands, as in Utah, become extremely productive. Most varieties of these grasses are in a growing con- dition from early spring until autumn, when, during WESTERN KANSAS AXD THE BUFFALO GRASS. 97 the beautiful weather of that season, they cure upon the stalk. Thus they retain their nutritious quali- ties through the dry winters, which invariably bless the herdsman and his herd in these regions. Other varieties are green in Western Kansas during the winter months, as the attentive reader can learn from the letter of Rev. L. Sternberg, of Fort Harker. Add to this sufficient evidence, the indisputable fact that cattle in vast herds, not of hundreds simply, but of thousands in number, are to-day grazing upon buffalo grass, and that not alone in Kansas, but also in Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming. Travelers who pass through 1 Kansas upon the Kansas Pacific Railway^ enter upon the Buffalo grass region after riding about two hundred miles through the fat meadows, the luxuriant corn fields, and the vigorous wild grasses of Eastern Kansas, and as they come in sight of the brown and shriveled buffalo grass, it seems indeed contemptible. It is very true that vast herds of buffalo are seen, extending for miles in either direction, sometimes huddled in dis- tant masses which resemble low islands in the sea, or, at other times, are so numerous and so persistent in keeping to their course, that the engineer is obliged to stop his train and give them the track; until they cross it in their line of march. The trav- eler also sees the dressed carcasses of buffalo and antelope at every station, which are as fat as stall- fed beef; and yet many people return from the trip and talk about the "Buffalo Grass Desert." Who would suppose that buffalo would return to a " des- ert" for feed year after year? nay, that they would stay there the year around, as thousands annually do stay in the valleys of the Republican, Solomon, Smoky Hill and Arkansas rivers, and their tributa- ries? Many an eastern farmer would gladly turn the flocks and herds on to this desert, which crop the 5 98 HUTCHINSON'S KA?:SAS. low grass iu his high priced pastures, or daring six months of winter, eat the hay he has so laboriously garnered. 'I think the. higher and drier portions of Western Kansas is in some respects superior as a winter stock range. The less rain falls upon the grass, the richer it will be. This is not a theoretical opinion. Stock that ranged on grass during the hard winter of 1860-'61, which succeeded the famous "dry season," came out in the spring in better order than usual. The grass was short, but very nutritious having cured on the ground. The time is not distant when the western portion of the State, one hundred by two hundred miles in extent,, will be selected as the choice pasture land of the continent. Its altitude of twenty-five hundred to thirty-five hundred feet above the ocean level, makes the climate all that* could be be desired. It is plentifully watered for stock pur- poses, by springs and running streams, whose water is palatable to the herds and flocks, and upon the banks are small timber growths, and high bluffs for shelter. There are also stone quarries, from which houses may be cheaply constructed for the herdsmen. I think it true that everywhere in Kansas, a little hay ought to be put up as a safeguard against light snows, accompanied by wind, which may render grazing difficult for a few days at a time. Such snows occur every two or three years, in all the region we have been' considering ; but are much less severe in Kansas than farther north. Whenever they occur, great herders expect to lose more or less stock. It is one of the chances they take, and the aggregate results for a series of years prove that with all the risks, the business is still very profita- ble. But in every part of Kansas there is grass in abundance to make hay. The wide bottoms afford from one to three tons per acre, even at the western limits of the State, and on ground as smooth as a WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS. 99 floor, it is little trouble to put up hay with machin- ery. Perhaps half the year it would stand untouched, while stock fattened on the buffalo grass. But it is better to provide against contingencies, and if not used, it will keep over in good condition, if well stacked. The estimated amount that ought to be put up per head in the buffalo grass region, is from four hundred to six hundred pounds. Among scores of experienced stock men, with whom I compared notes upon this subject, none set it higher than the latter figures. John S. Chisum, one of the most noted stock deal- ers and breeders of Texas, a man who handles cat- tle by the ten thousand head, said : " For Kansas, from four to five hundred pounds." Major H. Shank- lin, of Lawrence, who has wintered cattle in the Arkansas Valley several seasons, said : " Five hun- dred pounds, and it may rot down unfed every other year." Eev. L. Sternberg, who lives at Fort Harker, on the Kansas Pacific Railway, said : " Five or six hundred pounds, and probably not half that amount will be fed out." Nor is this precaution desirable for Kansas alone. In Colorado, prudent persons provide a little hay for their stock, and think that it pays them a profit to do so, and with the rearing of im- proved breeds this will be an acknowledged neces- sity. Large herders with thousands of cattle, do not consider the loss of a few score head of cheap Texas stock as a matter of importance. But when each bullock comes to be worth fifty or seventy-five dollars, the case will be different. The foregoing was written in December, 1870. It is now April, 1871, and we have passed through a very severe winter, snow having lain on the ground longer than ever before known. During this winter many thousand head of cattle have fed on buffalo grass and winter grasses, without any hay or grain whatever. The result has been surprising to all. 100 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Among Texas cattle, or stock bred from them, (and there is little other stock in the buffalo grass region,) there has been less loss than in the more eastern or southern portion of the State, where they were fed on hay or hay and corn. The cattle thus wintered will soon fatten upon the fresh grass. It is natural for this stock to get its own living on the range, and they do not do well on corn the first year they are brought from Texas. Next to their native range WIRE SUSPENSION BRIDGE, OTTAWA. a field of standing corn stalks, after the ears have been plucked, seems the best suited to their wants. Sheep have also done well in Western Kansas this winter, on grass alone. I am convinced that herders, with several hundred or thousands of cattle, will do better to seek some of the many canyons, or sheltering bluffs, or timber patches, to be found in the buffalo grass region, with plenty of water, and graze stock all the season, than to cut hay for them. f WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS. 101 The loss in the former case will not equal the addi- tional expense in the latter case. Small stock raisers and farmers will undoubtedly do well to put up a little hay. In short, Western Kansas and its buffalo grass offers the best advantages in this State, or in any State for stock raising. I do not advise people to rush into that region that is, to the remote high prairies where nothing grows but buffalo grass who are destitute of means, but with a little capital to invest in stock, a living is certain and easy. There is cer- tainly no need for any to suffer for meat in that region, for buffalo meat is toothsome and nutritious, and to be had for the killing, while the peculiar waxy fat furnishes to the hardy frontiersman a sweet and healthful substitute for bread. The amount of feed on a given space of buffalo grass, is also much greater than most people suppose. Even Horace G-reeley, who was the first man of prominence in the east, to recognize the value of the trans-Missouri country, speaks of grazing one bul- lock to each quarter section, (160 acres.) But the most intelligent of experienced observers, reckon from three to five acres of buffalo grass as furnishing as much feed as one acre of our best prairie grasses, such as are found in eastern Kansas and in Illinois. In confirmation of what has been said, I take pleasure in presenting the following letters, relating respectively to the northern, central and southern portions of Western Kansas. All are written by gentlemen well known in their respective localities. The first is from a farmer, Mr. A. B. Warner, in northwestern Kansas : " EEPUBLIC COUNTY, KANSAS, ) November 28, 1870. J Mr. 0. 0. Hutchinson: DEAR SIR: I send you a few facts concerning the northern part of the State, or at least that portion 102 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. of it which has come under my personal observation. The portion I shall refer to, is chiefly watered by the Republican River and its tributaries. These streams have many beautiful mill sites, and we think here it would be hard to find a portion of prairie country more highly favored in respect to water, notwith- standing it is in < drouthy Kansas. ' " About eighty miles west of this county, a tribu- tary takes in to the Republican, called Prairie Dog, and a beautiful stream it is, having quite a belt of timber along its banks. Its bottoms are wide and fertile, and all who see it are in no wise sparing of their praise. There is yet little or no settlement along the stream, and none on the adjacent prairies, but there is strong talk of a settlement there in the spring. White Rock is another tributary of the Republican and enters it about ten miles from where the last named stream crosses the western line of Kansas from Nebraska and in range five west. On its lovely bank, on lands the most beautiful eyes ever rested upon, we have taken up our abodes. Its line towards the head is a trifle south of west, and it is about sixty miles long. It has quite an abun- dance of timber, though not quite so much as Prairie Dog, and besides the stream is not so large. The waters of the latter run the year round, while those of White Rock, in very dry weather, will sometimes cease to run, though at all times it contains a suffi- ciency of pure water for stock. Its bottoms are very fertile, as well as the adjoining prairies. The former are all taken for thirty miles from its mouth, but of the latter there are thousands and tens of thousands of acres of as rich and beautiful prairie lands as ever graced a western State. The old inhab- itants say they can get a living here easier than in any other place they ever saw. Yours respectfully, A. B. WARNER." WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS. 103 The next letter is from Eev. Dr. L. Sternberg, a Lutheran clergyman of high standing, who went to Western Kansas for his health, and to open farms with his sons. He formerly resided in New York, and afterward in Ohio and Northern Illinois, and is consequently familiar with the best dairy regions in the United States. I call especial attention to the testimony he adduces as to the character of this region for Dairying. 11 FORT HARKER, December 10, 1870. Mr. 0. C. Hutchinson : DEAR SIR : You desire to know if the Plains are well adapted to butter and cheese making, and also my method. In replying to the first inquiry, it may be proper to say that I am not prepared to speak of the Plains generally. Portions of them may be bar- ren and destitute of water and of natural shelter for stock. My remarks are intended to apply more especially to Ellsworth county, the eastern limit in this part of the State of the buffalo grass region. Whether a country is well adapted for stock and dairy purposes, depends upon its grasses, water and climate. " We have both winter and summer grasses. Our winter grasses are such as keep green, and grow somewhat during the winter, especially in sheltered places in ravines and near the banks of streams. They come forward very early in the spring so as to afford good pasturage, in this region generally about the middle of March. The principal variety ripens about the first of June, and resembles what we used to call the early June grass in New York. When green, it is sweet and tender, and cattle eat it with avidity.. "Our summer grasses may be divided into two classes, consisting of such as are only fit for grazing, 104 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS.- and such as are also suitable to be cut for hay. The term buffalo grass, includes the gramma grass, or the curled mesquit, both of them remarkably nutritious, even when ripened and dry, and affording almost as good pasturage in winter as in summer, but too short to be cut for hay. The blue joint is our principal grass for hay. It is the latest of our grasses in com- ing forward in the spring, only appearing about the time when our winter grasses are beginning to ripen. We have at present little more of this grass than is required for hay ; but I am sorry to say that it is slowly but surely supplanting the buffalo grass. The milk produced from these grasses is remarkably rich, and our cows have access to no plants giving their milk an unpleasant flavor, except that late in the fall they sometimes eat a species of wild sage, giving it a bitter taste. " Good water is a prime necessity for a stock and dairy country. It should be running water. Stagnant water affects the quality of the milk injuriously. Water drawn by hand involves too much labor, and is too uncertain a reliance. Our river water, and that flowing from our numerous springs, is most excellent for stock. "Our climate is of a medium, character. We are subject to occasional storms, when cattle need some natural or artificial shelter, and it may be some hay. Usually, however, they graze upon the open prairie, in winter as in summer. Thus far I have not been required to feed my cattle more than about a dozen times during the winter, and they reach the spring in fine order, unless they should be pulled dow'n somewhat by some special cause, such as coming in too early. In summer our climate is not warmer than in more northern latitudes. However warm it may be during the day, our nights are invariably cool and refreshing. The heats of summer, there- fore, interfere but little with butter and cheese mak- WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS. 105 ing, to those who have a suitable place for the pur- pose, and I know of no reason why we may not com- pete succesfully both as to quality and quantity with the dairymen of any part of our country. " In the manufacture of butter, I am careful as 'to the condition of my cream, not leaving it to stand too long. I use the dash churn. I am careful to work out all the buttermilk, and yet not destroy the grain of the butter. This requires both experience and skill. The salt which should be of the purest kind, and about an ounce to the pound of butter, should be thoroughly incorporated with the butter, and dissolve in it. If the cream be too warm in churning, the butter will be of an inferior quality, and will readily soften in warm weather. The proper temperature is from fifty-six to sixty degrees. The cooler the cream, the longer the butter is in coming, but the better the butter. Yours truly, L. STEENBEEG." At the last annual February meeting of the Farmers' Institute, held at the State Agricultural College, in Manhattan, Eev. Dr. Sternberg was pres- ent with his friend and neighbor of Ellsworth county, Mr. Long, who is engaged in the cheese business. Mr. Long said : " Kansas is looked upon as a great beef-producing State, and we can certainly make as good cheese here as in Ohio, and can do it with less expense. Our cows cost less, and they net more. In Ohio it costs twenty-five dollars a year to keep a cow, in Kansas less than one-half that. Cheese in Ohio brings twelve and a half cents per pound ; mine brings eighteen and a half. Good cheese can be made in Kansas. Dairy farming is destined to become one of the most interesting and profitable branches of industry in Kansas." 106 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Some one then asked, " How much cheese can you make from one gallon of milk ? " Mr. Long an- swered, " In Ohio, one pound from one gallon, or ten pounds of milk; here, one pound from eight and two-thirds pounds of milk. This is the quantity from the common cow ; from the Alderney, we can make more." Dr. Eeynolds asked, "Do cows give as much milk here as there ? " Mr. Long thought they did, full as much. " The buffalo grass produced as much, and richer milk, than the tame grass." OTTAWA UNIVERSITY. Dr. Sternberg said, "our season being longer we can have two months more for butter and cheese making" Mr. Long was asked about exporting his cheese, but he has no need ; he finds a ready market for all his in the State. Also about rennets. He sends to Utica, New York, and gets them at thirty cents, when they will cost fifty cents if bought here. The next letter is from Mr. Ernst Hohneck, a sur- veyor who has resided in "Western Kansas about fourteen years, and is entirely familiar with the WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS. 107 country he talks about. This letter throws light upon the "desert" question. There has been great inquiry for that desert for several years, and of late it has come to be believed that the whole account of " a desert " was a stupendous humbug of ancient geographers, but there has long been talk in scien- tific quarters about the " sand hills of western Kan- sas," which certainly must have had some foundation in fact. I have occasionally met a man who had seen them, but could get no precise information as to their location until the following letter came to hand. After describing .various counties in that region, and showing that all are possessed of good water and good soil, with considerable quantities of timber, and coal opened of fair quality for fuel, he proceeds : " Eice county, south of Ellsworth, through which runs the Arkansas Eiver and several tributaries, is, with the exception of timber, which is rather scarce, a most beautiful county, and contains, I believe, a greater per centage of tillable land, than any other county in the State I know of. The southeast part is already somewhat settled, and a colony from Ohio is expected to settle on Plum Creek next spring. Cow Creek is also in this county. Around Fort Zarah, in Barton county, near the mouth of that fine stream where the Big Walnut empties into the Arkansas, the nucleus of quite a settlement is now forming, and about two hundred families are to settle along the Eiver and Walnut next spring. The ad- vance of a German colony, about ten families, set- tled eight miles above Zarah last. spring, and raised quite a crop of corn, with pumpkins, melons, etc., without end. I have not a doubt but that the bot- toms of the Arkansas Eiver, will turn out to be pro- digious corn land. " Walnut Creek Valley runs in a westerly direction for over a hundred miles, with abundance of timber 108 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. and water, and as fine bottoms as a man wants to see. The only drawback to the settlement of that part of our beautiful State, may be Indian difficulties. " In conclusion, let me give you the result of my observations during a residence of fifteen years in the State, the greater part of which I spent in the western part. " The story of the American Desert, as far as it relates to that portion of Kansas that lays north of the Arkansas .River, is a myth, and never had any foundation. That "belt of land," beyond which, according to early histories of Kansas, the Desert commenced, exists only in imagination. True, there is a range of sandhills, from one to two miles wide, on the west side of the Little Arkansas, as far north as the mouth of Jarvis Creek, emptying into Cow Creek, and also another narrow range of sandhills on the west side of Cow Creek, from the Plum Butes, on the old Santa Fe Road, extending, with intermissions, about ten miles north. But the land west of these hills is just as good as east of it. " I suppose the idea of this desert originated in this way: During that season when the buffalo roam north in immense numbers, they eat the whole country so closely that it looks to the casual observer entirely bare, and devoid of vegetation, Buffalo and even horses, will find 'sustenance on this very ground, it being the nature of the buffalo grass to be continually growing, and the part next to the ground, almost in it, being the most nutritous part, and very sweet ; horses, which are used to the plains, will graze on this tery ground, when loose, in pref- erence to places, where the grass has not been pastured. Another peculiarity of the buffalo grass is, that it only grows in packed ground, and dies out as soon as the buffalo quits the country, and the action of the rains and frosts loosens the soil. After thje buffalo have left a portion of the country for WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS; 109 good, in a few years single stools of blue stem grass will appear, which increase in size from year to year, until the whole country, which grew once the short buffalo grass, is covered with blue stem, and then has all the appearance of an agricultural country. I have watched this transformation ever since 1855, and it is a fact and no theory. Thousands of tons of prairie hay can be cut now, where ten years ago nothing but buffalo grass grew. ^Whoever opens a farm in a buffalo grass region, needs to plow his land deep, from six tn eight inches at least, so as to prepare it at once for crops. And all this great region in the western part of the State, will be thus transformed shortly, and will be found to be the granary of the west." Upon receipt of this valuable letter I wrote to the author requesting him to explain why he confined his remarks to the region north of the Arkansas .River, in showing that the country was generally good, and that a few square miles of sand hills had been magnified into a boundless "desert." In- reply the following letter came to hand : " When I spoke rather negatively of the country south of Arkansas river, I had in my mind a pear shaped tract of land, with its stem end near Fort Dodge, and the opposite about south of the mouth of Cow creek, which empties into the Arkansas in Eice county, with a width at its broadest part (south of Pawnee Eock, seventeen miles west of Zarah) of about sixty miles, which consists of a series of sand- hills, naked sandy flats, and bunch grass prairie. This part is entirely destitue of timber, but in most parts well watered, and having considerable salt water branches running through it. "The Arkansas river is also, with the exception of a strip of about fourteen miles running east from Fort Zarah, destitute of timber from below the mouth of Cow creek to the west line of the State, WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS. Ill and beyond to near Fort Lyon. The Atchison, To- peka & Santa Fe Eailroad has be*en surveyed and located to Fort Dodge, which will open these wide and fertile bottoms to settlement. The sandy dis- trict, however, spoken of above, will be a great graz- ing country, as the grass on it is very nutritious, and the configuration of the country affording a great deal of shelter to stock in the winter. South of this district lays a beautiful country, along the tributaries of the little Red river, or Red Fork of the Arkansas. Mulberry, Turkey, Medicine Lodge, Bluff creek, etc., are among these creeks. The soil is here red in all its shades, and every little thaw or rain, will color the streams red. " Two years ago this winter, I found the bottoms covered with the tallest blue stem grass. A great deal of winter grass, which we generally call June grass, grows also here. The country is also timbered with Cottonwood, Cedar in great quantity on the bluffs, Mulberry, Elm, Walnut, Oak, Hackberry, and on the South Fork, with China tree. I found bodies of timber containing from forty to eighty acres. Rock is very scarce here; the deepest canyon, as well as the highest bluffs, are devoid of it. In my opinion, it will not be very long before this country will be the great winter quarters of the stock men of Western Kansas. As for shelter, there is nothing that will surpass it in these parts. " Since my last, I learned that about fifty claims are taken on Walnut creek, and the Arkansas, in the vicinity of Fort Zarah. So the Star of Empire is moving westward at a lively rate. It is some satis- faction to contemplate, that in fifteen years civiliza- tion has conquered two hundred and fifty miles of* wilderness. Yours truly, ERNST HOHNECK." 112 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Here is the new geography at last. Here is the " G. A. D." reduced iif its extent to a small area, and then, still worse for the fictions of the past, even this sand hill district "will be a great grazing country, as the grass on it is very nutritious, and the configuration of the coun- try affords a great deal of shelter to stock in the winter" At last we have " corralled " the " Great Amer- ican Desert," and we find it to be a well watered, pear shaped pasture field, good for summer and especially excellent for winter grazing. Others whom I have lately seen, who have been through this region, assure me that it greatly abounds in wild fruits berries of different kinds, and several varieties of large and luscious plums and grapes. The sand hills north of the Arkansas, de- scribed by Mr. Hohneck, also produce an abundance of wild fruit and small scrub oaks. And yet it is easy to see how this fiction went abroad. All the sand hills spoken of by Mr. Hoh- neck, lie in the path of the old Santa Fe wagon road over which ten years ago two or three million dollars worth of goods were annually carried in, wagons, and over which a stage coach ran. This road has been traveled for many years. Thirty years ago, teams from Chihuahua, in Mexico, hauled goods to that place, by this route, from St. Louis. Of course there was truth enough in the sandy part of the story, to account for the errors of the miser- able geographers. It is also true that as we near the base of the Eocky Mountains we enter upon a country covered with what seems to be a bed of sand and coarse gravel. At what point one leaves the soil of Western Kansas and enters the sandy Tegions of Colorado, I am unable to say, having only passed over ihe country in the night, by railroad. It is probable, however, that the transition is a gradual one, ' the finer portions of the sand and soil from the mountain bases having been washed WESTERN KANSAS AND THE BUFFALO GRASS. 'down toward the Missouri Elver. Even this sand of Colorado, however, is covered with our never-failing buffalo grass, and in the poorest localities, where this is partially crowded out by the Cactus, heavy crops are always grown by irrigation. Mr. Hohneck further explains the barren appearance of the plains by showing how the buffalo eats the grass down close to the ground. The sweetness of the lower stalk of this grass is apparent to the taste of one who chews it. The little wild prairie dogs live chiefly on the lower stalks and roots of the buffalo grass, and when they have pulled it all in one locality, they move their village to fresher fields. It is believed by frontiersmen that wherever prairie dogs establish their habitations, water may be found at a moderate depth by digging. The theory is reasonable, and is probably not less true than the infallible test on more eastern prairies, by which a crawfish hole may always be followed to never failing water. In the first letter of Mr. Hohneck, an important 'suggestion is made about plowing these lands deep, the deeper the better. It is not simply that the rains may be caught and retained in a deep bed of soil, and that lootlets may find nutriment deep in the moist earth, when they would dry out in a shal- low soil, but the action of the atmosphere, and of frost, is desirable to bring this hard earth into a proper condition for producing crops. Hot that.the earth is difficult to plow, or stiff and heavy like a clay soil, but it has been beaten by the storms of centuries, and trodden under foot by millions of buffalo, until it is so compact that air cannot enter it, and rain can hardly penetrate its surface. Among the most important objects accomplished by the plowing of any soil, is the exposure of its particles to the air, in order that certain chemical changes may take place, which induce the growth 114 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. of vegetation. Especially do these soils of Western Kansas need to be plowed deep, that they may have the benefit of this ameliorating process. Here the STEAM PLOW is eventually to win its triumphs. On those broad fields, free from sloughs and miry places, there are possibilities open to inventors and large farmers in this direction, which are forbidden by the small lots, or stony land, or heavy clay soil, or deep mud, of eastern farms, or of other prairie States. THE CATTLE BUSINESS. . The New York Tribune, of January 6 3 1871, says: " The belt of beef supply is receding year by year. In 1866 only 44 head of Texas cattle reached this market. The chief supplies of beef already come from regions west of the Wabash, and south of the Ohio. If this is true of 1870, what may be expected in 1875, or even 1873 ? Evidently it is of no avail for the farmer east of the Wabash to contend with those vast plains, covered with the most nutritious grasses. The herdsman there can produce a three-year-old steer that will dress 550 pounds, as cheaply as the former can fat- ten a spring pig." It is easy to see why the cattle business cannot so readily be overdone as most other kinds of business. By the employment of sufficient capital and labor, manufacturers may in a few months, flood the mar- ket with goods and ruin the business. The necessi- ties or fashions of the day may also change, and fail the manufacturer. The farmers of the country are only limited in the amount of grain they raise, by the labor they choose to employ in seed time and harvest, and for this reason, in connection with the uncertainties of the weather, grain raisers in all Earts of the world are liable to extreme fluctuations a the price of their products. THE CATTLE BUSINESS. 115 But it is evident that the supply of beef cattle is limited by the natural increase, and it is also evi- dent that it will not soon become unfashionable to eat beef. Therefore it is that everywhere the cattle business is among the most secure and certain of all occupations. But it needs no argument to show that a region abounding in such grasses, as we have described, with a plentiful supply of stock water, in a healthy climate, and in a region traversed by BLOCK IN HUMBOLDT. railroads, furnishing competition in freights, must distance all competitors in its attractions for stock rais- ers or dealers. The business in Kansas is already immense. There were during the year 1870, about 200,000 bead of cattle shipped out of Kansas, of which number about 150,000 consisted of Texas cattle, part of which were direct from Texas, while the remainder had been herded a few months in this State. Esti- mating 150,000 Texas cattle all around, at $30 per head, including those wintered here, and we have 116 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. a sum of $4,500,000. The native stock averaged $50 per head, making for 50,000 head $2,500,000, or a gross total of $7,000,OCO, which is probably as close an approximation as can be made of the business. Texas cattle are descended from the Spanish cattle brought to America by the conquerors of Mexico, and the characteristics of the original stock have been hightened by their treatment and the climate in which they have been raised. No attempt is ever made to improve the stock by selecting breeders, and about the only attention a herd receives, is to brand the calves when young. They range at pleasure, summer and winter, in immense herds, and aro only, driven together by the swiftest horsemen or caught with the lasso. None, or very few, of the cows are reserved for milk, arid no calves killed, and the increase of the herds is therefore much more rapid than in those countries where a large share of calves go to the butcher, or are killed before they are .old enough for veal. People sometimes talk of "Cherokee" cattle, and u Wichita mountain " cattle, and either confound them with Texas cattle, or class them as a distinct breed. They are cattle descended from the Texas stock, but bave been crossed with northern stock, which before the war was driven extensively into the Indian Territory called from its principal tribe, the "Cherokee country." These crosses show all grades of stock, and at once show how easy it is to improve the original long horned, long legged, gaunt, race- jborse breed of Texas cattle. It is becoming a very popular practice in Kansas, particularly on the west- ern and southern frontier, to purchase a herd of one or two-year old Texas heifers, paying therefor from five to eight dollars per head, and cross them with the best bull the breeder can purchase. With a thorough bred or full blood short horn sire, the first cross is decidedly better than, the common American THE CATTLE BUSINESS. 117 stock. I will not stop to figure out the profits result- ing from this business, with the advantages here presented. The original Texas stock improves in this country they broaden out and take on more flesh. This is undoubtedly owing to the climate, which is much more vigorous and bracing than their native plains. Yet, notwithstanding all that I have said, and much more of the same favorable sort, is true, there is a strong prejudice against Texas cattle, but uniformly, so far as I have observed, men who have dealt in this stock to any extent, and all who have bred from it, are favorably inclined toward it. At the same time nearly all are agreed that if a man have the means to buy all the cows he wishes to commence the business with, it is better to buy the best stock he can get, and then improve it as rapidly as pos- sible. Last fall, I met in Colorado John B. Chisum, of Fort Concho, Texas. Mr. Chisum is one of those companionable frontiersmen who has the best in- stincts of a gentleman, and yet prefers to broil his slice of beef on a stick before a camp fire, and wrap himself in a blanket on the open prairie with his saddle for a pillow, and all out doors for a bed room, rather than board at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Now Chisum told me all about the " Texas cattle fever," and this is the story : In their native condition the cattle range to please themselves. They get up and lie down ; graze early and late ; go to a salt lick for salt, or drink fresh water at pleasure, or if their appetite inclines, can browse on buds and bushes. By this life, they keep healthy and hearty and under such circumstances never have Texas fever, Spanish fever or any other fever or contageous disease. But in an evil hour for them, the owner decides to drive them north. A corrall or rail pen is built of great strength, but only 118 large enough to hold the herd that is to be driven. Boys and men, mounted on swift horses, and armed with terrible whips, which in their hands crack like pistols, collect the trembling beasts, and holding them on a close range by day, pen them in the yard every night. From one to three months is occupied by this process, according to the size of the drove, or the means at the command of the drover. The owner of the drove is probably with it very little, or if with it he is probably indifferent as to its necessities. The result is, that during the time of preparing to move the drove north, it is confined on a limited range, watered at irregular times, entirely deprived of salt, at night confined in the close pen, which often is deep with mud, and generally the poor creatures are kept in a constant state of" excitement and privation, totally unlike their former free and easy life. By the time they are started on their journey they are falling off in flesh, and the drover hurries them forward with rapid marches, to get into market before they become too poor to sell. They go in droves of from 1,000 to 10,000 head, and upon the average one man in the saddle is required to each hundred head of cattle. On the "cattle trail," as the lines of travel are called, they have short feeding times, and close herding, and get no salt unless they cross a salt lick, (spots of earth, where salt water oozes out and is evaporated, leaving salt upon the surface, to which all herbivorous animals resort, whether wild or tame, and with their tongues lick up the salt.) They often pass over considerable distances without water, and traveling in hot weather, and amid the dust raised by themselves, they become extrernety thirsty, and upon approach- ing the narrow ford at which a stream is crossed, they rush in headlong haste to reach the water. At narrow streams the crowding of those in the rear THE CATTLE BUSINESS. 119 sends the foremost out without a full drink, and the reckless, hasty drivers add to the general hurry and excitement. The consequence of all this is, that the -drove becomes feverish and diseased. Mr. Chisum says he can tell whether a drove is healthy or not, the mo- ment he goes among them, not only by their general appearance, but especially by a peculiar smell emitted by those which have the Texas fever. He says he never had this (Jisease in any drove he handled, because he took proper care of them, and the disease was never communicated, by one of his droves to any other cattle, and he has taken many Texas cattle among northern cattle during the worst sea- son of the year. It is a peculiarity of this disease, that the cattle among which it originates do not die, but only those northern cattle with which they come in contact. It is also true that Texas cattle, after being wintered in this or any other northern region, are as liable to die with the Texas fever, if afterward exposed to it, as "our finest northern stock. Cattle die with this disease, which have not been among the diseased Texas cattle, but only ranged upon ground and drank from water lately frequented by a diseased Texas drove. Cold weather destroys the influence of the disease and it is not communicated after heavy frosts come, and therefore the laws of Kansas do not permit Texas cattle to be driven into this State during the period between the first day of March and the first day of December of each year, and at no time are they permitted to be driven east of the 6th principal meridian, but they may be shipped through the State on railroads at any time. Texas cattle are largely bought in the fall and kept through the winter, and until they fatten on the grasses of the succeeding summer, when they are in fine condition for beef. Those who have only 120 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Been thig #tock immediately after its arrival from Texas, by the mode of driving that our friend Chisum describes, really K^PW nothing about its quality. The remark of a blind man to whom a friend was boasting of a fine horse, is also applica- ble to these cattle" "Is your horse fat?" " Yes." " Then of course he looks well." I quote from volume seven, Transactions of Illinois State Agricultural Society : " Butchers tell us that Texas cattle are better for packing than ordinary western cattle, the meat being finer grained, richer, and more tender than the rough, coarse stock hitherto shipped from the west. As a matter of profit they are considerably ahead of native cattle. The hides are worth from fifteen to twenty per cent more, and the yield of tallow is far larger." Some of the fattest cattle ever killed in this State were corn fed Texas steers, but they were brought here when young, and had wintered here two of three seasons, and become accustomed to our climate and grasses, and to eating corn. Mr. Andrew Wilson, of Topeka, is one of our most successful dealers in Texas cattle, and he has kindly furnished me with many items about the . business. He buys four and five year old steers in the fall, at about $22.50 per head, averaging 900 pounds. In winter he has kept about 300 head together, and in summer, 1000 to 2000 head. Sum- mer and winter he provides one man and horse for every hundred head. It is very important to salt freely and let the stock have constant access to water. Heretofore he has wintered in Eastern Kan- sas, on prairie hay and corn stalks in the field, (the latter being the best) and a few bushels of corn per head. Hereafter he intends to graze his Texas cattle the year round in Western Kansas. Last winter he kept 3000 head and sold in September for THE CATTLE BUSINESS. 121 $4.25 per hundred, gross weight, the average being 1312 pounds (excepting 350 cows). Another party kept 1000 head, bought from the same Texas herd, and sold at the time Mr. Wilson did, and only received $40 per head, a difference on 1000 head of $15,760. This loss was caused solely by short feed- ing and lack of care. Last summer, Mr. Wilson's Texas cattle gained about 406 pounds per head on grass. He usually sells to buyers who come into the country. For fattening exclusively on grass, he prefers Texas cattle, but to feed on corn, he prefers native stock. Here are his figures : 1000 head good Texas steers at $20 $20,000 Interest upon same one year, at 10 per cent 2,000 Winter care in Eastern Kansas, with salt, feeding, etc,, at $10 10,000 Summer care salt, etc., at $3 3,000 Interest for six months on amount paid for care and feed, $13,000, at 10 percent, per annum 650 Add 3 per cent for losses of cattle 600 $36,250 Average weight 1300 pounds, at 4 cnts gross, equal $52 per head. Sales of 970 head, at $52 50,440 Deduct total cost and interest 36,250 $14.190 The above estimate puts all expenses at the high- est figures. If the selling price falls below the above, of course the buying price for the fresh stock will decrease proportionally. In grazing through the season on buffalo grass, he estimates the entire cost for the year not to exceed six dollars per head, and while the losses will sometimes be greater, the profit will be much more than by keeping the cattle on hay and corn. If a stock raiser have the capital he advises to buy good native heifers, but from his own observa- tion he is satisfied that the first cross of Texas stock with Short Horn, makes a stock fully equal to our common cattle, and Texas heifers, which have their first calves in this country, and are subject to ordi- nary herding, become gentle and easily handled. 6 122 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Mr. Wilson is a native of Ohio, and has lived in Sangamon county, Illinois. He considers, as do all who are familiar with it, that Kansas is the best stock State yet opened. Its unsurpassed wild grasses, and abundant streams, with gravelly or rocky bottoms, place it far ahead of the best por- tions of Illinois for grazing purposes. He has some of the finest stock in the State, among which is the PUBLIC SCHOOL, POMONA. Short Horn bull of which a life-like cut is given else- where. Western farmers talk of stall-feeding cattle, when corn in the ear is thrown to them. They are also fed hay or permitted to run in standing cornstalks, from which the corn has been picked. Frequently the cornstalks are cut and put before them, ears and all. In either case it is desirable that there be two fields or yards, and fattening hogs are each day put in the yard occupied by the cattle, the day pre- THE CATTLE BUSINESS. 123 viously. Upon the farm of Lieut.-Governor Elder in Franklin county, I found the husked corn placed in troughs, conveniently elevated on legs, and th hogs running with the cattle. He thinks, after sev- eral years careful experiment, that he saves twenty- five bushels to each steer by husking his corn, instead of feeding in the shock. He fattens annually about 200 head, feeding them all they will eat for six months, which is about eighty bushels of corn each. Hay or corn fodder is also given. Corn is placed in the troughs twice a day, and all feeding is done with the strictest regularity. Feeding twenty to forty bushels to a steer, he deems, as do all experienced feeders, almost a waste, as they are not made good beef, and will not do any better on grass the next summer than cattle which have had but two or three bushels given them the last month of feeding time. Four-year-old native steers in the fall are worth 3 to 4 cents gross, weighing 1,300 to 1,400 pounds. They gain by six months feeding about 250 pounds, and sell for 6 to 7 cents gross, in the spring when grass-fed cattle are not in the market. An equal number of hogs are put with the cattle, to take their waste and leavings, and the net profit on each hog is ten dollars. By this method his corn nets him above interest on capital invested, from 80 cents to $1.00 per bushel. The only shelter his fat cattle have from the wind, is a gentle bluff, upon the south side of which is his feeding ground. I give below the annual average prices of beef cattle for six years, at the cattle market, Chicago, Illinois, taken from the report of the United States Commissioner of Agriculture, Hon. Horace Capron. The prices are per hundred pounds gross weight. It should be noted that the great range of prices for each year, results chiefly from the difference in qual- ity of cattle. It is always bad management to send poor cattle to market : 124 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Prices of beef cattle in Chicago, Illinois, per hundred, gross weight. 1864 $2.56 to $5.72 1867 $3.52 to 8.02 1865 2.94 to 8.46 1868 3.41 to 8.10 1866 3.53 to 7.72 1869 3.79 to 7.66 Average price for six years, $3.24 to $7.61. The average expense of shipment per head, from the Mis- souri Kiver to Chicago, is about five dollars. Arrangements have been perfected by which it is expected to send fresh beef and buffalo to New York and other eastern cities from Kansas, during this summer, in Eankin's Patent .Refrigerator cars, an invention of one of our citizens, Mr. T. L. Rankin, of Lyndon, Osage county. Experimental trips were made last year with eminent success. The car is nearly air tight, and contains ice, and beef in quarters can be sent in perfect order, at less rates than when shipped alive, as thirty head can be carried, while but eighteen live bullocks usually go in a car. Meat was carried 100 hours in one of these cars, from July 25 to August 1st, 1870, at a temperature of 50 to 55 degrees. The walls are composed of fifteen separate and tight partitions, made of wood and paper, with spaces between. The Hearth and Home, of New York City, for February 4, 1871, contains an illustrated article upon this subject, showing that our exhaustless meat supply is to be carried to the door of our eastern fnends. A new class of stock cars are also put on to rail- roads this year for the first time, called Steel's palace stock cars. In these cars, cattle are watered and fed while in transit, and the time to New York or any other distant point is less than half that required under the old system of transporting live stock. The foundations are being laid for giving Kansas THE SHEEP BUSINESS. 125 a reputation, as to the quality of its stock, equaled only by the profit with which it is reared. Many very fine breeding animals have been brought to this State at great expense to their owners. Among those who have considerable herds of thor- ough-bred and full blood Short Horn cattle, are Judge N. L. Chaffe & Sons, Manhattan ; Andrew Wilson, Topeka ; John Inlow, Olathe ; I. N. Insley, Oska- loosa; Wm. S. Pickrell, Ottawa; Mr. Moler, of Anderson county. Among those with thorough- bred or full blood Jersey cattle, are, I. S. Kalloch, Lawrence; E. A. Smith, Lawrence; Eev. Winfield Scott, Leavenworth, and others. Hon. S. C. Pome- roy, United States Senator, also has upon his farm at Muscotah, some thorough-bred Holstein cattle, which are famous for combining the qualities of good milkers, docility, size, and a readiness to take on fat. All those gentlemen mentioned above, and many others, have fine herds of swine, including fine stock of all the best breeds ; Berkshire, Essex, Poland China, Suffolks, Chester White, etc. Alfred Gray, Secretary of Kansas State Agricultural Society, has upon his farm at Wyandotte, probably the finest lot of Berkshires in the west. He has visited all the breeders of note in the United States and the Cana- das, and has purchased the best animals he could find. He has made this business a speciality for several years, with eminent success. THE SHEEP BUSINESS. Perhaps there is no branch of ordinary husbandry at which one should serve a longer apprenticeship before euteriLg upon it for himself, than the raising, of sheep. Sheep must have care and attention to thrive anywhere, and it is not advisable for men, or for boys as has often been the case in Kansas, THE SHEEP BUSINESS. 127 who are utterly ignorant of the business to com- mence it with a large flock. The cattle business is so easily learned, gives so little trouble, and is so safe and profitable, that nearly all who have any inclination to the stock business, seek herds of cattle rather than flocks of sheep, but there are many million head of sheep in Ohio and States west of it, that must in some way be handled by their owners, who are greatly dispiri- ted by the low price of wool. Such flocks should be driven to Kansas. There are also multitudes who own poor or profitless farms in those States, who understand the sheep business, and could easily and profitably convert their farms into sheep and bring their sheep here to be converted into cash, not by selling, but by keeping. For the benefit of these, and other interested people, let us glance at the sheep business in Kansas. The pasturage is boundless and it is good. If left to themselves sheep will keep the grass down in certain places by close feeding. The short fresh herbage is more sweet and nutritious, and the ground is also drier under their feet than would be- tall grass, from which the dews and rains do not so quickly dry out. This is also an advantage in cases of foot rot. From this disease many flocks of sheep have been cured by bringing them to Kansas. The climate is more congenial to sheep as well as man, than the damp atmosphere of regions east of the Mississippi, and our comparative freedom from mud is another great advantage over the older western States. By herding sheep on a moderately close, rather than a wide range, never driving or hurrying them, and giving them a plenty of water and salt, they are kept during the summer at a trifling cost, and in good condition. It is the almost universal opinion among men of experience, that sheep do not do as well if fed ex- 128 clusively on prairie hay. It is said that it has a constipating effect upon them, which it does not upon other stock, and that to correct this, a small feed of corn should be given every day through the winter, giving them hay and corn as soon as the frost strikes the grass. By commencing to feed corn early, a very little with prairie hay will keep them in excellent order. An amount equal to about a half bushel per head for the winter, is considered sufficient with good hay. If sheep are fed upon corn fodder, as is frequently and profitably the case, this is deemed sufficient. Many feed sheaf oats instead of corn, and think them even better. But for large profits in wintering sheep r jn Eastern Kansas, one should have blue grass pastures or winter rye for grazing. With access to either, there are not upon the average, two weeks in the entire winter, but that sheep will keep fat without other feed. All sheep do better to be protected from the occasional winter rains, and I think it wrong to ask people to bring their flocks here without informing them that they will be well repaid in money as well as in com- fort of mind, by providing rough shelter for their ewes. But the best place in Kansas for keeping large flocks of sheep, yes the best place in the United States, all things considered, is the buffalo grass region of Western Kansas. The altitude and dry- ness Of the atmosphere and consequent freedom from disease in these regions, the comparative exemption from winter rains, the boundless range upon the short, sweet and nutritious grasses which afford feed of about equal value the year round, the abun- dant supply of pure and palatable water, the over- hanging .bluffs and ledges, and skirts of timber a id various conveniences for making a shelter for the weak and helpless, the excellent grass for hay, of which a few pounds per head should be put up as a THE SHEEP BUSINESS. 129 contingent provision against storms, the convenience by railroads for marketing mutton or wool, and finally the fact that all these advantages are offered absolutely without cost, these inducements ought to bring millions of sheep to Kansas this year. Sheep do not need grain when they have access to buffalo grass. Many flocks are herded in New Mexico and olorado without feed, excepting grass, and without shelter except timber or bluffs, and the business is extremely profitable if taken in hand by those who understand and like it. In that region two or three shepherds often start off with their flock of 2,000 head, taking a team, perhaps of oxen, and a wagon laden with provisions, a tent, and conveniences for camping. They permit the flock to range pretty much at pleasure, follow- ing with the team at the rate of one to five miles per day, and camping when night overtakes them. Having several trained shepherd dogs, who keep on the outskirts of the flock, it is not much trouble, by taking turns on guard, to keep the little prairie wolves, or coyotes, at a distance. At times finding good pasturage, water and shade, they may remain a week at one encampment. They keep goats or a cow or two for milk, while the flock supplies them with fat and juicy meat. This romantic, easy-going and vagabond sort of life, is followed from shearing time until cold weather, by which time they will have returned to the vicinity of their homes. Here they find the grass which has been growing all summer, ready cured for winter use, and their flocks can stay on the "home range" for several months. There are many puny boys and men, dragging out a pampered and miserable existance in the east, to whom a sum- mer's campaign of this sort on the high, rolling, healthy pasture fields of Western Kansas, would give a new lease of life. Health for the feeble and good 130 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. pay for all, awaits those who enter the sheep busi- ness in those regions. I speak with the utmost confidence, when saying that Western Kansas offers extraordinary advan- UNIYERSALIST CHURCH, LAWRENCE. tages for raising wool or mutton. I speak with feeling when I call to mind the fact that there are thousands of wool-growers in the east who are upon the verge of ruin from the low price of wool, coupled with the high price of land. They are almost ready to give away their flocks, but by bringing them here THE SHEEP BUSINESS. 131 they can, even at present prices, not only save them- selves, but enrich themselves at the business. Mr. Jesse Connell, a wealthy farmer near Leavenworth City, who has lived upon the border for thirty years, informed me some years ago, that with wool at twenty-five cents per pound at Leavenworth, he could double his money every year on sheep, by taking them where there was free pasturage, and by giving them personal supervision. This subject is so important and is fraught with so much of good to those wool-growers who will heed what is proven, that I solicited a letter upon the subject from Dr. Bocking, of Alma, Wabaunsee county, who has had extensive experience in many parts of the world, including South America and Australia. His reply is given as follows : "Kansas by its climate, soil, water, and short winters, is eminently a wool growing country, and was selected for a home by me four years ago. My experience on sheep in Europe and in the Branda Oriental del Uruguay of South America, during four years, (from 1857 to 1861,) gave me a taste for wool- raising, having had under my superintendency on Mrs. Wendelstadt's farm, on the Bio Negro, as many as 72,000 head. {i To commence with the trade, one has to decide himself beforehand, if he wants to raise for the butcher or for the improvement of wool, both being a business altogether apart, and much depending on the circumstances given. To go sure, and I intend to walk that path, raising for the carcass is for the present state of our communications the most advisable, and may afterwards, when a good founda- tion is laid, easily be turned to the other. If a man with large means intends to raise for wool merely, or principally, I leave it open to him to select Ne- grettes or Combwools, as both will pay with neces- 132 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. sary care ; and although I belong to the old merino school. I am last to deny the qualities of a Cotswold. " The stock to commence with, is our native stock anyhow, and this sheep can be had amply in Michi- gan, some parts of Iowa, northern Illinois, and the very best in Ohio. Keep out of Missouri flocks, or elsewhere, where there is principally a timber pas- ture. Not more than a thousand head should be herded in one flock, except where there are wethers enough already to be herded separately with the rams to the middle of November, when the latter may be put among the ewes for a fortnight. "For a shepherd not everybody is n't, the more the man loves his kind of stock, and the more easy tempered he is, the better it will be for the owner. An old man will generally do better than young ones, and rather abstain from the aid of dogs if you are not convinced of the phlegm of your herdsman and the thorough training of your collies. Fat flocks can not be attained with a lad exhausting his pony and his sheep with seedless disturbance. About the summer care, much need not be told. Turn the flock out after dew, that they have ample time yet to fill before eleven, then let them lay down to ruminate, and past the midday heat herd them slowly homeward, not forgetting the water, because contrary to the general opinion, your sheep are great drinkers. But starting from the siesta, (range,) let the herdsman look after sleepy lambs that they get the necessary awakening. When the flies be- come very troublesome, I find it better to stay all night on some lofty spot, rather than to shut them up in the corrall. In winter, as sheds are mostly nothing but "pia desideria," let your flock enjoy the most protected spot of timber accessible to you. Do not grow impatient when you see the' ewes' wool hanging loose around their sides early in spring, it is not yet clipping time. The lambs should not THE SHEEP BUSINESS. 133 come before the middle of April, and they should all be there at the first of May. That the owner morning and evening be always at the spot to inspect the tail of his flock is a matter of course ; of foot-rot and divers complaints, he will not find much, and a little pine tar in an eggshell will gen- erally perform the cure, but itch in rainy seasons he will find to beware of. Of herbs poisonous to sheep, there is not a single one known to me in Kansas. " Now about the dollars and cents. To keep less than five hundred will not pay, and many a good farmer of my acquaintance - has become sheep-sick by a little flock that annoyed him by its intrusions and daily damages in summer in the fields, and in winter on the haystacks and in the orchard. The sheep are to be herded and kept under a careful eye all the time. You cannot turn them out at large like horses and cattle. But with eight hundred ewes (as a minimum) and thirty-two rams, the business will pay. With eight hundred, the wool, (four pound a m'ece, and at an average price of twenty- two cents per pound, at the nearest railroad depot) will pay the expenses, (herdsman, hay, shelter, salt, loss, etc.,) and the lambs will be your profit, but with a thousand your books will show other results, and the more if you ship your fleece directly east. My experimental flock gave me 75 per cent twin lambs, of good constitution, and as we need not, in Kansas, kill the buck lambs for want of milk in the mothers' udders, which is the case on the Rio de la Platte and in Australia, by the first of September your young ones will hardly be discernible from the old ones. Your expended capital of $3.00 will bring you 80 cents interest in wool, which is equal to the running expenses and customary losses, and you have besides a sure offspring that will double your principal cap- ital every two years, as sure as death and taxes, if 134 HUTCHINSON-'S KANSAS. ft you apply the necessary 'care, and if extraordinary losses do not occur. Is there any other honest busi- ness that can beat that? Our water is clear, sum- mer care costs nothing, and hay you can make on Uncle Sam's realms as much as you please for a dozen years to come. "Now good bye. For the different breeds and the general management, lots of books are open, and Orange, Judd & Co., in New York, will be happy to sell them to you. All I want to add are my first words: Kansas is a wool-growing country, if there is any, and open to enterprise and energy for every- body, who takes naturally an interest in animals and raises them as nature teaches." From T. C. Hill, Esq., of Americus, Lyon county, I received the following figures, which show one of his transactions in the sheep business, in buying a lot of poor run down sheep : Dr. Cr. 600 sheep at $1.25:. $750 200 to butcher at $3.00 $600 Attendance 6 months at $40 240 Fleeces of 350,5 Ibs, at 28 cts 490 Herding 4 months 125 200 lambs at $1.50 300 Feedofpon- and dog 25 350 old sheep at $2.50 ...875 600 bushels corn 300 50 pelts 30 Bough fodder 100 Saltabbl., per month ; 25 Total $2,295 Interest 60 Deduct expenses ..$1,625 Total $1,625 Net profit $670 If one attended his own flock, add care as above $365 $1,035 The remainder of this flock after above sales, Mr, Hill let out for three years, he to receive two pounds of wool per head each year, and the original num- ber to be returned in good order, or failing in the latter particular, he received $2.50 per head for each missing sheep. He says, after an experience of twelve years in Kansas, that one good man he em- ploys no other will care for 2,000 head in the sum- mer, (being mounted,) and 1,000 head in winter. MULE BREEDING. 135 He feeds no prairie hay after the middle of January. If sheep cannot have corn stalks, sheaf oats, winter rye or blue grass, give them corn and allow them to range the prairies in the middle of the day for rough feed. MULE BREEDING. From Mr. J. Keynolds, of Longton, Howard county, member of the House of Kepresentatives from that county, I obtained the following: It will require two men to care for 100 mares and one jack. Colts should come in April. The average loss of mares by death, until they are fourteen years old, will not exceed two per cent. Loss among mules next to nothing. In the fall the mules are separated from the mares, and an old white mare put among them with a bell on, who at once becomes their leader. It is believed that the older and more worthless she may be the more attached do the mules become. The mules of all ages are kept together and it costs no more to handle them than so many cattle, while they will thrive on coarser food and under greater exposure. The mares need a little grain in the winter. It is a very low estimate to say that 80 mules can be sold from 100 mares each year. Good mares for this purpose can be bought for $100 each. A first rate jack should be bought, and he will cost from $500 to $1000. The mules are quick sale at the breeder's farm, and are worth from $75 to $100 each at two years of age, and $300 per span, unbro- ken, when three years old. I shall give my readers an opportunity to figure out the profits of the busi- ness, which they can do from data already furnished. I believe that if a man understands this business and likes it, there is more money in it for a term of ten years than in any other branch of stock business. Mr. Keynolds brought from Wisconsin about 25 136 HUTCHISON'S KANSAS. fine horses, among which are t*vo thorough bred brood mares, by Lexington, one by imported West Australian, one by Cheatham, also brood mares, colts and filleys, by Creighton, Escape. Patchen, Daniel Boon, Leopold, Bald Chief, Swygart, Green's Bashaw, etc. He also brought Escape, by imported King of Simirie, dam thorough bred. Also a trotting stallion, Leopold, since purchased by I. S. Kalloch, of Lawrence. TAME GRASSES. The question, " can you raise tame grasses?" has been asked in every new settlement from the Atlan- tic seaboard to Kansas. Thirty or forty years ago it is said to have been a matter of doubt in Ohio, and when I first came to Illinois from Yermont, seventeen years ago, it was discussed pro and con, and half the settlers were convinced, without expe- riment, that timothy and clover would not succeed on the prairies. The same question is now discussed in some por- tions of Kansas and among some people, but any man who will travel through the older settled coun- ties of Eastern Kansas, will be convinced that the question no longer admits of discussion. About Fort Leavenworth timothy and clover has produced a good crop of hay for m&ny years. In Wyandotte county are blue grass pastures, which have been fed twenty-five years and are constantly improving. The northeastern portion of Johnson county is nearly all thick set with blue grass. Rev. Mr. John- son, the old missionary among the Shawnee Indians, used to carry blue grass seed in his pocket, and scattered it whenever he saw a spot of broken prairie sod, where fresh earth was exposed by a gopher, or the rooting of hogs, or the deep track of a horse, etc. From this it has spread all through TAME GRASSES. 137 % that vicinity. "Wherever in Kansas the old Indian traders, or other travelers from the blue grass regions east of Kansas, were in the habit of camp- ing, there blue grass is now abundant, and is rapidly spreading. I am speaking of Kentucky blue grass, Poa Pretensis. It grows during the entire season excepting in mid-summer, and it is therefore a feed for all seasons of the year excepting summer, when it is better not to put stock upon it. Mr. Tipton, of Anderson county, successfully seeded a quarter sec- tion to this grass ten years ago, by sowing the seed in the fall upon the prairie sod, and then harrowing it thoroughly. It catches easily upon plowed ground, by sowing in the fall or winter. 14 Ibs. of common threshed seed, 6 Ibs. of clean, or 2 Ibs. of extra clean which can hardly be obtained will seed an acre. Clean seed is evidently better than Seed in the chaff for sowing on raw (unplowed) prairie, as it will more readily sink into the soil and take root. Once established in any locality, the seed is carried by stock, or blown by the wind, as well as spreading by its roots, and it will take possession of all Eastern Kansas in a few years. This soil and climate is peculiarly congenial to it, and nowhere else does it appear as promising, except in the famous blue grass regions of Kentucky. It is the most profitable grass in the world, and unless a lawn mower is to be used frequently, it is our beet lawn grass. Orchard grass, Dactylis Glomerata, has been sown by several farmers, and furnishes better feed during midsummer than blue grass. It can also be cut for hay, as it grows tall, much like timothy, excepting that its head resembles herds grass or red top. Blue grass does not make hay, it being strictly a grazing grass. Timothy and clover also do well here. Tim- othy furnishes very good winter pasturage. I know 6* 138 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. of a field of thirty acres in Franklin county, which has been fed all winter, keeping green and fresh, excepting a few of the most severe days. There can be no doubt that Eastern Kansas is unsurpassed as a tame grass region. About the most profitable use to which land can be put, is to seed it to blue grass. Allow it to grow four to six months and turn upon it during the winter stock that has been grazing on the open prairie. There is yet abundant summer range in Eastern Kansas, and the capacity of this region for producing tame grass and corn, has made it famous as a beef producing country. Stock may be raised with great profit in Eastern Kansas, and it is the only part of the State where feeding to corn has yet been practiced. * The time is not very distant, however, when Eastern Kansas will all be fenced with Osage Orange hedges, grown at a cost of -less than fifty cents per rod, and stock will be raised in Western Kansas and taken to the blue grass meadows and rich corn fields of the eastern part of the State to be finished off for the best mar- ket prices. FRUIT GROWING. Our limited space forbids any lengthy dissertation upon the general subject of fruit growing. Here, as elsewhere, the nurseryman and orchardist must exer- cise patience and care, if he would be successful, but the soil and climate certainly are very favorable to the growth of plants, trees and vines, and to the production of fruit. The best evidence I can furnish upon this point is to present cuts showing the exact size of the Great Gold Medal awarded to Kansas, over all other States, at the national exhibition at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1869, for which I am indebted to Geo. T. Anthony, Editor Kansas Farmer. Kansas is not entirely exempt from the vicissitudes of climate which make fruit growing so precarious FURIT GROWING. 139 in nearly all parts of the United States, and the peach crop is probably no more certain than in Southern 0"hio, Indiana and Illinois. The apple and pear orchards are very promising, and small fruits are grown successfully. The capacity of Western Kansas as a fruit region has not been tried, but from the character of the soil, from its altitude of 2,000 feet or more, and from the extraordinary growth of wild fruit there found, I am of the opinion that the sandy hills and slopes described by Mr. Hohneck, in the vicinity of the Arkansas River, will prove very favorable to the production of fine fruits. At my KANSAS FRUIT MEDAL. request, Messsrs. Topping, nurserymen and fruit growers at Ottawa, prepared the following brief description of their method and its results in small fruit culture. 1 It is folly for a new settler to wait years without fruit, for his apple trees to bear, when he can have abundance of delicious fruit the first and second years by a judicious planting of small fruits. Ear- 140 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. liest in the season is the rhubarb, or pie plant, yield- ing considerable for the family the first year. Next the strawberry, most delicious of all fruits, lasting four weeks. Then follows the raspberry. Next in close succession follows the blackberry and then the grape, all of which are in full bearing before the first specimen apple is produced from trees planted at the same time. The experience of fruit growers in Kan- sas for several years has placed the success and profit of small fruit culture beyond a doubt. " Strawberries. Our first crop of strawberries illus- trates what can be realized in one year without extra care and without manure. We took great care to procure the pure Wilson's Albany, as we had known of failures resulting from impuriiy of stock planted. "Soil Authorities usually recommend sandy loam. Yet we used such as we had, a heavy prairie loam, dark and deep, nearly level. It had been under cul- tivation three years, and cropped with corn. " Cultivation* We plowed about 12 inches deep and pulverized well planted in rows four feet apart and twelve inches apart in rows used the Moline ifine-tooth cultivator, drawing it together as the young plants spread out each side of the row, which finally altogether prevented cultivation about August. Mulching in winter was done with clean straw about 2 inches deep. "Results. The next spring over 4000 quarts of strawberries were gathered from this bed of seven- eighth of an acre, the sales netting $865, or at the rate of fully $1000 per acre. We made sales at Ottawa and other towns in this State. The entire expense of planting, cultivating and picking was not more than $250. "Raspberries Are almost as successfully raised. Planted four by six feet they yield a partial crop in one year and almost a full crop the second year. We plant chiefly a variety of black cap which we brought FRUIT GROWING. 141 from southern Illinois, which- appears to be identical with the so called Mammoth Cluster, and yields large crops annually. " Blackberries Are completely successful here no larger crops anywhere. The true Kittatinny, the favorite, both in quality, fruitfulness and hardiness. " The Grape The grape for the million here as elsewhere is the Concord but other varieties appear almost equally successful. Planted 8 by 8 feet they commence bearing the second year, and thus far no failures of crop have occurred and no diseases have appeared to damage the fruit. " All kinds of fruit here are remarkably free from any stings of insects. Apples and peaches as well as grapes and small fruits are perfect in development. " We have chiefly used the Eobinson trench plow, manufactured in Ottawa by the Eobinson plow com- pany, in preparing prairie sod for fruit planting. We plowed in late fall and early winter, and by spring the soil was in best condition. The forward share of this plow cuts the sod about 3 inches deep, which is laid at the bottom of the furrow and the next share cuts the subsoil about 4 inches below, and this is thrown over the sod, burying it so deeply that it is smothered. Four heavy horses will break about 1 J acres per day with this plow. "The best season for breaking raw prairie is in May, when a crop of corn can be raised at once ; but one great advantage of this plow is that it can be done with good results in the fall, when ordinary breaking would be worse than useless." Mr. Wm. L. G. Soule, a nurseryman near Lawrence, writes me as follows : " The largest and most thrifty orchard I have seen in Kansas is near Vinland, on a light sandy ridge, the land having received no manure, and cultivated with some kind of crops between the trees every year since they were planted. 142 t " The following varieties of apples have done well in Douglas county, and I think in all other parts of the State : " Early Harvest, Red June, Eed Astrachan, and Early Strawberry for summer; Maiden Blush, Fa- meuse, (or Snow,) Fall Wine, Rambo, Duchess of Oldenburg and Lowell for autumn; and for winter the Wine Sap, Janet, Large Striped Pearmain, Home Beauty, Missouri Pippin, Kansas Keeper, Baldwin, Ehode Island Greening, Jonathan, Milan, Mother, Willow Twig, Golden Russett, Fallawater, Swaar, White Winter Pearmain, Tallman Sweet, and Sweet Romanite. " As an ornamental tree the improved varieties of crab apple have no equal among fruit trees, while the beauty and large size of the fruit, added to its superiority for domestic use, and its early fruiting, render it one of the most desirable trees the farmer or fruit grower can plant. 1 have seen a specimen of the Soulard grown in Kansas nearly three inches in its largest diameters. The Hyslop and Trans- cendent are both beautiful, fine flavored fruit, while the Pyramid cannot be excelled as an ornamental tree. The Queen's Choice, Blushing Maid, Sweet Crab, and several others have very attractive quali- ties. " The peach has been planted very extensively, and some fine crops have been raised, though mostly on seedling trees. It requires elevated land with a northern exposure for the protection of its buds in the spring, otherwise the fruit buds expand before the frosts are over and the crop is destroyed. In some parts of the State the pear has been success- fully cultivated for a number of years, but in some sections the blight has done considerable damage to the trees, but so far there has been but little injury done trees south of the Kansas River. FRUIT GROWING. 143 " In 1869, having but just commenced raising small fruits, I marketed about 1900 quarts of strawberries, about 900 quarts of blackberries, and between 300 and 400 of raspberries from an acre, while in 1870, an unusually dry and unprofitable season, I picked about 500 quarts of strawberries, 200 of blackberries, and not more than fifty of raspberries. In 1869 the price of strawberries was 23 cents ; cost of picking, $57 ; cultivating, $5.00 ; boxes, $19.00 ; man and team to market 12 days, $37.50; profits, $318.50; sold enough plants from small fruit to pay for culti- vating. But grapes gave more than two-thirds as KANSAS FRUIT MEDAL. . large a yield in 1870 as in 1869. 'The apple and peach crops were cut short in 1870, by severe frosts after the trees were in bloom, making the yield scarcely one-tenth of what it was the previous year. But this need be no discouragement, for in no State do they succeed in getting full crops every year. And judging from present prospects, 1871 will be 144 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS, even more fruitful than 1869. So taking all things into consideration the prospect for fruit growing becomes more flattering every year, and as railroads open up new markets both south and west, the diffi- culty will be in furnishing fruit enough to meet the increased demand," Profits of a Vineyard, Mr. W. E. Barnes settled in 1856 upon unimproved prairie 10 miles south of Lawrence, at Yineland sta- tion. He was a young man, not worth enough to pay for his land and unacquainted with the nursery business. In 1857 he set a few grape vines brought in a carpet bag from Massachusetts by W. L. Or. Soule. He now has a large amount of bearing fruit of all kinds, from which he reaps such profits that he refused $20,000 for his farm and nursery of 160 acres in 1869. His buildings are not costly and the offer "vas made because of the actual value in his fruit orchards and vineyards. Probably twice that amount would not buy his place. The following estimates from Mr. Barnes are therefore not theoretical but are based upon actual experience. "In accordance with your request I send the follow- ing estimates for 10 acres of vineyard for five years, the land to be located convenient to a railroad sta- tion: FIRST YEAR. Ten acres unimproved prairie at $20 $200 00 Breaking sod in May at 3 50 36 00 Planting corn at 1 00.. 10 00 Fencing with wire at 75c per rod 120 00 Total $365 00 Pednct Talue of corn crop $60 00 to $100 say 50 00 $315 00 Add interest at 10 per cent 31 50 $346 50 FRUIT GROWING. 145 SECOND TEAK. DR. Amount hi ought forward $346 50 Subsoiling (trench plowing) 12 inches at $6 00 per acre 60 00 Harrowing once 1 00 pe- acre 10 00 9000 vines at 3 cents 270 00 Plantin-r,5 00 per acre 50 00 Cultivating 50 00 Fall pruning, cutting vines back to two eyes 10 00 450 00 796 50 Interest 79 65 Total $876 15 THIRD TEAK. Amount brought forward $876 15 35( 3 oak posts at 15 cents 525 00 2500 pounds No. 9 wire at 7% cents 1875 00 150 pounds staples 16 00 Putting up trellis 100 00 Cultivating and tying vises 80 00 Fall pruning 50 00 $2,646 00 $3,52215' Interest 352 21 Total $3,87436 FOURTH TEAR. Amount brought forward 3,874 36 Cultivation 70 00 Training vines a^d gathering fruit 300 00 370 00 $4,244 36 Deduct 3,600 pounds grapes at 7 cents 2,520 00 1,724 36 Add interest 172 43 Total 1,896 79 FIFTH TEAR. Amount brought forward $1,896 79 Cultivation $100 00 Training and ga'herirg fruit 600 00, 70000 $2,596 79 Add interest , 259 67 $2,856 46 Value of 72,000 pounds grapes at 7c $5,040 00 Deduct total cost to date 2,856 46 Net profit in five years $2,183 54 7 146 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. " To this must be added the value of ten acres of vineyard in first rate order, and requiring but a trifling outlay for trellis during the ensuing five years. " The above calculation is made with reference to the Concord and would not apply to the Delaware, lona and some others, but with the former variety, where the requirements indicated above are complied with, it may be relied upon, except so far as price is concerned. Yery few grapes have been sold for less than nine cents per pound heretofore instead of seven cents, as above estimated but it is evident that the price must soon be much lower. While the product of many Kansas vineyards has fallen below the above estimates, it will be found that there has not been expended upon the same vineyards more than one-third to one-half the amount above indi- cated, in the way of cultivation, erection of trellis, etc. " By using the trench plow, or following a breaker with a stirring plow, to throw the soil on top of the inverted sod, in the winter of the first year, as much might be accomplished in one year as is indicated above in the first two years. Eespectfully yours, W. E. BAKNES." FARMING. The table of farm products given on page nine- teen, is the most reliable and thorough exposition of the results of Kansas farming that can be made. She stands, by that table, ahead of nearly every other State, excepting for one year, and then she fell but little behind, excepting as to corn. (For the benefit of any English reader into whose hands this book may fall, I will state that the word " corn " is used in this book, as it is universally used in this country, to represent " maize.") In Eastern Kansas, spring wheat is little sown, as it does not do well, while winter wheat yields bounti- FARMING. 147 fully. West of Emporia, Council Grove and Marysville, spring wheat is a profitable croj). Some in Western Kansas are unsuccessful with winter wheat, because they put it in too shallow, only covering it with a harrow, and the light soil is blown away from the stem and roots during winter, and it " winter kills." Wheat, and indeed all seeds, should be put in quite deep in that soil, and a frequent use of the roller would be highly beneficial. I think the rule applies generally in Kansas that seeds should be planted deeper than in Illinois. It has for many years been the universal practice in Western Missouri, to plow oats under in March, about three or four inches deep, and those Kansas farmers who follow that practice always raise good crops of oats. In 1857 having occassion to write a series of newspaper articles on Kansas Farming for the Law- rence Republican, edited by T. Dwight Thacher, I kept three standing rules or mottos, as follows : Plow deep. Plant early. Use the roller. Of course the matters of fine tilth, subduing the weeds, stir- ring the ground, etc., are not to be neglected, but I then believed and now am fully persuaded that the three cardinal principles above laid down are especi- ally applicable to Kansas. All farmers who have practiced those principles have raised good crops continually. Colonel A. S. Johnson, of Shawneetown, Johnson county, Kansas, a native of the State, and whose father sowed the good blue grass seed already men- tioned, broke, in 1862, 105 acres with a double Michi- gan plow, upper plow cutting two to three inches deep, lower plow cutting five inches; commenced with the first grass in the spring, and -plowed until too dry ; put it all in wheat, sown broad cast, from 1st to 10th of September, and harrowed in thoroughly, two bushels per acre; harvested in June, the next year, by measurement, 35 bushels per acre, and FARMING. 149 measured the ground. It made a trifle over 60 pounds per bushel. Next year he broke 107 acres, 22 acres in corn, harrowed and cultivated as old ground, made an average of 45 bushels of corn per acre ; in September, 1st to 10th, sowed in wheat, corn land and all, and harvested 35 bushels per acre. He could not tell the difference between corn land and the other. Col. Johnson has a large farm, much of which has been in constant cultivatiion for 30 years and still produces good crops. It is his practice once in three years to double his teams and plow about a foot deep with a trench plow, or to use a subsoil plow. For this purpose another Kansas Johnson has invented a subsoiler, which can be attached to any plow in a few minutes. It is called Johnson's Patent Kansas Subsoiler. Mr. C. A. Wright, of Lawrence has the control of the patent for the United States. The implement is made of iron, curved like a hook. A steel shovel, like a cultivator tooth, and with sharp edges to cut roots, occupies about six inches of the end or point of % the subsoiler. The implement curves behind and below the plow, and stirs the soil with- out throwing it out, to the depth of four to ten inches below the bottom of the furrow. It hangs centrally in the line of draft, and adds but the draft of one horse to the team. Its cost is but six dollars and it is unquestionably destined to work a revolu- tion in methods of cultivation. Whenever used it has added largely to the yield of all crops. Breaking Prairie costs about four dollars per acre to hire it done. By this process the grass sod of the prairie is turned over to the depth of two and a half to four inches, with a plow which is kept sharp to cut the tough roots of grass and flowering plants. A pair of heavy horses will break an acre a day for an average of two months with a light plow kept sharp. Three horses or mules, worked abreast, makes 150 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. an excellent breaking team. But the cheapest break- ing team is about four yoke of young oxen, attached to a large plow which is so arranged with wheels as to steady itself. One good man can inanage this- outfit after the first week, and the cattle, if properly handled, will gain in flesh by feeding upon prairie grass. The share or cutting part of a breaking plow is heated and hammered out thin by a blacksmith once or twice a week, and it is kept sharp in the field by the frequent use of a large flat file. Ordinary breaking as above described, may be commenced as goon as the grass is high enough to furnish good feed, and may be continued into or through the month of June. If done at any other season of the year the sod does not rot well. If a lower furrow is turned on top of the inverted sod, as already de- scribed, prairie may be broken any time of the year, and the ground planted and treated like old plowed ground. This saves one years time, except for winter wheat, and land thus broken produces better crops. Corn may be planted early in the season upon freshly broken sod by cutting through the sod with an axe Or spade, dropping into the opening the seed corn, and then stepping upon it: Winter wheat is sown in September of the same year the ground is broken. Winter wheat should be sown before, rather than after the middle of September, usually the first week. HEDGES AND FOREST TREES. By the law of this State any person planting one acre or more of any forest tree, excepting black locust, or one half mile or more of forest trees set in row on a public highway not more than a rod apart, shall receive two dollars per acre, or two dollars per half mile, each year for a term of twenty-five years ; provided, that the trees shall be cultivated and grow- ing three years before the bounty begins. \General Statutes p. 1094.] HEDGES AND FOREST TREES. 151 The following essay was prepared for this book by Mr. S. T. Kelsey, of Pomona, Franklin county, it being the substance of an essay read by him before the Kansas State Horticultural Society at its Annual Meeting, December 15, 1868. Its clear and concise directions are founded upon the experience of twenty years in the business, six years of which period have been spent in Kansas : Set a row of stakes six to eight feet to one side of the line intended for the hedge, to guide the plowman. As each stake is passed, set it over the samo distance to the other side of the hedge line, which will guide you in striking the back furrow. Finish out the land by leaving a dead farrow on the hedge line. It is generally cheaper and better for the farmer to buy his plants of the grower who makes that a specialty, than to attempt to grow them himself. Plant any time during the month of April or first of May, after the soil is rotted and when the ground is in good order. Don't plant when it is too wet, Prepare the ground by plowing deep, throwing the furrows to the center, after which harrow down smooth. Now stretch a cord the size of a clothes line,, track it by walking along on the cord, throw it to one side and it leaves a mark to plant by. Plant with steel spadp, with blade thirteen inches long and three wide. Use none but good, strong plants. Cut them so that the roots shall be eight inches long and the tops six* Press the spade in on the mark of the line the full length of the blade, push it a little forward, and a boy with a handful of plants slips one down in the opening, two inches deeper than it stood in the nursery. Pull up the spade, and thrusting it into the soil two inches from the opening, press the earth firmly about the root, and the work is done. A good man and boy will in this way plant a half mile of hedge per day. Set the plants one foot apart in the row. Cultivate well the full width of the plowing. In the fall throw a furrow to the hedge on each side, and level down in the spring. As soon as the plants are started the second spring, replace all the dead ones with extra strong plants. I would do no cutting till the third, fourth or fifth year, then plash by cutting each plant half off at the ground, and bending it down into the row, so that it shall rest on the one last cut. The young shoots will then grow up from the roots and along the stem, making, with the old plants, an impassable barrier to all farm stock. After the hedge is plashed, it shou 7 d be cut back annually to about four and a half feet high, in a pyramidal form, so that a cross section would appear like a capital " A," with base equal to hight. If a wind break i required, the plants may be set six to eight inches apart, cultivated well, and allowed to grow up as they will. It makes a good fence to turn all large stock, but to my eye is an unsightly object. The Osage Orange seems to be at home in our soil and climate. It grows rapidly, and endures our dryest summers and our coldest winters. The gophers are easily destroyed by trapping or poisoniag, and I 152 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. know of no other enemy or disease that injures it seriously. With a little forethought and effort, I am confident that in less than fifteen years, with the Osage Orange hedges, we can and will have the best fenced State in the Union, at one-third the cost of fencing with wood, in countries where timber is most abundant. Having the fence question disposed of, the lines located and the hedge rows broken, the next move I would make on a prairie farm, would be to prepare for plan ting a forest and orchard, and the first ground broken on the place after the hedge rows, should be for that purpose. On a quarter section I would plant at least twenty acres of forest, and I think forty acrea would be still better. It may be planted in a body, or in belts to form wind breaks. It should be so as to protect the orchard, farm buildings, stock, crops, etc., from storms, so far as can well be. Having decid< d where the forest is to be grown, break the ground early in the season, so it may become well rotted. The kind of trees to be planted now requires our attention, and should be decided upon in time to collect a supply of seeds, cuttings and plants, which should be ready on the ground when planting time comes. I am experimenting with most of the different kinds of trees that have been recommended for forest culture, and thus far I 'find but three that I can recommend for extensive planting. A tree to be desirable and valuable for extensive forest planting, must be easily and cheaply obtained, and easily grown from seeds or cuttings. It must be a tolerably fast grower, and should produce timber of more than ordinary value for fuel, building or manufacturing purposes. It should be a tree that attains a good old age, and increases in value as it grows in years. It is important also, that it should form one straight stem without any pruning, I have found no tree that cornea up to my ideal, and am obliged to accept the nearest approach to it. All things considered, the Black Walnut is probably the most valuable tree that we can plant. Gather the nuts, which are abundant in K; nsas, soon after they drop in the fall, spread them and cover with two or three inches of moist earth, or, still better, with saw dust, to keep them moist through the winter, and plant two inches deep, ear'y in tbe spring. Nearly every one will grow, and in fair soil, with good cultivation, will make an average growth of about two feet per year, producing firewood in five and six years. In ten years they will make good fence posts, or railroad ties and will begin to bear nuts. In fifteen years they will make a stately forest, producing annually large crops of nuts, as well as furnishing timber. Such a forest, judiciously managed, will increase in value for a century, returning annually, without expense to the owner, better profits than any farm crops with which I am acquainted. The Oottonwood I give the second place on the list. It is readily grown from cut- tings made from shoots of the last year's growth, which may be cut any time from the fall of the leaf till needed for planting. I usually cut during winter and pack them away in moist saw dust, or bury them in the earth till planting time. Make them about one foot long, and plant with a narrow spade, as recom- mended for planting Osage Orange hedge, leaving one or two inches of the iop .of the cutting above ground. Be sure that the earth is firmly pressed about HEDGES AND FOREST TREES. 153 each cutting. Where small plants, one year old, can be obtained, they may be planted instead of cuttings. The Cottonwood grows very rapidly when young, making five to six feet in hight annually for several years. In four years it makes a very good wind break and shelter for fctock, and if fuel is scarce it will supply the fires with wood. It usually grows with a clean, straight stem. I am of opiaion that by alternating the Cettcnwood with the Black Walnut, and judiciously thinning out as they grow, the Walnut maj make a taller straighter growth than if grown by itself, and be of more value. The third and last tree that I would place on this list and I put this on with some hesitation is the Silver Maple, commonly known as Soft Maple. It Is grown from seed, gathered as it ripens from the first to the fifteenth of May, sowed immediately in drills, and covered with one inch of good, mellow soil. The plants come above ground in six to ten days, and by fall they will be one to two and a half feet high. Next spring they should be planted in forest. Plant two inches deeper than they stood before, and press the earth firmly about the roots. Nearly every one will live and make an annual growth, on average soil, with good cultivation, of about three feet. At ten years from planting, they will make twenty-five to thirty feet in hight, and ten to twelve inches in diameter. It is a very beautiful tree while young, and the wood is more valuable for fuel than Cottonwood, or any other available fast growing tree with which I am acquainted. It is also valuable for the manufacture of some kinds of furniture, and the sap makes sugar which is almost, if not quite, equal in quality to that made from the sugar maple. It has the fault of often forking, so as to make two or more stems, and except in favorable situa- tions, I think it is not likely to make large, straight trees. It also has the fault of being too easily split down by wind and sleet. The forest should be planted as early in spring as the ground can be put in good order. Lay off and stake the rows twelve feet apart. The whole ground may now be plowed, or a strip four feet wide may be plowed for each row, leaving the rest to be plowed afterwards. Plow deep in the line of each row and harrow it down. Now stretch a line, track it, and plant to the mark, putting the plants about eighteen inches apart in the row. Plant the Walnuta with a hoe, like potatoes, the cuttings with a narrow spade, as before directed, and the young plants with a common spade, by throwing out a spit of earth where the plant is to stand ; then one person, with plants in hand, puts one in place, another vuth spade fills in the earth, and the first presses it about the roots with his feet. I have often platted alone pulling some earsh to the plant with my foot, and when through the row go back and level with the spade. Now plant two rows of corn or other hoed crop, in each space between the rows of trees, and keep the ground mellow and free from weeds by cultivat'on. Plant thus between the rows each year, and cultivate well until the trees shade the ground too much for profitable cultivation and seed with red clover If a hedge was plantel around the forest as it should have been when the forest was planted, it w 11 now be a fence, and hogs or young cattle may be turned in to pasture on the clover. As soon as the trees are large erough to be out of 154 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. the way of large cattle, they also may be turned in sparingly ; but it is not advisable to attempt too much pasturicg in the forest, as it will injure and finally ruin, even a well grown natural forest. Besides, the growth of the timber, and the value of the wood that may be taken annually therefrom, will be ample to satisfy any reasonable man. There are many other forest trees that are valuable for various purposes, and to those who want a greater variety than I have recommended, who have means that they are willing to lay out in extra expense, or who want to grow the trees for a special object, I would suggest the following: Honey Locust, White Ash, Box Elder,- Kentucky Coffee, White, Red, and Water Elm, Butternut, Chestnut, Hickory, Cypress, European and American Larch, Linden, Silver Leaf Poplar, Mulberry, Catalpa, Ailanthus, White and Yellow Willow, and Hackberry 4 and lastly the Evergreens the beauty snd glory of the landscape, unfading, unchanging "types of the immortal," relieving more than anything else, the monotony of winter, and with their dense foliage checking and modify- ing the searching prairie winds. These should receive the attention of every prairie farmer, and should be planted liberally about every prairie home as soon as possible after the more pressing wants are supplied. Evergreens grow slowly for the first few years. Most varieties require two or three years to become thoroughly acclimated and are too expensive for general forest planting; but from the experience that I have had with them, and the evidence of success that I have seen with others, I am satisfied that when once established and growing on our praire soil, they suceeed as well in Kansas as farther north and eact, and that good, small sized, well rooted trees may be transplanted with very little danger of failure. Too many have bought Evergreens from parties east, who advertise that they have immense quantifies which they will sell for one- half (or less) the usual price charged by nurserymen. They are little, spind- ling things, with scarcely any roots at all, and unused to the sun, even in their northern homes. It will be found much cheaper and more satisfactory in nearly every case to go to the nearest reliable nursery for Evergreens, paying a reasonable price therefor, or if such trees cannot be obtamed at the home nursery, send to some other reliable nurseryman and order them, remembering always that it is much safer, cheaper and better to get small trees, not over two feet high, and if possible, get such as have been often transplanted. The best time to transplant Evergreens is in the spring, usually from the first to the middle of April, tt ough I should plant earlier if ground was in good order. In handling the roots should not be exposed to the sun or air one minute longer than is absolutely necessary. The surface moisture even, should not be dried off. For general cultivation for ornament and wind breaks, I would recommend the Norway Spruce, White Austrian and Scotch Pines, Balsam Fir, Red Cedar, and Atrerican Arbor Vitse. For amateur cultivators I would add the American White and Black Spruce, English, Irish and Swedish Juniper, Golden and Siberian Arbor Vitse, Lowsen's Cypress, American Holly and Hemlock. I would also suggest that experiments should be made with native Evergreens from south and west, and w may find something more valuable for ouv Kansas HEDGES AND FOREST TREES. 155 prairies than anything we now have in cultivation. A few dollars judiciously expended, and a little care in planting and tending, will in a few years give the surroundings of any prairie farm house or any Kansas home a goodly supply of well grown specimens of these most beautiful of nature's gifts. S. T. KELSET. Concerning this practical and highly valuable essay, it is proper to say that most of tree cultiva- tors in other States, think it much better to plant the trees closer together, say in rows three or four feet apart, giving as a reason the fact that by close planting, forest trees make taller and smoother trunks, as the branches tend upward for light and air, instead of expanding laterally. Mr. Kelsey does not lose sight of this fact, but his theory is that a half a loaf is better than no bread at all. Most settlers in a new country are not able to devote land solely to the growth of forest trees, and experience in all the Western States demonstrates that of those who are able, very few can be persuaded to do it. Mr. Kelsey concedes that a better and more valuable forest can be grown by thick planting, and for those who can afford it, he advises it. But it is a question of dollars and cents and his method has the striking advantage that it is cheap. One of the best evergreens for Kansas is the Red Cedar, which is a native of all the region west of the Missouri Eiver, from Texas to the British Posses- sions. It is quite easily transplanted, and is, when young, a rapid grower. It is natural to dry, rocky and barren spots, and it is therefore not difficult to make it grow upon the open prairie. Box Elder is another native of "Western Kansas, which may be grown from the seeds that can be col- lected in the fall. It grows rapidly and in beautiful form until about ten or fifteen years old, after which it is inclined to be scraggy. Mr. E. S. Elliott, Indus- trial Agent of the K. P. Railway, says it can be 156 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. grown from cuttings, and it is well known that its sap makes a fair quality of sugar. Osage Orange is almost a native of Kansas, as it grows wild in the Indian Territory not far from our southern border. It matures its seeds here, which PLAN OF HIGHLAND CEMETERY, JUNCTION CITY. are held in a ball much like a small orange, whence its name. In its wild state it attains the height of forty to sixty feet. This is a very valuable tree for feneral cultivation. It grows rapidly, its wood is ard and durable, and it makes an excellent wind break. In this regard it stands next to evergreens HEDGES AND FOREST. TREES. 157 from its multitude of small li^ibs. A belt a rod or -two in width, almost entirely breaks the force of the wind. Mr. Keleey has said enough about hedge rows, but I urge the planting of this tree for wind breaks. Plants a year old can be had for $1.50 to $2.25 per thousand, according to quality and quantity. Or it may be plantd for forests where it is to grow. A pound of the seed will make from 3000 to 4000 plants or trees. This tree would soon furnish excel- lent railroad ties. Concerning wind breaks, a good shelter is afforded on the prairies even by a clump t>f hazle bushes, with a few scrub oaks intermixed, and not a tree over ten feet high. The low but impene- trable thicket afforded by Osage Orange, is a perfect wind break for a stock yard or for tender fruits, etc. Efforts have been made, and I regret to add, by my friend Mr. Elliott, before mentioned, to induce the planting of Black Locust in Kansas, in the vain hope that the borers will not kill it. (This tree must not be confounded with the Honey or Thorny Locust, a short, stout tree, with long thorns, and with a sweet substance in its seed pods, whence its name. The Honey Locust is a native of Kansas, and is per- fectly hardy but a slow grower.) This tree is so easily grown from cheap seed and looks so handsome and promising for a few years, that there is a great temptation to plant it. But it has been tried over and over again in Kansas and it universally fails, first or last, just as it fails in all prairie countries, after it is about a dozen years old, by its limbs being cut at the trunk by a borer ; no bounty is paid for it it under our State law. Prof. Chas. V. Riley, State Entomologist of Missouri, being quoted as saying that it was not injured by borers when planted in groves, I wrote him, saying that I believed the tree should be utterly discarded, and received the follow- ing letter: " Never give a man's opinion from the curtailed 158 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. reports of what he savs. I am often reported as saying the most outra^ous things. "If I were to give my opinion in three words, I should state that with regard to the Black Locust, you are correct. There are, however, qualifying condi- tions and circumstances. The borer is not so bad on high limestone lands may be in a measure prevented by the proper use of soap and the killing of the beetles during September. The central trees in large groves are less subject to attack than those on the outside, and where fuel or posts are needed the young trees will generally take the place of the old ones as fast as they are killed or cut down. I have my reasons for believing that the tree should not under certain conditions be discarded from your Kansas list; but why urge the Black Locust, when there are other and better trees ? Whatever reporters make me say, I have never done so." Hastily, yours truly, C. Y. EILEY. The Chestnut is a valuable and beautiful tree and a grove will well pay for the trouble of cultivation simply by fattening swine on the nuts, to say nothing of the timber. This tree, wherever I have noticed it in a natural forest, grows upon a light or sandy soil, or at least upon well drained land. It is yet uncertain how it will do on the deep, rich soil of the prairies, or on the drier western plains. It is believed by many of those whose experi- ence gives weight to their opinions, that the Euro- pean Larch is the best tree for general planting. As it is propagated only from seeds, and requires very skillful treatment when young, it is an expen- sive tree to plants in quantities. Robert Douglas, of Illinois, who has done very much to bring this tree before the public, says : " It is undoubtedly the most valuable timber tree for extensive planting; HEDGES AND FOREST TREES. 159 combining the durability of tbe Ked Cedar with, rapidity of growth, extreme hardiness, freedom from disease and adaptability to almost every soil." He writes me however that it ought to be planted on dry soil, and so say all the cultivators. A. J. Down- ing says: " It is remarkably heavy, strong, and dura- ble, excelling in those qualities the best English oaks." Posts of Larch and Oak were placed in the river Thames, where by the rise and fall of the tide they were alternatly wet and dry. " The oak posts decayed and were twice removed while the Larch remained altogether unchanged." Loudon says vine props of Larch are used in Switzerland and are trans- mitted from generation to generation an unknown term of years, without showing any signs of decay. Douglas says : " In Great Britain the Larch has be- come so popular for railroad ties that the forests of Scotland are taxed to their utmost to supply the demand." He has trees fifteen years planted which are 45 inches in circumference, nine years from seed 27 inches, and five years from seed 9 inches in circum- ference at the collar. Yarious plantations of this tree twelve year old show it 30 feet and upwards in hight and 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Kobert Douglas & Son of Waukegan, Illinois, offer these trees two years old, 6 to 18 inches high at $2 per hundred, $10 per thousand, $90 per 10,000, and $800 .per 100,000. He offers the seed at 25 cents per ounce or $2 50 per pound. There grows in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the ad- joining portions of Illinois and Iowa, a tree called Poplar, which resembles Aspen, or Quaking Asp. Groves of it sprout up in the same manner as Cotton- wood, standing thick on the ground and rising 20 or or 30 feet with no considerable limbs and almost uniform in size, from the ground up. I have seen this tree cut when three to five years old, and peeled 160 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. or riven through the heart firm end to end, and nailed to posts for fence. I saw such poles in Glen- coe, Minnesota, used for fencing the village lots, which were twelve years old and perfectly sound. The tree is grown from cuttings like Cottonwood and is equally rapid in growth, while it is better for fuel and very valuable for timber as the above indicates. Strange to say, there are few localities even where it grows naturally, where the people know that it is durable when the bark is off. When rivert and fast- ened to posts the bark soon drops off. I wrote to several gentlement of practical experience in tree business, but could get no satisfactory information until the following letter came to hand from Mr. George Pinney, of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. " I think there is no doubt but that the tree you describe is what we call White Poplar. The name White Poplar is one of our conventionalities. The botanical name is Pqpulus Grandidentata. We have named it White Poplar because of the white down with which the young leaves are covered in spring, giving it the appearance ef being laden with white blossoms. It sometimes grows quite large. I have seen them here two feet in diameter, 60 to 70 feet high. It differs widely from Aspen. The leaves are fully twice as large and much more scanty, it makes a growth of two or three times that of the Aspen, and its branches and buds are coarser. I have known of well rooted trees in favorable localities, making a growth of six to ten feet in bight, increasing the diameter of the stem from one to two inches in a single season. When growing thick in good, strong soil, it mounts upward with beautiful straight trunks, with amazing rapidity, and uniform in size 12 to 25 feet. As the trees grow old and large the bark becomes fluted and serriated, similar to the White Wood or Poplar of the east, really the Liriodendron Tulipifera, The bark is very thick and stiff, and the laticiferous tissue very abundant, which makes the bark separate with great facility in the spring during the development of the latex. The boys use it in preference to anything else for making whistles. The timber when dried thoroughly with the bark off, is very peculiar in many particulars. It is very light, very stiff and springy, extremely difficult to chop with an axe, more so than seasoned maple or oak, but very easy to saw or shave, and seems to be almost impermeable to water, hence very durable against decay or wear, when not permitted to come in contact with the ground, but when cut and left with the bark on it will become cfozy in fifty or sixty days, during the grow- ing season, and worthless in three months. It is very easy to transplant." I have not Mr. Pinney's prices, but this tree must HEDGES AND FOREST TREES. 161 be sold cheap as it is so easily propagated. It is not certain that it will thrive in this climate, but it is reasonable to believe that it will, and I recommend it, not to take the place of more valuable but costly trees, but to supplant the Cottonwood, of which we can only say that it costs next to nothing, and is very much better than no tree. Mr. D. C. Scofield, a noted tree grower of Illinois, says: "The White Pine is next in~value as a timber tree to the Larch, nearly equaling it in growth, and will thrive well in nearly all soils; especially as a forest tree on dry, open prairies. " The result of my experiments will be seen in the comparative growth of the different varieties of wood, as exhibited in the table below, from average measurement. The age of the trees is twelve years, from seedling plants one and two years old, and six to twelve inches in heighth. Size of trees in Illinois, fourteen years old. Diameter. HJght. European Larch 8 to 12 inches 30 feet White Ash ; 3 to 5 " 16 " Silver (or Soft) Maple 4 to 6 " 25 " Sugar (or Hard) Maple 2 to 4 " 12 " Black Walnut 2 to 4 " 14 " Chestnut (common) 3 te 4 " 16 ' American Larch (Tamarack) 4 to 6 " 25 " American Elm 3 to 4 " .16 " Scotch Elm 3 to 4 " 16 " Birch (European) 4 to 6 " 14 " White Pine 6 to 10 " 35 Norway Spruce 5 to 8 " 20 " Scotch Pine 4 to 8 " , 20 " Black Austrian Pine 5 to 7 " 16 " European Silver Fir 2 to 4 " 7 Americaa Fir 4 to 6 " 10 " The growth of Black Walnut as above indicated was very slow. Undoubtedly this may be accounted for by the fact which Mr. Scofield notes above, that they were grown from seedling plants. The Black Walnut should always be planted where it is to be 7* 162 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. grown. If transplanted its long tap root is necessa- rily cut in the process, and this stops its growth for a long time. In Kansas, when grown where the nuts are planted, its growth is at least double that indicated in the above table. In 1866 I contracted with Mr. S. T. Kelsey for the planting of a forest on the grounds of Ottawa University, Franklin county. In 1867 fifteen acres were planted to Black Walnut, and five acres to a variety of deciduous and evergreen trees. In Decem- ber, 1870, 1 measured the trees, and they averaged as follows : Size of trees in Kansas, with the age from seed. Diameter. Hight. Black Walnut, 3 years old 1 to 2 inches 5 to 8 feet. Soft Mple, 3 years old I%to3 " 8 to 12 " Cottonwood, 3 years old 2 10 3% " .12 to 16 " European Larch, 5 years old 1 to 3 " 6 to 10 " Ked Cedar, 5 years old 1 to 3 " 4 to 7 " American Arbor Vitse, 5 years old , 3 " Peach Buds, 1 year old 1 to lj^ " 4 to 7 " Apricots and Nectarines 5 to 8 " Apples and other fruit proportional size. The European Larch plants were not healthy, having been saved from a large lot that perished. These, as well as the Cedar and Arbor Yitoe, were planted on ground a little too wet for their natural requirements. The Ked Cedar grows slowly after a few years, and never becomes a stately tree. Nearly all other forest trees grow more rapidly after the first three or five years, until they attain full size. AN ENGLISHMAN'S IMPRESSIONS. It affords me pleasure to present a letter from the Bev. James Chew of Ottawa, recently pastor of the Congregational Church, Mile End Eoad, London, .England, as it bears with peculiar force upon many of the topics treated in this book. The subjoined correspondence explains itself. AN ENGLISHMAN'S IMPRESSIONS. 163 Rev. J. Chew, DEAR SIR: You bare resided in this State a few mont hs and have seen a good deal of the country and of the people who inhabit it. Permit me to ask you this question. From the stand point of an Englishman in America, what do you think of Kansas as a place for a home? I also beg leave to use your letter in the little book I am preparing about Kansas. Wishing you abundant success in the labors which are so highly estemed by all who enjoy ycur ministrations, I remain, very respectfully yours, C. C. HUTCHINSON. OTTAWA, FRANKLIN Co., KANSAS, December 29, 1870. Mr. C. C. HutcMnson, DEAR SIR : It affords me pleasure to give you the impressions of an English- man on Kansas in compliance with your request. There may be those from the old csuntry who, having been longer in the State, would be more compe- tent judges than I; but during the seven months of my residence in it I have travelled hundreds of miles north, south and west, with my eyes open, and can speak what I do know and testify what I have seen. My friends in England are probably of opinion that my chief impression is ore of general disappoint- ment, seeing thfit I have been diverted from the cherished object for which I crossed the Atlantic and came so far west. Instead of supportirg my family by farming and preaching gratis,! am again engaged in the Ministry solely, but this change in my plans has been caused, not by the condition of things I have found here, but by thep ersuasions of Ministers and the entreaties of others. I confess to having been omewhat disappointed in some things. Land i, higher in price near towns. Hired telp is not so good, and more difficult to- get ; clothes, fuel and furniture are more expensive than had been represented. These are evils however which (except in the matter of land) will gradually cure themselves, or be remedied by the growth of towns, the cultivation of land, the influx of immigrants, the multiplication of railways, the development of commerce, etc. The climate is slightly different from what I expected. The heat was a degree or two intenser in the summer than I was prepared for, although singularly tempered by the cooling breeze that came dailyjand nightly from, the south : a peculiarity to Kansas, which the intense heat was not, for while exceptional here as every one assured me, it prevailed according to the telegrams in all the States and in Europe as well. The recent " snap " of cold weather, said to be the severest for years, pressed the mercury considerably lower than I ever experienced it before, though the clearness and dryness of the^atmosphere prevented me being more inconvenienced by it than on many an ;' ordinary chilly day in my native country. la truth I felt it less. The occasional sudden changes of temperature are decidedly objectionable, The 164 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. fruit also (to mention all my disapointments together) was not so abundant in its season as I had hoped books having described Kansaa.a9 a great fruit pro- ducing State, meaning, as now appears, not that it actually bears an enormous yield of fruit, but is capable of doing so eventually. Give it time and the extraordinary soil will produce any quality and quantity of the best fruits, but I had stupidly overlooked the fact that there had hardly been time for numerous fruit groves to be planted, still less for them to attain to a mellow and prolific maturity. These are all the things I think, which are not quite as good as I anticipated With these exceptions I have been agreeably and exceedingly surprised. The climate, taken the year round, is healthful and most enjoyable sometimes so delightful that, as a Swede remarked to me the other day, " it could not be better if we had the making of it ourselves." The clear skies, the pure, exhile- rating air, the glorious sunsets, the lovely Indian summer, and even the bright, bracing early part of winter, which is not wintry, can be described only in language which strangers would deem exaggerated. The country is not so flat nor the scenery so monotonous, nor the water so scarce, nor the trees so small and few, as I feared, The Marais des Cygnes, which curves one of its windings near my house, is a truly beautiful river, fringed on each bank by a forest which would do credit to countries celebrated for their timber. Wild flowers in all but endless variety, I have gathered in the forest as well as on the prairie ; notwithstanding that I arrived too late to behold Flofa in all the glory with which she decks herself in the spring, when likewise the climate I am informed wears one of its fairest aspects. The inhabitants are more intelligent and respectable than their distance from the centres of civilization would have led one to suppose. All have an independ- ent bearing, shown at times by some almost disagreeably, arising partly, perhaps, from all of them even the negroes being apparently in easy circum- stances. I have not met with a rude person, nor a beggar, nor a solitary case of beastly drunkenness. Only seven or eight poor creatures have crossed my path whose unsteady steering showed they were "half-seas over." It is amusing now to recall the concern and apppehension which many, not only on the other side of the ocean, but also in American cities out east betrayed, when they he ird that ray family and fellow-travellers were going to Kansas ! They regarded the outlandish region as a pandemonium of savage Indians and border ruffians. The ruffianism I ha~e not discovered, but good society I have, as educated and refined as in any place I know. The institutions, the roads, railways, laws, periodicals, schools, universities, and alike in size, number and style, the churches are for so young a State a marvel; while the people, so far as I have seen, are temperate, enterprising, Sabbath-observing, law-abiding, freedom- loving and religious. Folks at a distance think of Kansas in connection with her early troubles in the cause of freedom and mistake them. They picture her as " Bloody Kansas," rather than as " Bleeding Kanas," as if she had been a persecutor and not a martyr. Nay, she has a noble, albeit a painful history, of which all haters of slavery may be proud, giving thanks that she bleeds no AN ENGLISHMAN'S IMPRESSIONS. 165 longer, but like the fa'oled hero has gathered strength from her reverses, and now grows fast, fair and formidable. There is a good sprinkling of Englishmen throughout the State. Several colonies of them, notably at Wakefield, near Junction City. Where, indeed, will you not find Britishers ? And where can the average Briton not make himself at home? Yet would I not advise my countrymen indiscriminately to come here. There are those who would not do as well as at home. Persons, for example, who have been delicately reared, and have not means to build a house and make themselves a comfortable home at once, would be sorely tried here. Sanguine souls who would look for cent pieces lying like stones on the ground and dollar notes hanging like leaves on the trees, would curse the place. Any who have not the power of adaptation, with some patience and perseverence who have not learned to " labor and to wait," had better stay where they are. There is no " roughing it " in the sense in which that word is commonly understood in reference to new countries ; no scorching winds to bear as in Australia; no dense forests to clear as in Canada; no long winters to endure as in Minnesota ; yet are there inconveniences, not to say difficulties, at starting, and whoever cannot put up with them will be wise to seek a para- dise where mansions are already prepared for them. Speaking generally, capi- talists would do well, either by loaning money, for which they would easily obtain enormous interest on the best security, or by introducing manufac- tures, for which there is an urgent demand, or by raising grain and stock. The hard-handed sons of toil, used to work and ready to turn their hand to anything, inured to privation and not missing luxuries, cannot fail to gain much more than a bare subsistence. Wages are high and most provisions cheap. Farmers and farm labourers, in particular, should come. How often have I thought of the small farmers and their hinds, whom I formerly knew in Cornwall, Devonshire, Dorsetshire, in the north and other parts of England, who had been slaving for years (and their fathers before them for generations) on lands of which they did not own a single rod, and any of whom, by working not near so hard for, say, seven years, would have a competence, owning their houses, farms and cattle, and having their children educated in the bargain. Artisans, uniting as in co operative societies, would prosper, provided they did not purchase land without seeing it, or if they sent trustworthy pioneers in advance, who understood their business. Ministers of the Gospel are much needed. If there be any willing to labor with their own hands, that they be chargeable to none ; if any have some private resources and would be content with such remuneration as small churches can afford ; if any have ample means and would consider it a sufficient reward to aid in laying the foundations of society to assist in forming the commercial, political, educational and moral character of a people surely destined to be great and influential there are spheres and calls for them. Marked respect is paid to ministers, as I have experienced and gratefully tes'ify. I wouM add, sir, that intending emigrants in Europe require more informa- tion respecting Kansas, in which the sunny and shady sides of our young and PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, JUNCTION CITY. INHABITANTS. 167 flourishing State will be exhibited together. I am pleased to believe that your book will go far towards supplying this want. I remain, dear sir, yours truly, JAMES CHEW. INHABITANTS. It appears almost ludicrous thus to head a section concerning the people who occupy the central State of the United States of America. It seems to beto- ken the discovery of an unknown country, and with a feeling of curiosity akin to fear we draw near to study the costume and customs of its strange inhabi- tants. Yet a book about Kansas would be incomplete unless it contained something concerning the people who live in Kansas, especially as our friends " within the bounds of civilization " have decidedly erroneous opinions concerning us. Those who take the trouble to examine what is shown in these pages about the institutions of Kansas its Churches, Schools, News- papers, Railroads, Cities and Public Buildings must conclude that although distant from the homes of our fathers we have not lapsed into barbarism. In fact we all had fathers and mothers who lived in " the East," or some other place, and it is but a few years since we left those dear old homesteads to make homes for ourselves on these lovely prairies. The light has gone out from many of the places where we once lived and loved, but all the way from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, and even beyond its billows, there are fires burning on hearth stones at which we find a welcome and a chair. Those people at the East who suppose that Kansans are necessa- rily uncouth and ignorant, will do well to reflect for a moment as to the character of those who have left their own vicinity for distant "Western States. They know too well that the best blood and brain of the Eastern, Middle, and Southern States is seeking for 168 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. itself a new domain in the boundless West. Do all these people forget their cunning because they " come to Kansas?" Let their institutions and their works answer for them. No other State ever had among its early settlers so many well educated men and women as Kansas. There were seventy college graduates among the foui hundred voters at the first election held in Lawrence. It was formerly one of the staple objections against coming West, that there were so many foreigners here, but now there are nearly as many in the East as in the West in proportion to population, especially in New England, which is fast becoming old Ireland. There are comparatively few foreigners in Kansas, but we heartily wish there were more of the same sort. Here there is "room and verge enough for all," whether they pronounce our "Shibboleth" or not. Wm. H. Seward once said in a public speech : " The people of Kansas are the most intelligent, the most virtuous and the bravest people in the world." NEWSPAPERS. Among the foremost and most important agencies which have contributed to the growth of Kansas, is its newspaper press. Atchison, Leavenworth, Law- rence, Topeka, Fort Scott and Emporia, all have daily newspapers, and in size and general appearance they compare favorably with average eastern papers. It is a surprise to all strangers that such papers can be sustained in towns of no greater size. Our daily and weekly papers are so numerous and so merito- rious that it would be at once tiresome and invidious to mention any in particular, but I may allude to the Kansas Farmer, published monthly at Leaven- worth, which has acquired an enviable position among its cotemporaries throughout the United States, both as to matter and appearance. One de- NEWSPAPERS. 169 servedly successful monthly, the Educational Journal, of Ernporia, is devoted exclusively to the cause of education, and monthly or quarterly issues are made of religious publications. Another class of papers extensively published in Kansas is devoted exclu- sively to the real estate business. They are issued by private firms for gratuitous distribution, and con- tain valuable information. The first settlers of Kansas were men of brains and men of business, and they were moved to Kan- sas by an idea. Under whichever banner they ranged, whether of freedom or of slavery, it is un- questionable that they were terribly in earnest. In such a community a weak and inconstant press could find no support. From this, among other causes, it has come about that no other State in the Union has proportionally so many newspapers as Kansas, and nowhere else do country papers present so good an appearance and give such evidence of editorial ability. Many names famous in the eastern news- paper world are familiar to Kansas. Horace White, of the Chicago Tribune; James Eedpath, of Boston; the lamented Albert D. Eichardson, of the New York Tribune; John Swinton, of the New York Times; Col .Samuel F. Tappan, .Richard J. Hinton and Wm Hutchinson, Washington correspondents of eastern papers; J. M. Winchell, formerly of the New York Times; Col. Wm. A. Phillips, of the New York Tribune and The Nation, but still a resident of Kansas these and many other names of prominence, were once connected with the Kansas press. Not alone in aiding the struggle for freedom during our early history, nor yet entirely in disseminating informa- tion as to the soil, climate and productions of Kansas, have the newspapers of Kansas helped the State to achieve its triumphant success. The press of this State has been first and foremost in promoting every 8 170 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. effort for developing the best interests of the State. Men of character locating in our border have been welcomed by name, and gratuitous advertisement has been given of the merits of improved machinery or valuable stock. Whenever new and attractive fields of immigration have been opened in remote counties, the press of the older settlements have been first to herald the facts. The best methods of tilling the soil, of harvesting the crops and of caring for the stock are obtained from experienced farmers and published by our sagacious newspapers, and a generous rivalry is maintained between farmers, neighborhoods, towns, and counties by the printed reports of progress among all. Hail roads, those necessary avenues or travel and transit, have been built in Kansas with greater rapid- ity than in any other state in the Union, but the influence of newspapers in preparing the way for their construction is appreciated by very few. Kail- road projects must always take shape by the action of the people living upon the proposed line. They alone can afford to contribute the time and money necessary to perfect an organization, to obtain a sur- vey and engineer's estimates, and to secure franchises of lands and bonds, and local subscriptions, and it is only when these things arj done that capitalists ca-n be induced to look at the enterprise. Towards the accomplishment of this tedious, tiresome, thankless task the press of the state has always freely contrib- uted its invaluable aid. Notices of meetings, descrip- tion of routes, labored editorials, columns of statis- tics and a startling array of figures, all have been issued gratuitously and in profusion. Manufactures, schools, churches, villages towns, cities, have all received the support of the Kansas press. In short our newspapers have never failed to hold up to the public, the mirror of to-day and have NEWSPAPERS. 171 painted without stint of color, the possibilities of to-morrow. [Extract from an address delirered before the Editors' and Publishers' Associ ation of Kansas, January 17, 1871, by Ward Curlingame, Esq.] "Why is it that Kansas has a greater number of newspapers than any other equal population in the world? It is not because our people are peculiarly a reading people, because in that respect other locali- ties rival us. Nor is it because the newspaper busi- ness is productive of large and prompt pecuniary results; for I much doubt whether there is any other branch of business, employing the same labor and capital, the gains of which are so small and precari- ous. The true explanation of the circumstance is found in the fact that Kansas is in its formative state; everything is growing, nothing completed ' r the map of a year ago is out of date to day ; towns, cities, villages, are springing up on every hand ; large bodies of land just vacated by worthless and semi- barbarous tribes, are yielding to the impress of set- tlement and civilization ; agriculture encroaches upon the desert; immigrants from every State and of every nationality are flocking to our borders ; rail- ways penetrate unpeopled regions, and from nothing thriving communities are evolved by their mysterious influence. "In securing these results the press is an active and powerful agent. Hence, new towns, new interests invoke their co-operation. Among the earliest of the pioneers is found the country editor among the earliest of local institutions the country press. Ex- panding beyond the necessities of the present, it builds upon the -prospects of the future, and thus, blending an individual with a patriotic purpose, it strives with admirable and ever-restless zeal for the realization of those prospects through the develop- ment of its section. It is surprising to note that newspapers, and good ones, too, are maintained in 172 IIUICUISSOA'S KANSAS. localities where we would not deem it possible were the fact not apparent. This state of affairs is itself -an eloquent tribute not alone to the energy, persever- ance and pluck of newspaper men, but also to the practical good sense and wise forethought of the people who sustain them." If any persons outside of Kansas do not decide to start for Kansas immediately after reading this book, they are advised to select a paper from the following lists, and send to its address the price oi a year's subscription. If they do not find in its columns all the information they desire, they have only to inform the editor who will gladly print such state- ments as will meet the case. Citizens of Kansas should give to their local papers a liberal support. The man who does not take one or more papers published in his county, commits a crime against his own neighborhood. Help your papers subscribe for them and urge others to sub- scribe furnish them advertising and give items to the editors concerning all matters which interest you. Anything which interests you will be quite certain to intere&t the editor and his readers. In short, help your editor and he will help you, List of Newspapers Published in Kansas. The following list embraces all the names of papers that I can obtain at the time of going to press. New ones are coming out every week, and it is safe to say that there are one hundred papers issued regularly in Kansas, aside from the real estate papers. I have also collected as full a list of the latter papers as pos- sible, which is quite incomplete however. The real estate papers are issued once a quarter or once a month, and are sent free to all. The newspapers are sent for $2 per annum, except- ing the Kansas Farmer, $1, and the Educational NEWSPAPERS. 173 Journal, SI 50, find the Medical Herald, $3 per annum. Only the last or principal names are given. The list is arranik*brt ........................ M- -shall ........................ New Home, w .................. Fontana ......................... v iami ............................ ''azett^, w ....................... Florence ......................... Marion ........................... Pioneer, w ....................... FREDONIA .................... Wilson .......................... Journal, w ....................... OARNETT ..................... Ander-on ........................ Pl-.in Pealer. w ............... GTRABD ......................... Crawford ........................ Pre s, w ......................... HIAWATHA .................. Brown ............................. Pent" el, w ...................... Allen ............................. Un , H 0f TOV ....................... J"' -son .......................... New, w tOLA ............................... \ ten .............................. Regit r, w Irving ............................. Marshall ........................ Hecorder, w ..... , 174 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Town. County. Name of Paper. INDEPENDENCE Montgomery,. Tribune, w Montgomery Republican, w " " Democrat, w , JUNCTION CITY Davis Union, w LAWRENCE Douglas Journal, d and w , '' Tribune, d and w " Democratic Standard, \ " Fanner, (German) w.... LEAVENWORTII Leavenworth Times, d and w Bulletin, d and w Commercial, d and w... Call, d Farm< r, m Gardener, m < Presse, (German) w , Medical Herald, m , LA CYGNE Linn Journal w LYNDON Osage ..Signal, w Labe'te. Labette Sentinel, w LOUIS VIL' E Pottawatemie Reporter, w Lpngtoii Howard Ledger, w Lindsay Ottawa Pioneer, w MINNEAPOLIS " Independent, w " Settler, w MARIOV CENTRE Marion Western Giant, w MANHATTAN Riley Nationalist, w Medina Jefferson Ntw Era, w Mound City Linn Sentinel, w MARYfeVILLB Marshall Locomotive, w NEOSHO FALLS Woodson Advert ser, w Netawaka Jackson Herald, w New Chicago Neoho Transcript, w Jfeodosha Wilson ^Citizen, w " " Enterprise, w North Topeka Shawnee Times, w OLATHE Johnson Mirror, w " " News Letter, w Oaage Mission Neosho Journal, w OSKALOOSA Jefferson , Independent, w " , " Statesman, w OSWEGO Lal'Otte Register, w OTTAWA Franklin Journal, w " Herald, w { PAOLA Miami Republic an, w Pleasauton Linn Press, w Parker Montgomery Record, w Parsons Labette Sun, w gALINA Saline Herald, w " " Journal, w SENAC A Nemaha Courrier, w Spring Hill Johnson Enterprise, w TOPEKA Shawnee. Commonwealth, d and " " Record, d and w TEOY Doniphan Republican, w Thayer Neo-tho Criterion, w Wathena Doniphan Reporter, w Wamego PoUwattomie Valley, w WASHINGTON Washington Republican, w Waterville Marshall Telegraph, w REAL ESTATE PAPERS. 175 Town. County. White Cloud Doniphan WYANDOTTE Wyandotte WICHITA Sedgwick WINFIELD Cowley Name of Paper. Chief, w Gazette, w ... Vide te, w , Tribnne, w Censor, w , REAL ESTATE PAPERS. .Atchison Northern Kansan Atchison ' Index Burlington Coffie Free West " " Resistor Burlinpame Osage Journal Council Grove Morris Advertiser Cottonwi od Falls Cba^e Register , Emporia Lyon Reg ster " " Bullen'n " " Heporer Eskridge Waubocsee Land Mark ;-. Fort Scott Bourbon Immigrant " " Rec-'rd Garnett Anderson Intfex - Humboldt Allen Reporter Holton Jackson Bulletin Junction City Davis Register " " Guide Lawrence Douglas A^v cate , Manhattan Rilcy Home ffsul Olathe Jht:Fon Register Ottawa Franklin Gui. UMM~ D .:'. . l> $m .... E .--* :'':.. Frank!!:, .... ''j-^-r.-* -.. J Ja k- r, .... feftom . JtM r. .... UM L ::: tHm~ I-',- Ml Morris Ot awa Potow R.!-v S^dewiek Wi ui>mj Wa-tuegton Wita*. W-otom Wjndotte Total, ____ I? "44 41 R 74 H M 30 M 7.' 2-, ..... -7 m 7- 7 05 :o -.' ~> 00 7 84 If 7 R 7 M 42 u 1/01 10 M 7- n u 27 II 101 117 :> n Ml 77 13 72 1,392 MM ffl -'-7 j 4.;-- 347 MU H8 j tti 1 4 1,333 2,470 019 414 751 $27.777 f CtM l-rjri'j r 41. 2-- li S7 ''-'7 ft - > .', f U7M " I M pi M n HS .'" 2- IV- | 14^40 O 4".-il ' utjote t ,.. ,, I.12S 35^0000 0873400 44.01000 220*000 177,757 75 3*330 W 33,11500 f >':4 'J" 17,745 00 "s^i'is'w 11 4^0 > W-'-iO K; 10^400 125,00000 11.45500 01.150 $1.80400 UM V) MM --o 2 R '/> MM 'o 70000 1 O HO 15075 Mfl '/ 74000 5000 51500 : 4 '/i 7,19800 2^120 00 ]' .-0 3.001 no I7.yo ]=; _' '-J '0 1.232 50 ~3603"rtj 7(O OU ww 4,-. O'J 4V- 00 1.044 '.0 l& W 41-' O-J 2^40 03^18 $1,520,041 4^$IO0^15 fO 178 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. TABLE showing tfie comparative advance of the Public Schools of Kansas for ten years, from 1861 to 1870 inclusive. YBAR. 1861. 1862. 1863. 1864. 1865. 1866. 1867. 1868. . 1869... 1870... be i "o O "5 d S5 12 28 33 33 35 37 42 43 43 47 *g 1! "1 *r Average time sclool taught. NO. TEACHERS EMPI/D AVER'GE SAL'Y PER MONTH. | o Ij i a 8 i "3 H I Females. Mon'hp. 144 304 506 640 721 871 1,066 1,232 1,621 1,950 3.2 3.8 3.5 3.4 4. 4.3 5. 5. 52 90 16i 205 247 405 541 746 896 1,079 229 400 527 652 681 664 855 1.118 i;i6i $ 10,432 50 32,970 60 76,500 71 122,822 64 318,897 31 573,690 08 813,062 75 1,031, 92 00 1,520,041 40 584 732 899 1,086 1,205 1,601 2014 2,200 $27 00 46 74 41 27 39 44 39 56 37 07 39 60 $16 10 34 41 28 90 26 51 29 08 28 98 31 10 The reports show that out of 359 school houses built during 1870, 45 were built of logs. The aver- age per cent, levied in 1870 fcr the erection of build- ings and all other purposes, was $0.0347. The total amount received by the school district treasurers from all sources for 1870, was $799,318.51, and the total amount paid out was $712,601.73. In all towns of any considerable size there are- graded schools, and one or more central st hool build- ings, costing from $5,000 to $75,000 and other smaller buildings, as the public needs require. All these schools are open and free, being supported by the State school money, and by direct taxation. There are salaried county superintendents in each county whose duty it is to give direct personal supervision to matters connected with public schools, besides which each city has its superintendent. There are two Normal schools, one at Leaven worth and the other at Emporia. That at the former city was but recently opened. That at Emporia has been in suc- cessful operation for six years. The attendance for 1870 was 111 males, 132 females. It is devoted to COMMON SCHOOLS. 179 the work of fitting its pupils to become teachers in our common schools, and is supported by the State. The State Agricultural college at Manhattan is endowed by a'land grant of 70,000 acres of land. It also receives State aid and is in a prosperous condi- tion. The State University at Lawrence is open to all of both sexes without tuition fee. Its endowment is LINCOLN SCHOOL, TOPEKA. 46,000 acres of well located land, and about $150^000 contributed to it for buildings, etc., chiefly by the city of Lawrence. It has a permanent fund of $10,- 000 contributed by Amos Lawrence of Boston, and aparatus costing $15,000. It has nine salaried pro- fessors, and fitly crowns the splendid school system of this state, by offering an education of high char- acter free to all. Its students for 1870 were 97 males and 116 females. Its buildings are illustrated and described elsewhere. 180 Besides the State Institutions of learning already mentioned, there are several well established schools of high grade, under denominational control. Among them is Baker University, at Baldwin City, and Collegiate Institute at Hartford, under the M. E. Church ; Washburn College. Topeka, Congregational; Episcopal Female Seminary, Topeka; Lane Univer- sity, Lecompton, United Brethren ; Ottawa Univer- sity, Baptist; Wetmore Institute, Irving, Presbyte- rian ; Koman Catholic Colleges at Leavenworth, Atchison, St. Mary's, Topeka, Fort Scott, and else- where ; and various other lesser academies and pri- vate schools. BENEVOLENT AND REFORMATORY INSTITUTIONS. A large and well ordered State's Prison is located near by Leavenworth. The State Asylum for the Blind is located at Wyandotte ; that for the Deaf and Dumb at Olathe; and the Insane As3 T lum at Osa- watomie. These institutions are all under the guar- dianship of the State authorities and are supplied with convenient buildings and necessary attendants. THE CHURCHES AND THE CLERGY. The following article upon the above topic was prepared at my request by TJev. Tl. Cordley, the well known pastor of the Congregational Church at Law- rence, which position he has filled with great accep- tance for fourteen years : 11 The early settlers of Kansas included a large pro- portion of religious men. This might have been expected, as a largo share of these settlers came as a matter of conscience, to establish tr^odom and equal rights en these plains of the west. One of the first things they did after setting up a tent or THE CHURCHES AND THE CLERGY. 181 building a hut to shelter their families, was to pro vide churches and schools, where these families might worship and be instructed. Eeligion and learning were among their first thoughts. In Law- rence, for example, in one month after the first company of immigrants arrived, regular religious services were established with a settled minister. Steps were at once taken for building at least two churches. In other places, church organizations, with tbeir pastors, went with the colonies in the btyle of the Mayflower pilgrims. One of the first things now in a new town, is to build a church, and these churches are generally well sustained, and are doing a good work. There is great liberality in maintaining Christian institutions, and no people, in proportion to their means, pay more freely for religious objects than the people of Kansas. Within the^ last three or four years, some very handsome churches have been built. In Leaven worth the Cath- olics have a cathedral that cost some $250. 009. The Baptists have about completed a very fine church in the same citj T that has cost some $60,000. At Atch- ison the Methodists are building a very handsome structure. In Lawrence the Congregationalisms have a church that has attracted general attention for its completeness and beauty. Its cost was about $45,000. "All denominations are represented in Kansas. The Methodists take the lead in membership, the Baptists coming next. The Presbyterians are quite strong. Especially in the south part of the State. The Congregationalists have some strong societies and are quite numerous, especially in the northern part of the State The Episcopalians are very active, and exhibit a missionary zeal that is commendable. There is generally the kindest feeling between differ- ent denominations. All joining in the common work, rather than trying to supplant each other. The 182 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. churches have generally come to the wise conclusion that they can prosper better in the general pros- perity of all, than in mere denominational expansion, which builds one up by pulling another down. " The Kansas churches generally have an able min- istry, more than usually so for a new country. While there are no 'stars' that attract special attention, the ministry generally are cultivated, earnest men, and up to the times. They are ' workmen that need not to be ashamed.' " The churches are having a healthy growth. They are growing both by immigration and conversion. Special interest is reported in man}' places, and every season witnesses more or less of the fruits of such special interest. The religious future of Kan- sas is as bright as that of any new State. There are dangers, but there are also promising signs. The churches are sound, outspoken and aggressive. They work as if they meant to ' occupy the land.' " TAXES. By the constitution, the state debt of Kansas can- not exceed one million dollars. :No town, county, or state debts were incurred during the war, as Kansas volunteers always kept up the state quota. Taxes are less than most states. The state tax levied by the Legislature for 1871 is s;x mills on the dollar, which includes one mill for general school fund. The levy for 1870 was seven and three-fourths mills. The assessment of taxes on real estate is made between the first day of March and the first day of July, and the taxes so assessed are due and payable on the first day of November following. If not paid by the tenth day of January next thereafter, a pen- alty of ten per cent, is added. If not paid by March 1st following, a fee of twenty-five cents for adver- tising each tract, except town lots, is added, and ten cents for each town lot. If not paid before the first TAXES. 183 Tuesday in May following, the land is sold for the taxes and the foregoing expenses. The whole amount draws interest at the rate of fifty per cent, per an- num. If not before redeemed by the owner, the purchaser of the tax title receives a tax deed at the end of three years. The purchase money, with all the subsequent taxes up to the date of deed, interest being computed upon the whole at fifty per cent, per annum, and the cost of making and recording the deed, is the consideration of said deed. In two years after recording the deed, the same becomes absolute, and suit is barred, excepting where there are minor heirs, and they have until they become of age and one year thereafter in which to redeem, by paying for improvements, which may have been made upon the land by the tax purchaser, together with the taxes and interest as allowed by law. The Topeka Record says, January, 1871: "In a recent decision Bowman et al vs. Cockrill our Su- preme Court has affirmed the validity of tax deeds given on sale of land for non-payment of taxes, and sustains the statute of limitations, which bars an action for the recovery of property so sold and deeded after the expiration of two years from the time the deed shall have been recorded. "The court also decided in the same case, that the statute does not require that the tax deed shall be in the exact form therein prescribed, but only substan- tially in that form." I also quote from the Statutes as follows: "As between the grantor and grantee of any land, where there is no express agreement as to which shall pay the taxes that may be assessed thereon, if such land is conveyed between the firnt day of March and the first day of November, then the grantee shall pay the same ; but if conveyed between the first day of No- vember and the first day of March, the grantor shall pay them." General Statutes, p. 1062, sec. 140. 184 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS; IF >Ot OSiO^OOi-^CQCOpH CJCOOCO'^t OOClA lt-CXia>'3ViCX3iOrH r^t~r- ^IC^CCCQ (N .-; co c : -* cs : : ^ m 02 g 5""?5~F-ror | |i i-^-fN'Nt^r 'tOC^C^t^ ^ * fc S Q.t- 1- * * 10 u Qf9) : : : : : : : : ::::::::::::::::: : : : : : : : : SJJ i : i i : I i ^j ! o a j i 5 j | :i^ . : 1 15 ; >;1 !l5a llaS-E GROWTH OF KANSAS. 185 HI Tcf aeWoo co"t~ r-T?f < S3 s SliieJSJ.i. n--s M' s MOO" -* cc r~- 'N to o ^- ! r~ >i -j_ 01. -r_sc 3s . i-'=r-5.fi' mrfoefef: r-T* T IIJ.ssl -*T -4^" cT C* *C OC S235SS ^T ef r^?i O '*' 9* 9 td 11111 i-coci-cr. oc SO rl r-l 0* 53 112 *New Hampshire shows a decrease of two and four tenths, (2 4-10) per cent in the ton ye Are. fVirg'uia includes West Vir^in'a in this calculation, there having been no Jivision in 1860. KANSAS SECURITIES. 189 The following table exhibits the increased valua- tion of the taxable property of Kansas from year to year from 1865 to 1870 inclusive and the per cent, of increase: TABLE showing increased valuation for six years. Year. \ssess3d valuation Per cent, in- creia?. 1865 $36 140,827 00 460 1866 ... 50 439 634 96 104.0 1867 56976036 00 127 5 1868 .,. 66 949 54P 88 1790 1869 76 393 685 00 217 1870 92)528J099 00 275!o KANSAS SECURITIES. There is no doubt that this State offers great attractions to capitalists or any who have money to loan. The legal rate of interest by contract is twelve per cent, per annum, and an almost unlimited amount of money can be loaned at this rate, payable annu- ally, on long time, with security upon improved farms, or good city propert3 T , at one-third their pres- ent value. On shorter time and similar security, or good names, money readily commands 18 to 20 per cent, per annum, the surplus over 12 per cent, being added to the note. Decisions have been made which leave no doubt as to the legality of this proceeding. Mortgages are so drawn as to waive the right of redemption, and to include all expense of foreclosure and collection. It is surprising that people will con- sent to loan money in the eastern states at five, six or seven per cent, per annum, when such rates are to be obtained here. Besides, our securities are constantly increasing in value, and by the time long notes would fall due the property will be worth two or three times its present rate*. Our county, city, township and school district bonds are also excellent investments, as they are a lien upon the entire prop- 190 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. erty of communities whose rapid growth is shown by indisputable statistics elsewhere given. If any inquire how people can afford to pa}' such rates of interest, I think they have only carefully to look this book through, and they will discover several suffi- cient answers to the question. Among the most desirable of the many attractive investments which offer in this State are railroad bonds. The cost of constructing these roads across our comparatively level country is light, while their long reaches of easy grade and of air line road, greatly lessen the cost of keeping them in repair. Bunning through fertile regions which are rapidly settling with an enterprising people, these roads must become im- mensely valuable, while the enormous land grants with which they are endowed give additional secu- rity to the bonds. These bonds are offered at such rates that they afford an investment which yields an income at least double that to be obtained in the eastern states on loans. They also offer the further advantage that they can be converted into cash at any time, or may remain as a permanent investment for any desired period. LIST OF BANKS. LIST OF B\NKS AND BANKERS in the State of Kansas on May 1, 1S71. Prepared by the Adams National Batik of Topeka. Augusta. Chetopa. Brown Brothers. . W. B. Ketchum A Co. Atchison. First National Bank. Emporia. \Vm. Hetheriogton A Co. Riggs, Dunl ip & Co. Atchison Savings Bank. Neo*ho Valley Bunk. Americus. Emp^ri^i Bank. T. C. Hill. Eldorado. Burlingame. Wai .ut VaLey Bank. P. C. Schuyler A Son. Eureka. Burlington. Edwin Tucker. Jarboe, G.irretson 'A Co. Fort Scott. Baxter Springs. First National Bank. Van Winkle * Slater. Farmers and Mechanics Bank. Cherokee County Bank. B. P. McDjnalc). Ct.u.icil Grove. Van Fossen & Button. Council Grove iavin^B Bank. Phillips & Scovell. BANKS AND BANKERS. 191 Garnett. Olathe. John R. Foster & Co. First National Bank. Humboldt. C. E. Waldron & Co. Pratt & Ten feycke. Ottawa. Allfcn County Bank. First National Bank. lola. Shepherd & McQuesten. lola Bank. Paola. L. L. Northrup. Miami Saving-* Bank. Junction City. V. C. Jarboe. James Streeter & Co. Salina. Robert S. Miller. D. W. Powers & Co. Lawrence. Seneca. The National Bank. Lappin & Scrafibrd. Second National Bank. Topeka. Simpson Brothers. Adams National Bank. Leavenworth. Kansas Valley National Bank. First National Bank. Topeka Bank. Second National Bank. F. VV. Giles & Co Newman & Havens. Guilford Dudley. Scott & Co. Wamego. Ilines & >aves. Mucke & Shortndge. Clark & Co. Waterville. German Savings Bank. Marshall County Bank. Leavenworth favings Bank. Wyandotte. Manhattan. B Judd. E. B. Purcell & Co. Pet^r Cunrelley. Wm. P. Iliginbotham. Kansas State Savings Bank. SURVEY OP GOVERNMENT LANDS. The public lands of the United States are surveyed under Direction of the ConimUsiouur of the General Laud Office, Washington, D. C. The United States is divided into surveying istricts, each in charge of a Smveyor General. The Surveyor General Ibi Kansas is Hon. C. W. Babcock, whose office is at Law- rence. All the public lands in the United States are now surveyed under the same system by which they are divided into tr cts six miles square, called townships, and each towubhip is subdivided into tracts one mile square, called sections. North and south and east and west lines are run by government surveyors, who set stones or stakes to mark the corners of the vari us divisions. As all the north and south township and section lines are run upon the true meridian that its, each line, if extended, would pass through the north and south poles it follows that all these north afed south lines converge, or ap- proach each other towards the north. From this the reader will see that neither the townships nor sections can be precisely square, as the line bounding the north s de of each tract must be a trifle shorter than the line bounding the south side of the same tract. Besides thin, it is impracticable, if not impo^si- ble, for the surveyors to measure the lines with perfect accuracy. In commencing the surveys of each district, base lines and principal merid- ians are established, the former- running east and west, the latter north and south. 192 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. To counteract the error that would otherwise result from tho cnnvergency of line?, as above described, and to avert errors arising from inaccuracies in measurement, other lines are es'ablished, running parallel to the base lines, cabled standard parallels. In Kansas, and a'ways if the townships are num- bered south from any base line, these parallels are SO miles apart, but in Ne- bra^ka, or wherever the townships number north from the base Hue*, the parallels are 24 miles apait. Upon the parallels the convergency, or tendency to run togeher of the north and south township and section lines, is corrcted. On the parallels is observable a jog or offset in the north and south lines, part of the stones or stakes marking the corners of the townships an 1 sections north of the standard, and part marking the corners and sections south of the parallel. For convenience in surveying, guide meridians are also established, running north and south, 43 miles apart. From the point where the base line and the principal meridian cross each other, the townships are numbered north and south, and the ranges of town- ships a t and west. Any number or series of contiguous townships situate north end south of each other, or in other words any north and south row of townships, constitute a range. The ranges are designated as range No. east (of the principal meridian,1 or as range No. west (of the principal meridian ) No two town- ships in any one range are numbered alike. In any one row of townships run- ning eatt and west t all the townships are numbered alike, but are distinguished from each other ly designating the number of the range in which a r> .y particu- lar township is situa ed, and whether the range is east or west (of the meridian.) A glance at the map will show a base line on the northern boundary of Kan- sas, and the sixth principal meridian crossing it between Republic and Wash- ington c unties. To describe a township, we say it is, for instance, township No. 17 south, of range No. 5 east, meauing south of the base line and east of the meridian. If north of the base or west of the meridian, it would be de- scribe d accordingly. The township just described is in the southwest corner of Morris county, Kansas. Upon the western p rtien of our map is an enlarged township, which is subdivided into sections, there boing 36 sections in each township, wtrch are numbered from the northeast corner of each township. In subdividing a township info sections, the surveyors commence at the southwest corner of the southeast section and ruu a Y&lf mile north, and establish a quarter section corner, then a half mile fur her north and establish a section corner, then due east, as it is supposed this course will strike the nor ; Least section cor uer of section thirty-six, and which corner was set in running the exterior lines of the township. This last line is called a "random" line, and at a half mile distant a random corner is set, whence the surveyors proceed to the northeast section corner aforesaid. If they do not strike the corner, they measure the 'falling," or distance cither north or south of the said corn-rat which they intersect the township line. They then go back to the northwest corner of section 36, correcting the random quarter earner if it was wrongly established SURVEY OF GOVERNMENT LANDS. 193 by moving it north or south, as the case may be, one-half the measurement of the aforesaid ''falling". From the last named section corner they proceed northward a mile and then eastward a mile and return, establishing the section and quarter section corners as before. But any excess or deficiency in measure- ments is thrown into the last half mile before reaching the north line of the township. They then return to a point one mile west of the point of beginning, that is, to the southwest corner of section 35, and repeat the procees by wh'ch th first t:r of sections was laid off. The random east lines are in each case run due east one n ile, to the previous'y established section c >rner The surveys of each township are closed out on the north and west lines of said township, and if there is any excess or deficiency in the land, that is, as no township makes 36 sections, each precisely a mile square the excess or deficiency is all thrown into the row of quarter sections on the north and west lines of each township. This explains why these quarters are always fractional, containing more or less than 160 acres each. Each section, excepting the fractional sections, is considered to be a mile square, and is silwajs reckoned as containing 640 acres each half, or quarler, a proportional amount. Forty acres, or a tract eighty rods (quarter of a mile) gqu ire is the lowest subdivision made by the government in disposing of its lands, but the corners of 40 acre tracts are not marked by the surveyor. These c ,ruer-i are regarded by law as points intermediate between the half mile or quarter section corners. In fractional quai ter sections the excess or deficiency is thrown into tbe west 40s, if on the west side of a township, and into the north 40s if on the north side of a township. STAKES OR STONES are set at each township corner, at ach section corner and on section Hues, half way between the sectional corner t- tones. The latter are called quarter stones, for they mark the corners of the quarter sections, but no corners are established in the centre of the sections. The only exception to th s rule about quarler section stakes or stones is, they are not required to be established on the west boundary of the western tier of sections in a township, nor on the north boundary of the ? orthern tier of sections in a township south of and bordering on a standard para'lel or base lice. This exception aj plies only to such surve' s as are made subsequently to the instructions of the Gen- eral Land Office of June 1, 1864. Pers ns having occasion to establish a quarter corner stone in the centre of a section (which is never set by government surveys) will bear in mind that if the section is bounded on its north side by i standard parallel or base line, then there i-t no quarter section corner on said standard or base for the said section, but only for the section laying north of the standard or base, provided the survey was made since 18(54. Marking the Corners. When posts are used they are to be squared above the ground, and at the cor- ners of the townships and sections they should stand diagotally, or with their 9 194 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. corners toward the cardinal points of the compass. On each surface of the post common to four townships, is to be marked the number of the particular township, and its range, which it faces. Thus, if the post be a common bound try of four townships, say one and two, south of the base line of range one west cf the meridian ; also to townships one and two south of the ba-:e line, of range two west of the meridian, it is to be marked thus: ) R.1W. From north to east > T. 1 8. j 8.31 1 2 W. From north to west y IS. j 36 ) 1 W. From east to south > 2 S. ) 6 1 2 W. From west to south V 2 S. The letters preceding the figures indicate range, township and section. The letters following the figures refer to the points of compass Township corner posts, common to four townships, are also notched with six notches on each corner. STONES common to four townships are only marked with six notches, cut with a pick or chisel on each edge or side towards the cardinal points. Instructions are given that when stones are used (flat atones are prescribed) the edges must be set north and south on north and south lines, and east and west on east and west lines. POSTS OR STONES at township corners on th n base and standard parallel lines, and which are common to two townships on the north side thereof, will have fix notches on each of the west, north and east sides or edg s ; and whe 1 e such stones or posts are set for corners to two township* south of the base or standard, six notches will be cut on each of the wst, south and east sides or edges. Sectional posts or stones on range and township lines must have as many notches on them on two opposite angles or sides thereof as they are miles dis. taHt from the township corners respectively. If on range lines (which run north and s-.uth) they will be mar ed on the north and south sides. Township lines run east and we-t, and the sectional posts or stones thereon are marked on the eas and west sides. POSTS OR STONES set previously to 1864 at the corners of sections in the inte rior of townships must indicate, by a number of notches on each of their four corners or sides, directed to the cardi al points, the corresponding number of miles that they stand from the outlines of the township. The four sides of a 2?es at the corner of sections will also indicate the number of the section which each side respectively faces, and on one side it should be marked the number of the towaship and range in which it is situated. POSTS OR STONES a*- 1 subsequently to 1864 at the corners of sections in th interior of townships, will have as many notches on the south and east edges, or sides, as they are miles from th south and east boundaries of the towaship. A quarter section or half mile pott will have no other marks upon it than '% S" to indicate what it stands for. SURVEY OF GOVERNMENT LANDS. 195 STONES, when used for quarter section corners, will have "% " cut on them, on the west side of north and touth lines, and on the south side of east and west lines. A TBEE may be xise 1 instead of a corner post if it stand in the proper place and it is to be marked in the same manner as a post; but if its bark be smooth the marks may be on the bark and the tree notched. MEANDER CORNER posts or stones are planted at all points wh^re he township or section lines intersect the banks of such rivers, bp; ons, lakes or islands, aa are by law directed to be meandered. BEARING TREES are trees adjacent to corner posts f r corner frees. They are dist ngu'shed by a larg. smooth blaze, with a notch at its lower end, facing the corner, and in the blaze is marked the number of the range, township and section, but at quarter sectio > corners "% S" only, is marked. The letter* "B. T." (bearing tree) are also to be marked upon a smaller blaze directly under the larger one. At all township and section corners, four bea 1 ing trees, if such be found, are mark* d in this manner, one to stand in each of the adjoining sections. A quarter section and meander corners, two bearing trees are to be marked, one within eich of the adjoining sections. MOUNDS. Whenever bea-ing trees are not found, mounds of earth or stone are to be raised around posts on which the corners are to be marked in the manner aforesaid. If the mound is constructed of earth, a spade full oi two of earth sbould be taken from the corner boundary point, and in the cavitv a ma ked Btonf plRced, or a portion of charcoal, or a charrere equired, the sides to be six feet long at townslup corners, and five feet long at section, quarter-section and mean er corners. If a townsh'p or section co r ner post fall in such situat : on that th*> nature O the ground s notf v r;ble to t e e ection of a mound, then in some convnien t situation near by, -t witness mound will be e ected and with charcoal, ch irred st-ike, or ma ks-1 st kn deposited *h^rein as beto>~e described The distance and bearing of this mono" KV,' ',lie v.'u* corner i? to be stated in the field notes. PITS. Tho excav itujTj in **** m discing eir h to firm the mound is called the pit, and since ISo-l t is required , u i : ' four pit", which, for township corners sh II b ,.v n t en inches wide, two teet in length, and at least one toot deeo, located six feet Irom the post. At section corners tke pits will be eighteen nches square. 196 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. At meander corners the pit is to be directly on the line, eight links farther from the water than the mound. At township or $cctional corners common to four township*, the pits should be on th~ lines and lengthwise to them. On base and standard lines, where the corners are common to only two town hips or sections, three pits only ar- dug Uo in line on e ther side of the post T and oue on the north side of the line for standard corners, and one on the south side of tbe line for closing corners. STANDARD CORNERS, a e corners on a ba~e or standard p rallel -vhich corners are common to two townships or sections north of the bas- or standard. Such corners are marked "S. C." in addition to the other marks before described. CLOSING CORNERS, are coruens on abase or btaudard parallel, which corners are common to two townships or section corners south of the base or lamia nl Bach corners a r e marked " C. C." in addition to the other mark- before described. Standard corners, are east of the corresponding closing corners, lor all ranges numbered east of any Principal Meridian, a- r between any two meander poets, or of a pond cr island in the interior of a section, must close within grat fy public curiosity." There are separate and dist-'n t books of surveys, s follows : 1. Field notes of the meridian and base lines shewing the establishment of the township section or m'le, and quarter fe tion or half mile boundary corners thereon, with the crossings of streams, ravines, hills and mountains; character of soil, timber, minera's, etc. 2. Fie'd notes of the standard parallels, or correction lines, showing the estabti-hment of the township, section and quarter section corners, beside* exhibiting the topography of the country on line a" aforesaid. 3. Field notes of the exterior lines of townships, showing the establishment of corne s on 1 ne>, and the topography as aforesaid. 4. Field notes of the sectional lines subdividing the townships into sections and quarter sections, with the topography s afor said. The variation of the needle is always given. The exhibition of every mile of surveying is complete in it-elf. The description of the snrface, soil, min- erals, tim er, undergrowth, et., on each mile of line, follows the note* of survey of each line. In Oregon Washington and New Mexico, it is require! that the field notes show t' e claims of fh-*e sett'ers who located prior to the survey. The original field notes are retained in the Surveyor General's office, and transcripts are *ent to the General Land Office t Washington, D. C Township pints ar* f'ir>,ished to the district land offices, and accompanying them are descriptive notes as to the character and quality of the soil and tim- ber found on and in th vicinity of each surveyed 1 ne, and a description of each corner boundary. 198 As the field notes are confined to the lines mentioned, they cannot give a thorough description of the couniry, and the mention made of soil gives only an idea of the relative value of the land along each line. Locating missing or misplaced quarter section stones. Prom a letter addressed to the edito- of The Land Owner, Chicago, Illinois, dated November 20, 1870, and signed Jose h S. Wilson, Commissioner of the General Land Office, Washington, D. C., I collate the following : First identify the sectional corner stones north and south, or east and west, then run aad measure a straight line between the two stones thus identified. Next examine the original field notes, (or a copy) and if the present measure corresponds with that recorded in the original field notes, then establish the quarter section corner at forty chains, (160 rods,) otherwise establish it half way between the said sectional corners. To locate toe quarter section corner in the ctntre of the section, (which is left unlocated by government survey) run a line north and south, and a line east and west through the centre of the section, between the quarter section corners on the i-ection lines, and the paint of intersection or crossing of these lines is the legal centre corner. How to obtain surveys in advance of regular surveys. By an act of Congress approved May 30, 1862, it is p orided that when the settlers in any township or townships, not mineral or reserved by government, shall desire a survey to be made of the same under the authority of a urveyor General of the United States, it maybe doi^e undei certain condition-. (Sec. 10, p. 410, Vol. 12 U. S. Laws.) It is prescribed by the Commissioner of the General Land Office tha' applica- tions for surveys under this law must be made to the Surveyor General in writing, upon receipt of which he will furnish the applicant with an estimate of how much the desired survey will cost. Upon receipt of this estimate tha applicant must deposit the required s im with any United States Depository, (certain National Banks in each state and territory) receiving a certificate of deposit therefor, made payable to the Surveyor General, and showing for wha* purpose the money was depo-ited. This certificate is to be sent to the Surveyor General, and upon its receipt he will contract with a competent U. S. Deputy Surveyor, and have the survey made and returned in the same manner as other public surveys. The payment of the amount required for the survey will not give the deposi- tor any priority of claim or right to purchase the land, or in any mannf-r affect the claim or claims of any party or parties thereto, and when surveyed it will be suVject to the same general laws and regulations in relation to the disposi- tion there >f, as w ould have controlled its disposal had the survey been made in the regular and ordinary manner. ACQUIRING TITLE TO GOVERNMENT LANDS Title to public lands can only be obtained through the Register and Receiver of the U. S. District Land Offices, of which there are several in each State and ACQUIRING TITLE TO GOVERNMENT LANDS. 199 Territory. They act under direction of the Commissioner of the General Land Office at Washington, D. C. Surveyed Lands Public lands are considered to be survey, d when official notice to that effect passes from the surveyors through the Lan'l Office at Wash- ington to the land officers in the district wtier such land is situated. Prior to this these lands are unsurveyed lands, and no title can be obtained to them in any ma ner, excepting only the inceptive right of a pre-emption settler. Unqffered Lands are lands which have been surveyed but have not been offered. Offered Lands are lands which have been surveyed and also " offered " at public auction, pursuant to previous public notice by advertisement. Minimum Lands are those which are not sold for less than one dollar and tweLty-five cents per acre. Double Minimum Lands are those which are not sold for lees than two dol- lars and fifty cents per acre. The odd numbered sections only are granted to railroads, and the even numbered sections are doubled in price, becoming Double Minimum Lands. In Kan as the Missouri, Kansas and Texas and the Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf railroads have a right to even as well as odd numbered sections within the indemnity limits, that is, outside of the ten mile limit and within the twenty mile limit. Government does not double the price on the even numbered setins in the indemnity limits. Land Warrants are assignabl < certificates issued by the government 'o dis- charged soldiers and sailors entitling the le^al holder to either forty, sixty, eighty, one huudred and twenty, or one hundred and sixty acres of minimum, offered public land, or as half pay fLr double minimum offered land, the other half being paid in cash. Warrants may be used in payment for pre-tmptions with the smie limitations as above, concerning Double Minimum Lands. Agricultural College Scrip i* assignable Land Scrip, issued to the several states to aid in the establishment of Agricultural Colleges. First Th^ legal holder is entitled ti a spe.-ified amount of offered minimum land, but he is restricted to quarter sections which have two sides bounded by a section line, or it may be located on any part of a quarter section whe r e such part is taken in fvll for a quarter section, but not more than three sections can be taken with this scrip in any one toivnship. The amount that may be located in any one state is also lim ted to 1,000,000 acres. Second This scrip is taken in payment of pre-emption claims without regard to the quantity located in any one township or state, but under the same con- ditions as land warrants, if u*ed to pre-empt double minnimum lands. Private Entry Offered lands only are subject to private entry. At private entry any person may purchase land to any extent by making written applica- tion to the register, describing the land he wishes to buy and giving its area. He pays therefor $1 '25 or $2 50 per acre in cash, or with duly assigned warrants or scrip under above named limitations. There are no lauds in Kansas subject to private entry at $2 50 per acre and rery little at $1 25 per acre. PRE-EMPTION By this process and no other, except ing by homesteading, a title can be acquired to public land which is untffered, but offered may also be pre- 200 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. empted. Every head of a family, or widow, or single man or woman, over twenty-one years of age, being a cit'zen or having filed a declaration of inten- tion to become a citizen, can pre-empt one hundred and sixty acres of either minimum or double minimum laud by paying therefor and complying with certain icgulations. The (qualified) party who makes the first settlement upon aay public land by improving the same is entitled to the right of pre-emption, if the pre emption laws are subsequently c rnplied with, iuehiding filing upon the same. His right dates from the time he performed the flr.st work on the land. Those who settle upon unsurveyed land must in order to pre-empt, within three months after date of receipt at the district laud offico of the app oved plat of the township embra ing their claims, file their declaratory state went of sett ement with 'he regi:-ter, and thereafter make proof and payment of the tract within eighteen months from the exp ration o< suid three mo; ths. This gives twenty one mo ths after the survey- are received by districi land officers, within which pre-emptors must | a> for Innd. Upon unnffered surveyed land a pre-empfor must filed with the register his declara'o y statement within three months from the date of such settlement, and must pay fur the laud within twenty-one mouths from date of s- ttl meut. Upon offered land the statement must be filed within thirty days of settlement, and within one ye r from the date of such filing the 'and must be paid for. By an act of Congress approved July 14, 1870, ><11 settlers who hid filed for pre-emption previous to that date, were required to pay f r their land before July 14, 1871, but during the spring of 1871 Tongre F extended th s time ue year, lhat i.-<, until July 14, 1872, but this extension applies only to those who filed previously to July 14, 1870. The act o' making any improvement of whatever character upon the land claimed, is rec< gnizt-d as a settlement, A pr -empt >r cannot pay for land until he has actually resided upon the same for a period of at least six months and before payment must swear or affirm : " That I have neve-- had the benefit of any ri^ht of pre-emption um'er this Act; that I am not the owner of three hundred and two..ty acres of laud in any State or Territoiy of the Uui'ed States, nor have I settled upon ad improve 1 .said land to sell the same on speculation, but in good taith t > appropriate it to my own exclusive use or benefit ; and that I have not, directly or indirect y, made any ag'eeme^tor contract, in any way or ma- uer, with any per-on or persons whomsoever, by whic the title which I may acquire from the Govern- ment of the Un ted States shou d inure, in whole or in . art, to the benefit of any person except myself." This affi avit must be su ported by at least one witness, who must appear with the pre-emptor before th district land officers in person. 1 he s-et ler can (then so 'ura >he Ian ( by paying in cash, 01 b> filing H warrant, or Agricultural Scrip duly assigned. If a pre-emptor dies before perfecting the title, his or her rights descend to the " heirs." The executor or administrator may make proof of occupation, ACQUIRING TITLE TO GOVERNMENT LANDS. 201 and pay for the land, and the patent will issue to "the heirs of the deceased settler." Pre-emptors are entitled to lands at one dollar an<1 a quarter per acre within the limits of railroad grants, provided they locate before the lands were "with- drawn " (that is withdrawn from settl' ment and sale to enable the railroad company to locate its li- e after which the land is a ain open to ee'tlementt excepting that the odd numbered sections within a certain distance are donated to the railroad.) Kansas grants are all for ten miles on each side, but the limits are extended to|so much land within twenty miles on each side as is necessary to replace the od num ered sections that may have been disposed of by the gov- ernment before the grant was made to the railroad. The double minimum lands are confined to the linrts of the original grant; aud the even numbered section* outside of the original grant, but within the indemnity limits, ar> ll 25 per acre. HOMESTEADING The Homestead Laws permit a- y person to acquire by'crcu- pation aud the payment of commissinns and fees hereafter noted, one hundred and sity acres of surveyed minimum land or eighty acres of doubl" minimum land. 'Und^r this law the settler may file on the land he desires to obtain, and that filing holds good for six months, during which time the settler must take possession of the land by occupation and improvement. Affidavit must le made that he or she is the hfad of a family, or is twenty-one years of aee, and that such application is made for his r her exclusr e use and ben fit, and that said entry is made for the purpose of actna! s-tt'ement and cultivation, and not either directly or indirectly for the u-*e or benefit of any o' her person or persons whomsoever, and that the applicant has not heretofore 1 ad the bent fit of the Homestead Act. If the applicant is actually upon the land and ctnnot by reason of dis ance, bodily infirmi y, or other pood caue, personally go to the district land office, the affidavit i.;ay be made before the clerk of the court for the county within wh'ch the land is situated. Officers, soldiers and sailors who have served nirety days, and remained loyal, may iau.e under homestead laws, one hundred and sixty acres instead of eighty acres of double miuimi'.m land, but no oilier dix inctions whatever are made between these and any other persons. The applicant must make oath as to the company an 1 regiment in which he served. Within seven years from the date of the duplicate of entry given to the settler by the receiver at th district land office, the settler must personally appear at said office and make affidavit that he or he has resided upon or cultivated the same for the term of Jive years inim<>diately succeeding the time of filing the affi avit of entry, and tint no part of the land is alienated. Th;> five years of occupation date, not from the date of entry but from th* date c-f settlement. The affidavit of jettlement must be corroborated by two credible witnesses. If by reason of physical disability, distance or other go^d cause, they cannot accompany the s ttler to the district land office, their testimony may be tak n before any officer authorized to administer oaths and who uses a seal. He must certify to the credibility and responsibility of the witnesses, und state the rea- sons of their inability to attend at the land office. The register and receiver 202 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. endorse their opinion upon the testimony and affidavit, and transmit them to the General Land i ffioe at Washington. If the proceedings are satisfactory to them they alsu give a certificate to the settler. Ii" a homestead settler dies, the widow, or if she die, the heirs, may continue the settlement and cu tivation aud obtain title. If both parents die, leaving a child or children under tweaty-one years of age, the homestead may legally be sold by the administrator. Homesteads are not liable for any debt or debts contracted prior to the issuing of the patent or deed therefor from the govern. nent. COMMUTING A HOMESTEAD Homestead settlers may pay for their land in cash or warrants at the government price, $1 25 or $2 50, upon making proof o f actual residence and cultivation for a period not less than six months from the date of entry to the time of payment. This proof must be by affidavit of him" self or herself and two witnesses, made before the d strict land officers. Pre-emptors may change the'r filings into homestead filings, excepting that i - a settler have a pre-emption filing on an odd section within a railroad grant (i. e. taken before the land* were withdrawn for the railroad) the railroad righ would immediately attach to the land, if he attempt to make a homestead filing Absence from a homestead more than six months at any one time before the expiration of the Jive years, if proven to the satisfaction of the register after due notice to the settler forfeits all right to the land. To cancel a homestead entry, the grounds must be set forth in affidavit before the district land officers. They notify interested parties and after tnal send the testimony and their own opinion to Washington, for fiual decision. If returned cancelled the land thereupon be :oaies open to the first legal applicant. The fact that a person has had the benefit of the pre-eaiptiou act does not in any case interfere with his right to homestead. The fact that a person has had the beuefit of the homestead act does not prevent him from pre-empting, but no one can leave his or her own land in the same state or territory to take the benefit of the pre-emption act. Inasmuch as b th homestead and pre-emption require actual residence upon the land claimed, no person can hold laud under both acts at the same time. No person can pre-empt more than once. No person can homestead more th.in once. No perton can file a declaratjry statement for pre-emption if he has legally filed before. No person can make a secon> entry to a homestead unless the first entry was illegal Pre-emption and homestead rights or claims can neither of them be legally assigned. Such claims may be sold, but the seller must aband n the claim or resign his right to government, and the purchaser must immediately proceed in all respects a.s if settling upon unoccupied land, .excepting that he is permitted to occupy the house of his predecessor, instead of building another, but hi* right dates from filing, if on homestead, or settlement, if on pre-emption claim. ACQUIRING TITLE TO GOVERNMENT LANDS. 203 The right to a homestead dates from entry that is, from filing, -which holdg the land six months, but improvements must be made within that time. The right to pre-emption dates from settlement. Adjoining Farm Homesteads. Any person owning and residing o lew than one hundred and sixty acres of land, may homestead so much adjoining land as s v iall, taken with his original farm, make a value of not more than two hun- dred dollars, computing in tfeis estimate, the original farm at $1.25 per acre and the adjoining homestead at government price, whether $1.25 or $2.50 per acre, but if the origiHal farm be within a railroad grant, then the original farn musL b computed at $2.50 per acre. Residence upon adjoining homesteads is not required, but in all other respect the law makes the same requirements as it do s concerning other homesteads and cultivation is necessary. Claimants upon unsurveyed land ought to designate in some manner the boundaries of the land which they propore t enter, else othrs might make improvements which would, upon survey, fall upon the same quarter section. If settlers locate at least a half mile north or south, an i east or west from each other, they will each get a quarter section by the surveys. If two happen to fall upon the same quarter section it is usually divided between them, unless the first settler established the lines of his claim within which the resi- dence of the other was afterwards located. In this case the second settler gets nothing. Persons Iniying a claim on unsurveyed land should contract with adjoining settlers also, or the latter might claim the land thus purchased, from the fact that their settlement dates prior to that of the purchaser. Entering Town Sites. V\ henever any number of persons not less than 100, without regard to age, sex or nitivity, locate upon any public land, to which n prior claim exists, they may, any t me before it becomes subject to "private entry," enter said land as a town site. If there an 100 persons and less than 200, they may enter any amount not exceeding 320 acres. If more than 200 and less than 1000 inhabitants, they may enter not more than 640 acres. If more than 1000 inhabitant', 1280 acres, and for each additional 1000 inhabitant", not exceeding 5000, ! hey may enter a further amount of 32 ) acres. If incorpirated, the corporate authorities must enter, otherwise the Judge of the county court may enter for the benefit or the occupants, an 1 the land, or the proceeds thereof, shall be assigne 1 to the persons interested, it being divided according to the share to which each is entitled under regulations to be prescribed by the Legislative authority of the Statj or Territory in which the land is situited. In Kansas it is provided by law that a town site may be entered under abcfve named law of Congress, by the corporate authorities, or the Probate Judge of the county. See General Statutes of Kansas, p. 1073. Fees. Pre-emptors must pay $2.00 for filing a declaratory statement of In- tention to pre-empt. For reducing testimony to writing when claimant* estab- lish pre emptiou and homestead claims, fifteen cents for each hundred words 204 HUTCHINSOITS KANSAS. Fees and Commissions. For locating land warrants or Agricultural College scrip the following fees must be paid at the time of location : for a 40-acre warrant or college scrip, 50 cents each to the Regis' er and Receiver Total $1 00 For a 60-acre warrant or college scrip, 75 cents each to the Register and Receiver Total 1 50 For an 80 acre warrant or oollege scrip, $1 00 each to the Register and Receiver Total 2 00 For a 120-arre warrant or college scrip, $1 50 each to the Register and Receiver Total 3 00 For a 160-acre warrant or college scrip, f2 00 each to the Register and . Receiver Total 4 00 Homestead Fees. On purvey d lauds in California, Nevada, Oresr' n, Colorado, New Mexico and Washington, and in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Montana, the commissions and fee are to be paid according to the following 'able: 00 % u 23 3 ^ (V COMMISSIONS. FEES. Tot il Fees and Commissions. Payab'e when entry is made Payable when certificate issues 'ay able when entry i* made. 160 80 40 80 40 $1 25 1 25 1 25 2 50 2 50 $6 00 3 00 1 50 6 <)0 3 00 $6 00 3 00 1 50 6 00 3 00 $10 00 5 00 5 00 10 00 5 00 $22 00 11 00 8 00 22 00 11 00 For homestead entries on surveyed land in all other States Hnd Teriitories including Kanea a , fees are to be pa d oc<-ording to the following table: B I < 6, w 2 3 3^ COMMISSIOXS. FEES. To'al F"es and Commissions. Payable when entry is made. Payable wh- n certificate issues Pavable when entry is made 160 80 40 8(i 40 $1 25 1 '/5 1 25 2 60 2 50 $4 00 2 00 1 00 4 00 2 ( $4 00 2 00 1 00 4 00 2 00 $10 00 5 00 5 00 10 00 5 00 $18 00 9 00 7 00 18 00 9 00 Officers, soldiers and sailors, taking 160 acres of $2 50 land, must pay dou le the amount required as commissions, in either of the above table*, but the fees are not increased. OSAGE TRUST LANI>8. That portion of the accompanying map marked "Osage Trust Land," was opened to settlement under two distinct Jaws and 1 etice the n->rth rn two- ifif hs is frequently called "Trust Land," anpeka Land Office : Total sales 84,188 acres. I have not at hand a detailed statement of the business at the Topeka, Augusta and Concordia Land Offices, but it was not as great as at the other offices, as the two latter are new offices, and as most of the public land is disposed of in the Topeka Dis- trict. At Topeka there were sold during 1870, by private land firms, 276.750 acres, for the sum of $1,42 5,644. This is exclusive of large sales by pri- vate parties on their own account. In these figures, which are all taken from the books of the agents, the sales by the extensive *The Land Office was removed from this place to Balina in April, 1871. 208 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. ersin Junction City and Humboldt are not included, but it is fair to suppose that the private sales in these two places are more than Topeka alone. We then have the aggregate land sales in these three towns, for the year 1870 as follows : Humboldt United States Land Office 365 512 Topeka " " " " 81182 Private Land Offices 276,750 Junction Uty United St.tes Land Office 927 535 Junction City aiad Humboldt Private L,and Offices 30o',000 Total acres 1,953,979 The balance of private sales not reckoned in Topeka will make a grand total of at least TWO MILLION ACRES sold in the year 1870, in THREE TOWNS IN KANSAS. It is needless to encumber these pages with more dry figures, and the book is too small to exhibit the entire land business of Kansas, including the enor- mous sales of six or seven railroad companies, and of land agents and land companies without number. The fact that land agents issue for free distribution more than thirty large and handsome real estate papers, certifies to the extent of their business. But in order to give our eastern friends an approx- imate idea of the stupendous transactions here taking place in real estate, let us suppose that the sales in the remainder of the State are only equal to the sales in the three cities enumerated. This gives a grand total of at least four million acres. Divide this amount by 640, the number of acres in a square mile, and we have 6,250 square miles of land sold in one year, and mostly to actual settlers. Our minds more readily grasp the immensity of these transactions if we recall the fact that the State of Massachusetts contains but 7,800 square miles. There was sold or taken up in Kansas, chiefly RAILROADS. 209 by actual tettlers, during the year 1870, an area rf land almost equal to the entire State of Massachusetts. RAILROADS; There are DOW running in Kansas, (May, 1871,) according to the time tables before me, 1,393 miles of railroad, which has been almost entirely con- structed within the last two years. These roads have been built in part by the aid of government bonds, but three-fourths of our railroad lines have been called into existence by the demands of com- merce, and have been aided only by land grants and local subscriptions. Kansas is a grand battle-field for railroad kings, and this not as a matter of choice, but of necessity on their part. While there are in the United States many thous- and miles of railroad, it is apparent that most of the Northern lines are but parts of, or mere appendages to, four or five vast and powerful organizations which extend from the Atlantic seaboard Westward. These competing lines concentrate and contend at Chicago and St. Louis the two great cities of the prairies but the contest does not end in those cities. The trans-Mississippi region offers a vast business, which all desire, and it is the peculiar and fortunate situ- ation of Kansas that she lies in the pathway of these lines. The competing railroads of Chicago come to Kansas through southern Iowa and northern Mis- souri, and the competing railroads of St. Louis come to Kansas through central and southern Missouri. Here they do not concentrate at any one point, but by crossing each other, they establish points of competition in different sections of the state. Some run directly westward, to secure the trade of Colo- rado and the regions beyond ; others, southwest toward New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico, while others push directly south for Texas and the Gulf. 9* 210 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. If one were to rely simply upon a study of the map, it might appear difficult to assign any good reason why all these lines should come from Chicago and St. Louis to Kansas, especially some of those con- tending for the Southwestern, or still more those looking toward the Texas and Gulf trade. There are various causes which produce this result, and without professing to he familiar with the hidden things of railroad magnates, we may discover some of these causes upon the surface. The vast flow of immigration to Kansas was quite eufficient to induce the construction of several roads to our border, and it is believed, because it is evidently true, that this great tide of immigration is to con- tinue southwest when Kansas prairies are all occupied, as occupied they soon will be. Besides, the people of Kansas earnestly desired railroads, and have given that local aid which is necessary to secure the atten- tion of capitalists. Most of our railroads have land grants j but land grant roads in other States have been awaiting for years the advent of capitalists, and are yet unbuilt. Notably among these may be men- tioned roads in Arkansas, and this brings us to other reasons why the roads of Chicago and St. Louis do not make a straight line through Arkansas to Texas and the Grulf, instead of coming around through Kansas. The people of the former State have not been in a condition, and they are not altogether of the consti- tution to invite foreign capitalists to their State. Besides, there are engineering difficulties presented by the mountains of southern Missouri and Arkansas, and even if it was a level country, the cost of con- structing railroads would be greatly increased by the heavy bodies of timber occupying those regions. Southeastern Missouri chiefly, and almost the entire State of Arkansas, is a densely wooded country, and emigration moves and will continue to move RAILROADS. 211 around those forests, following the fair and fertile prairie, which awaits only the plow, and corn- planter, and wheat drill ; instead of the axe, and mattock, and grubbing-hoe. These prairies, diversi- fied by convenient groves and beautified by bluff and stream, extend from Kansas through the Indian Territory, New Mexico and Texas to the Gulf, and into the adjoining Republic of Mexico ; and while it is evident to men who build railroads that these prairies will soon be densely populated, the surface of the county is such that it is also actually cheaper to come through Kansas to the Gulf than to go directly across through Arkansas, while the vast mineral and agricultural wealth of New Mexico is to be developed by the aid of our Kansas railroads. The time is not far distant when Arkansas, too, will be checkered by railroads ; but she must await her time, and meanwhile two or three railroads will be built? from Kansas to the Gulf and to New Mexico. But the thought of these vast southwestern prairies brings us to the last, but, perhaps, the most poten- tial reason for the chosen railroad routes via Kan- sas. Our State is the outlet for the vast cattle hive of Texas, because they can be driven here over the- grass covered and abundantly watered prairies which intervene, while they cannot be driven through the timbered regions we have referred to. The extent of this trade is enormous, and for this trade all these roads are competing, and they traverse regions which, as already shown, are to supply the beef mar- kets of the world. Concerning our Southwestern roads they evi- dently are the shortest route from the cities named to New Mexico and the great Southern Pacific Hail- road, which, in a few years, is to be constructed by a short line to the Pacific Ocean, and in latitudea. where the snow never falls. 212 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Eailroad building has but just commenced in Kan- sas. It is safe to say that within three years, two railroads will be constructed from Kansas to the Gulf, and one or two more into New Mexico, and one or two others across the State to Colorado. The means for travel and traffic afforded by railroads is a ncessity of modern life. Every county must have at least one railroad, and when the people get one they only become more anxious for another. Within the next few years thousands of miles of railroad will be built in this State, enabling every farmer to reach New York in three or four days irom the time he leaves his own door. Many of our friends in the East, and in particular, associations representing the laboring classes, have made great outcry at the land grants by which Con- gress induces the construction ot railroads in the West. This honest but mistaken conviction is echoed by the political demagogues, who are ever 1 on the alert for a popular party cry. The people who have lived any length of time on the frontier are not opposed to these grants. What would Kansas, or Iowa, or Minnesota be to-day without railroads? And yet we all know that without land grants there would not have been a hundred miles of railroad in Kansas to-day nay, railroads would hardly have reached our borders, but for their encouragement by 4and grants in States east of us. Instead of ceasing to make land grants, Congress ought to give hereafter more land than ever before, for the reason that all along our frontier, from the British Possessions to the Gulf, the settlements have reached the borders of the timberless plains. There are very few places to-day east of the Ro-;ky Mountains where a pioneer can obtain for a home- stead, timber and prairie on the same quarter section. Therefore, a railroad is to him a necessity. He must timber and coal. Even where native hard RAILROADS. 213 wood timber is abundant, if people can have pine brought on a railroad, it is cheaper and better for building purposes. It is nonsense to say the necessary roads will be buih without land grants. Let the policy prevail that would stop all further land grants, and it will take a half a century to develop even the borders of our vast plain regions, equal to the growth and prog- ress they will exhibit in ten j^ears under a liberal land grant system. Even with land grants it is no easy matter to induce timid capitalists to build our roads, as those of us can testify who labored and waited many weary years for railroads in Kansas. EXCHANGE BANK, ATCHISON. 214 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. THE K. P. R. AND ITS TOWNS. First in order because the first read constructed in the State comes the Kansas Pacific Railway. This road has two eastern termini upon the Missouri river, one at the mouth of the Kansas river, and the other at Lea venworth, and meeting at Lawrence. The charter required the first named terminus to be at the mouth of Kansas river, on the south side thereof, which brings it to the State Line at Kansas City. This city is named from the Kansas river, but is not, as many suppose, in Kansas, but in the State of Missouri, and therefore does not demand our attention. WTANDOTTE is on the no^th bank of tho Kansas atd the west bank of the Missouri river handsomely situated upon the gently sloping bluff of these streams. A lively spring branch winds through the city. The trains of the K P. R. are made up here, and the machine shops are here located, employing several hundred persons. The Missouri Pacific Kailroad also continues through this city up the bank of the Missouri. The population is about 3,000. It is the county seat of Wyandotte county. About two-thirds of this county was origi- nally timbered, but about one-half of it has been cleared. The county Is noted for fruit productions. The State assessment for taxes is $3 per acre higher than in any othgr county in the State. Capt. Geo. P. Nelson, State Senator from this distric* bu It and commanded the first steamboat ever built in Kan- sas. There were five steamboats built hefe for the Missouri riv* r, of which but one is now running. The State Blind Asylum is located here, and numerous excellent business houses, residences and churches adorn the wide and graded streets. The K. P. R. from Wyandotte to Lawrence follows the Kansas river, and the traveller sees broad bottom lands from which the timber is being cleared for domestic uses, leaving fertile farms, but disfigured with the unsigtitly stumps and logs of clearings. No towns of importance are to be found along this die* tance of thirty-eight miles, although there are growing villages, and a few miles distant on either hand, is inviting and well settled rolling prairie. The stations are Armstrong, Muncie Siding, Seconding, Edwardsville, Tiblow, Lenape, Stranger and FaU Leaf. LEAVENWORTH is situated on the Missouri river, twenty-five miles by land above the mouth of the Kansas. It is the chief city in the State, having a population of about 25,000. It is the county 'seat of Leavenworth county. The site is untur- passed for a large city, consisting of a series of gentle rolls and slopes, giving: admirable building bites and draiuage, and covering an area of six or eight square mile 3 . This beautifully varied surface reposes in a vast amphitheatre, formed by the Missouri Bluffs, which rise to a bight of about three hundnd. feet, and sweep around it in crescent shape, each horn resting upon the river. With its paved levee upon the river bank with its miles of graded aad Macad- amized streets with its long rows of three and four story brick and iren blocks with ita numerous and weil filled wholesale stores of all classess with its banks, its hotels, its schools, its gas, supplying all parts of the city THE K. P. B. AND ITS TOWNS. 215 Its princely residences and churches with its four handsome daily papers with its large machine shops and manufacturing establihments T eavenworth is entitled to be called the metropolis of Kansas. Photographic views, else- where presented, are sufficient evidence of the character.of the buildings. The largest and most ornate church edifice west of St. Louis is the Cathalic Cathedral of this city. As illustrative of the churches, a view is presented o*" the Baptist Church. Leavenworth also has the honor of furnishing a United States Senator in the person of Hon. Alex. Culdwell, who was recently elected to serve a term of Six years from the 4th of March, 1871. Two miles above the heart of the city is Fort Leayenworth, from which the city derived its name and from which the inhabitants of the city have derived great gain by furnishing army supplies. This is not a fortified poet, but a little city of handsome residences for officers, and commodious quarters for soldiers, with arsenals and depots for quartermaster's and commissary stores. It is the headquarters for the Department of tke Missouri, and th base of tuppliea for all the vast region extending into and beyond the Rocky Mountains. It Was located here because of the excellence of the site and of the river landing Since the advent of railroads, the Missouri has lost much of its Importance, but it served a good purpose to the cities upon its banks, and it is, in summer, a competitor in freights which reduces them to a much lower rate. The Mis- souri *s navigable by large steamboats a distance of twenty-five humdred inile g above Leavenwoith, to Fort Ben ton, and four hundred and fifty miles in the other direction to its confluence with the Mississippi. The elegant, substantial and expensive bridge which is soon to span the Missouri river at this point, is illustrated and described elsewhere. Lack of space prevents an extended description of the railroads corcentrating at Leavenworth, and the leader is referred to the a' companying map for details upon this point, not only concerning Leavenworth, but all other towas and cities of Kansas. Tue Misbouri Pacific enters the city on the river bank, connecting northward with the Cer tral Pacific at Atchison, with the St. Joe and Denver at Troy, and with the Union Pacific at Omaha. The North Missouri has its depot on the opposite shore of the Missouri where, at the east end of the bridge, concen- trate also the Hanuibal and St. Joe, and the Chicago, Rock Island and South- western. Other railroads west and south are projected and will scon be built. Leaving this city by the K. P. R.. we cross a country presenting the usual charming variety of Kansas landscape. It has but lately passed from the ownership of the Indians, but already smiles with the fruits of labor, and sup- ports promising villages along the railroad. This country, extending to the Kansas river, was the home of the famous Delaware tribe of Indians, who figured so conspicuously among the " Six Nations " of early American history, and who furnished from their Kansas home the guides and hunters who accom. panied John C. Fremont in his "paih finding" excursions across the Rocky Mountains. The stations between Leavenworth and Lawrence are : Peniten- tiary, Fairmount, Big Stranger, Moore's Summit, Tonganoxie and Reno. 216 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. LAWRENCE, thirty th-ee mils distant from Leavenworth, is situated upon the south bank of the Kansas River. Here is presented a good illustration of the formation of second bottom, with b'uff and outstretching rolling prairie in the back ground, wai'e on the north side of the rivf-r is to be found the bottom proper. A village of more than a thousand inhabitants a city indeed has in the latter location clustered around tne railroad buildings, and is known as North Lawrence. Hero it is that the K. P. Company are constructing their machine shops. But Lawrence which was demolished and sacked the Lawrence of which the world has heard, and which was named "the historic cit^," in a baptism of blood and fire this city is on the south bank 01 the Kansas River. It covers two or three square miles of undulating and well drained second bottom, while an outsUirt of elegant residences has crept up the bluffs and crown their bights. The ma ; n street, " v assachnsetts," a name significant, as is " Tawrence" itself of the Ynk re the days of Pacific railroads, lead to California. It has four churches, hotel, stores, etc. It is named from th: ee large springs on : he site. Here was held the first Free State territorial convention, and here encamped in the surrounding rarines, the men ho had determined to make Kansas a free state. Nearly opposite to Perry station is the town of Lecompton, which was tie Territorial capital of Kansa?. It has a population of about 400 per pie, and here is located a thriving imtifutiou ol learning known as Lant University which is under the care of the United Brethren Church. TOPEKA. At a distance of twenty-eight miles from Lawrence, and sixty-six miles from the Missouri river, we reach Topeka, the capital of the State and the county seat of Sbawnee county. Its population is about eight thousand. This city, like Lawrence, has a sister city north of the river North Topeka, which, with its bank, whole ale grocery store and other establishments, gathers around the railroad depot considerable business. Crossing the Kan- sas over the handsome iron bridge, which is shown in the engraving, we ea'.er Topeka proper. This bridge deserves a passing notice, because it is at once so cheap, so ele- gant and so durable. It has six spans, each one hundred and fi:ty feet long and eighteen feet wide in the clear, with a sidewalk on each side The height of the arches is sixteen feet. They are composed of boiler plate and cylinder iron, united together, so as to form a tube nine by thirteen inches in size. Each arch has two iron chords, upon which rest the joist and floor, and each of these chords are six inches deep and three-four.hs of an itch thick. The chords and arches are connected by struts and braces, wh'ch distribute the strain uniformly. TLe entir* structure is of iron, excepting the floor and floor joist, and it rests upon cut stone abutments and piers. This bridge was brought from the manufactory of Z. King & Co., Cleveland, Ohio, but so great is the demand in this country that extensive works for their manufacture have been established at lola, Kansas, which are illustrated and described elsewhere. It is interesting to note how extensively and for what a variety of purposes iron is now used in place of wood, and how admirably its imperishable sub- stance is adjusted to these uses. We have been so long on this bridge, that the turbid appearance of the waters beneath must have attracted our attention, and we are convinced that the Kansas is called the " Little Muddy " not less appropriately than tfce Missouri is named the "Big Muddy." Topeka covers a wide extent of country. The portion towards the river rests upon a series of gentle rolls which run out into level lasd, while at the rear the site t lopes southward to a creek which is skirted with timber. The 10 218 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. main street the broadest avenue to ba found in the State ia well defined by adjacent business houses and residences all the way from the bridge across a bit of level ground, and over a prairie roll down to the creek above mentioned., nearly two miles from the river. This creek rejoices in the name of Shunga- nuaga. It must not be inferred that streets are usually narrow in Kansas, but " Kansas Avenue " is one hundred and twenty feet wide, which makes it one of the broadest in the State. The buildings of Topeka are largely built of brick and stone, and it has many handsome business houses, one of which the Kansas Valley National Bank is represented by an excellent illustration. The Capitol, Episcopal Female Se.n ; nary and Lincoln School all speak for themselves by the illustrations p-esented. The Washburn College, a Congre- gational institution of promise, is located here. Topeka is supplied with gas. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R:ulro:id extends southwest from Topeka and is about to be completed northeast to Atchison. It is the intention soon to build railroads east to Leavenworth, and also lines extending north and south from the city. Recrossisg the bridge we are again whirled westward over the K. P. B., up the broad valley and across what was lately the re-erve of the Pottawatomie tribe of Indians. Silver Lake, Rossville and St. Mary's are stations on this line, and at St. Mary's the Catholic Church, which had a prosperous mission here among the Indians, have ereoted two large school edifices. This is a thriving station with 600 or 800 inhabitants. WAMEGO, the central station of the Kaw Valley division of the K. P. R., is one hundred and three miles from the Missouri River, and contains a popula- tion of about 1000 inhabitants. As a fresh engine is taken from the round house located hire and the train stops "twenty minutes for dinner," we have time to notice that the town is commenced near the river, on a high and dry bottom, whence the main street ascends gently northward until it reaches the summit of the low bluffs, To speak of the scenery is to describe in advance the view that meets the eye at nearly all the towns along the Kansas, or its tributaries, or indeed any other stream in the State. Far-reaching bottooas or alluvial meadows, which are one, two, or three miles wide, winding river and stream, abrupt or sloping bluff and rolling prairies, which extend until they meet the skies in the distance. The^e constitute the views which one never tires of gazing upon in tbeir endless variety, but of which the reader would weary if we attempted to describe them in detail. LOUISVILLE, the county seat of Pottawatomie county, is located upon Rock creek, eight miles north of Wamego. It contains a number of business houses, mechanic's shops, and about four hundred inhabit ints, and is on high bottom land, between two streams. A good flouring mill is run by a constant water power. There is also good unimproved water power on Vermillion Creek and on the Big Blue. Beyond Wamego is St. George, with its excellent water power, and one hun- dred and eighteen miles from the Missouri is THE K. P. AND ITS TOWNS. 219 MANHATTAN. This town is situated upon high bottom and sloping bluffs at the junction of the Big Blue River with the Kansas. Two of Kii g's iron bridges are being thrown across these streams. Upon the former river, about three miles distant from the depot, is a splendid water power. Upon the rock bottom a stone dam is built, three hundred feet long, and over this pours in an unbroken sheet the bright waters of the " Blue." This furnishes a fall of twelve feet. A large flouring and saw mill is the only machinery to which this great power is at present applied. Near here resides II. C. and G. W. Chaffee, sons of Judge N. L. Chaffee, of Ohio, who have a herd of fifty-six head of thoroughbred Short Horn cattle. A life-like cut is given of one of these animals. Manhattan has a population of about 1500, with the usual number of business houses, churches, &c. The State Agricultural College, of which mention is made elsewhere, is located upon the commanding bluff which sweeps along the Blue almost into the town. The Adams House, built and owned by Maj. N. A. Adams, which we illustrate, is a building of vhich any young city may be proud, and its large, airy rooms and excellent appoint- ments would do credit to an old city. We enter the region of the beautiful maguesian limestone at Manhattan, and this hotel, as well as other buildings, including residences and churches, is built of it. This gives the town a neat and substantial appearance. Railroads from the north are expected to follow down the Big Blue to Manhattan. This is the county seat of JRiley county. We must hasten westward, passing Ogdf.n and Fort liiley, and reaching JUNCTION CITY, one hundred and thirty-eight miles from the Missouri. It ta situated near the cenfluence of the Smoky Hill and Republican Rivers, which unite to form tha Kansas. This city has a population of about 3000. It is built upon the crown of a low bluff or prairie roll, between the streams a"bove mentioned. Its location, relatively to the surrounding country, is such as to command an extensive trade, even from the remote frontier. The Mis- souri, Kansas and Texas Railroad comes into th's place, and will soon be pushed northwesterly, up some one of the attractive valleys in that region, while other roads will be built north and south. There are unimproved water powers in the vicinity, among which is reckoned a point on the Republican, adjoining the town, at which, by cutting a race way. in bottom land, three- fourths of a mile long, the entire volume of the stream may be turned into the Smoky Hill with a fall of twelve feet. Five miles west of town is an excellent unimproved water power, but one mi!e from the railroad. Six miles east is a good flouring mill, run by Clark's Creek, which is fed by springs. Three Howe Truss bridges span the stream in the vicinity of Junction City. Extensive quarries of magnesian limestone have been opened here, which cuts with a cross-cut saw like wood, and large shipments are made of the blocks. It is largely used in building in the town. A beautiful little church has been erected of this material, of which I am glad to present a view, and also the following extract from a letter from Geo. W. Martin, dated Junction City, January 13, 1871. " We are having the finest job of frescoing done oa 220 that church to be found in the State." This is very high praise, for there are many elegantly frescoed churches, halls, etc , in Kansas. Junction'City is the county seat of Davis county. The Republican and Kansas Rivers form the dividing line betwem Riley and Davis counties. Fort Riley, but three miles distant, is the source of considerable business to this city. The residtnce and farm of His Excellency, General James M. Bar- vey, Governor of the State of Kansas, is a few miles north of Fort Riley, near Yinton P. 0., in Riley county. Leaving Junction City the K. P. R. follows np the broad valley of the Smoky Hill River and we pass the stations of Chapman's Creek and Detroit. We have hitherto been travelitg through a country where unimproved land call be bought at from five to ten or fifteen dollars per acre, but we are now enter-- ing the vast homestead area of Kansas, where homesteads may be obtaised within a few miles of the railroad. The Enterprise Flouring Mills, near De- troit, are asserted to be the "finest in Central or Western Kansas, drawing: patronage from a half dozen counties and from a distance of nearly a hundred miles." ABILINE, one hundred and sixty-two miles west of the Missouri is pleasantly situated upon a small stream at a distance ot two miles from the Smoky Hill, and is the county seat of Dickinson county. Its population is about 800. It ia a thriving place, having made itself extensively known as the headquarters for th eastern shipment of Texas cattle over this road, although the trade ia d.v ded with other towns. The buildings are of a suLstant : al character and everything betokens prosperity. In this coun'y Hon. Ezra Cornell, the founder of Cornell Uuniversity at Ithica, N. Y., has established a large stock farm for the breeding of fine stock. His importations will be of immense value to that region. The "Albany Cultivator" states that he has brought 25 head of thorough-bred Short Horns to Kansas. Proceeding westward we pass Solomon City, located upon the high banks of the Solomon River. This stream, after watering a broad and fertile valley in Northwestern Kansas, two hundred and fifty miles long, empties itself into the Smoky Hill, near Solomon City. This town seems to be so situated as to command considerable trade, and near it are located the salt works already Alluded to. SALINA is one hundred and eighty-five miles west of the Missouri and was laid out by Col. Wm. A. Phillips. It did not make rapid progress until after the construction of the K. P. R. It is surrounded by a fine agricultural country, which is quite well settled. There are farmers near here who hare averaged fifty bushels of corn per acre for the last ten years. The town has its usual quota of schools, churches and business houses, and its population is about 1300. There are shipped from here about 15,000 head of cattle annually. It is the county seat of Saline county, and commands the trade of extensive set- tlements to the southwest. In 1866 buffalo were killed within two miles of THE K. P. R. AND ITS TOWNS. 221 Salina. They do not now come nearer than 75 miles to the west. There is ft very good unimproved water power on the Saline river near Salina. The U. 8. Land Office is located here. Proceeding westward past Bavaria and its flourishing colony, we reach Brookville, at a distance of two hundred miles west of the Missouri. Here the Kaw Valley Division of the K. P. R. terminates and the Smoky Hill Divis- ion commences. The company are erecting expensive railroad buildings For this purpose an excellent quarry of red sandstone has been opened beside the railroad track near here. We are now fairly within the region of buffalo grass, where all the uplands are covered with this nutritious herbage, although the wide bottoms to the extreme western part o r the State produce tall grassef. As showing the demand for accommodations for shipping stocV, it may be mentioned that the railroad company have stock yards at Brookville, at which ceven cars can be loaded at once. The stations of Spring RocTc, Elm Creek, Summit Siding and Fort Barker are passed to bring us to ELLSWORTH. This town is situated upon the Smoky Hill. We left this stream at Salina, and crossed the prairies a distance of thirty-seven miles, instead of following its wide southern detour. The town is surrounded by a fine farming country, and well adapted to sto-k raising. It is the county seat of Ellsworth county. It is of this reg'on that Rev. J. Sternberg speaks in his exce'lent letter from Fort Harker, near which small military po-.t his farm is situated. The country intervening between here, Fort Hays, Hays City and Ellis, ia little settled as yet, as the railroad has not been long completed. The later place is three hundred miles from the Missouri River and is a division statione upon the railroad. Wide bottoms and fine farmiug lands are to be found here. This country cannot long remain unoccupied when there are so many people in the world without lands, which here are ready for occupation. We are now on the great buffalo range of the North American continent, where as many of this monstrous game as one desires may be killed at pleasure. The State extenls about one hundred and twenty miles west of Ellis. The western boundary line has not been established by survey, but it is on the one hundred and second degree of longitude west from Greenwich. The supply of timber gradually diminishes west from Junc'ion City, and beyond Salina it iff only found on this route in narrow belts and isolated greoves. The line of the K. P. R., t'y some mystery of engineering, was located upon tha divide, or watershed, between the Smoky Hill and Saline Rivers, the entire distance of two hundred miles west from Ellsworth to the State line. The traveler sees for a good pirt of thit distance a hiijh rolling surface, pleasant to look upon, because of its gentle undulations, but comparatively desti ute of running water and timber. But out of sight, at a distance of a few miles on each side, may be found an abundance of running water, sheltering bluffs for a'ock, and a small supply of timber. 222 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS.- The following description of this country written in April last, is extracted from the official report of a committee of the Chicago Colony, sent to Kansas to select a location : 'The climate here is very mild, vegetation being already several inches high. We experienced no inconvenience from lying on the gronnd for several nights, with nothing but a buffalo skin for a bed. We should call this the paradise of cattle and consumptives. Here swarmed countless thousands, the buffalo, elk, the antelope and deer. "So far as the committee could discover, all the requisito conditions are here fulfilled. 1st. A climate of surpassing salubrity. 2d. Cheap lands, with a rich soil. 3d. Water and timber. 4th. An unsettled country, inviting to immediate county organization, where under our own auspices, all the initial work of education and civil and religious institutions could be commenced." This report elsewhere spefks of coal in abundance, and explains the matter of timber by showing that it is found in limited quantities only. There is much more timber in Western Kansas than has been supposed until lately, but the amount is very small compared with Eastern Kansas. "The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," is what emigrants want, and what this book is intended to furnish, so far as space will permit. The K.P. R. continues westward from the State line to the Rocky Moun- tains, or rather to Denver, which is twelve miles east of the mountains and six hundred and twenty-eight miles west of the Missouri River. From Denver the same company operate the Denver & Cheyenne R. R. to Cheyenne, one hundred miles north of Denver, on the Union Pacific R. R. The K. P. R. is also building branch roads into the mountains of Colorado, and will soon construct a line throrgh the mountains towards Salt Lake City. The Land Commissioner for the Kansas Pacific Railway is Hon. J. P. Devereux Lawrence, Kansas. The lands of this road are also sold by the National Land Company, who have effaces along the line, and al~o in New Yoik and Chicago with headquarters at Topeka. THE C. B. U. P. R. R. AND ITS TOWNS. ATCHISON is the eastern terminus of the Central Branch Union Pacific Rail- road, and is situated at the extreme western elbow, made by the Missouri River in its windings along the eastern border of Kansas. It has a popula- tion of about 8000, and is lighted with gas. It is the county seat of Atchison In tne configuration of its surface the site presents every variety desirable In a town, whether of level low land, sloping rolls or towering bluffs, so that one may live on hill or in dell, as suits one's fancy. It is of course well drained, and a streamlet here enters the Missouri, after coursing through the town. This city is a place of extensive business and is headquarters for the railroad of which we are speaking. The Missouri Pacific terminates here, and THE C. B. IT. P. R. B. AND ITS TOWNS. 223 the Atchison and Nebraska railroad continues northward, cro sing the St. Joe and Denver Railroad at Troy, and is rapidly pushing north to connect with the Nebraska system of railroads. The Atthison, Topeka & Santa Fe Failroad has its northeastern terminus here, although not yet completed between this place and Topeka. Upon the opposite bank of the river is the North Missouri Railroad, connecting with the St. Joseph \ines. Loaded cars cross the river on a steam ferry. In its banks, business houses, churches, schools and residences, Atchison can vie with many cities in the east, which are fifty or a hundred years old. The people of Atchison point with commendable pride to theii Central School building, which cost about $45,000. It stands upon a site where a similar structure was burned but about a year before this was erected. It contains ten school rooms, each 28x33 feet, with commodious wardrobes, and has an audience room 33x60 feet, with rooms for appara'us, etc. The first thing done in our live Kansas towns is to build a church and a fine school house. The C. B. U. P. extends one hundred miles west to Waterville, and on this line there are nineieea stations and towns. Many of them are but just starte', as the road was recently completed, but there are about seventy or eighty bto res on tha line, dealing in groceries, notions, produce and dry goods. The first station is Farmington, twelve miles west of Atchison, located in a fertile and populous farming region. This description applfes to all the land along this road in fact, excepting as you proceed westward, the country ia newer and more sparsely populated. Monrovia, upon the Stranger Creek, and Effingham, which is the .11. R. station for Grasshopper Falls, being pavt we come to Muscotah, which is one of the largest and prettiest towns on the road. It is located upoa the banks cf Grashopjer river which here furnishes a fine water power. It is the home of U. S. Senator Pomeroy, who has here an excellent and well improved farm. Mjaor W. F. Downs, General Superintendent and Land Commissioner of the road, who resides at Atchison, also has a ca-efully selected farm at this place, and these ger tleme as shown on our map. The country through wlrch the road will be bu'lt, is among the most des rable in the State, .being supplied with everything that is neoded to support a dense population. THE ST. J. & D. R. R. AND ITS TOWNS. 225 THE ST. J. & D. R. R. AND ITS TOWNS. The Saint Joseph & Denver City Railroad commences on the west baak of the Missouri River, at El wood in Kansas, opposite to the city of St. Joseph, Missouri. From the little village of Elwoocl the read runs across the Missouri River bottom, a distance of about six miles to "W ATHENA This city, of about 1,500 inhabitants, is the largest town in Doniphan county. It is situated just within the valley of Peter's Creek, where the latter opens from the bluff on either side into the Missouri River bottom. Th3 stream furnishes a good water power, which is improved by a flouring mill and woolen factory, while another mill is run by steam. The public school building is claimed to be one of the finest in the State. A railroad is projected down the Missouri bott m to Doniphan, in the southeast portion of the county, there to intersect the Atchison ve reached that portion of the Neosho which runi nearly south, and the depot for Humboldt, on the M. K. & T. R. R., is on the west side of the river, while most of the town is on the east side. The Leaven- worth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad also enters the town on the east side. The latter road keeps upon that side of the river for some distance, and the two roads cross each other ten miles below Humboldt. The attractive town site is near the junction of two creeks, with the Neosho river, giving to the suppert of the town extended and fertile valleys. Coal is found in abundance ia this couaty. This town was laid out in 1861, but being twice p : llaged and burned by rebels during the war, male little progress for several years. But of late its growth has been vigorous and healthy. Its inhabitaats number about 2000. There are a number of good buildings here, churches, schools, etc. One of King's Wrought Iron Bridges connects east and west Bridge street, a beautiful avenue a mile in length. In addition to the two. roads men- tioned, another east and west road connecting eastward at Fort Scott, it is confidently believed will be constructed very soon. A view is given of the bridge and two business blocks in Humboldt. Following our M. K. & T. R. R. down the east bank of the Neosho, we reach TIOGA and NBW CHICAGO, two towns recently located side by side, at the crossing of this road and the L. L. & Q. R. R. These towns, situated on the lowland and bluffs of the Neosho, are growing so rapidly that they must soon find it for their interest to adopt a common purpose and a common name. Our friends in the remote east have little idea of the ameunt of business transacted in one of our town*. In good weather, the principal street of all our towns is crowded with teams, and the sidewalks thronged with a busy, and oftimes a motley throng. A friend informed me, for instance, that he recently counted two hundred farm wagons in one day in the streets of New Chicago and Tioga, which were drawn thither by ordinary business demands. 232 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Near here lives W. S. Irwin, who. represented in the State Legislature last winter a more numerous constituency tban any other member rf the House of Representatives. He has been five years in Kansas in the nursery business. He has fruited the Concord, lona, Israella No. 1, Delaware, Ivei Seedling, Rogers' Hybrids No's. 4, 9 and 15, and the Rebecca, all of which he commends for his region. He discards the Catawba and Isabella on account of mildew. He mentions particulai ly, what all have observed who have < aten grapes in Kansas, that the Ccncord and other common varieties are far superior in flavor to the same varieties grown in Eastern States. The first house was built in New Chicago June 27, 1870. Now, in less than one year, it numbers many hundred. The combined p pulation of these two places probably reaches about 2000. Southeast of these towns is Erie, on the east side of the Neosho river, a town which has been very rapidly built. It is on h gh bottom land, and is said to contain more than a thousand inhabit ants. About eight miles southeast of Erie is OSAGE MISSION, a thriving town on the line of the road from Fort Scott to Parsons, called the Sedalia Branch of the M. K. & T. R. R. I have not vis ; ted this place, and have not received touch reliable information about it, but it is said to contain more than 1500 inhabi- tants, with all the elements of progress common to Kansas towns of this size. Beyond N( w Chicago the road leaves the immediate vicinity of the Neosho (although still in the broad valley when miles away,) and makes a cut-off by crossing into the headwaters of the Labefte. After passing for a few miles Over a rolling prairie of easy grade, as is shown by the elevations on our map, it again approaches near to the Neosho. The character of this entire valley has hardly been alluded to, but it is unsurpassed for the extent of its well tilled bottoms, for the abundance of timber and water power, and for the rapidity with which it has been filled with an active thriving population. Passing the station of Ladore, we reach PARSONS, beautifully situated on a prairie roll, between the Labette and one of its tributaries. There the eastern branch of the M. K. & T. R. R. comes in from Sedalia, Mo., via Fort fcott. By this route through trains now rwn'to St. Louis. At Pareons are to be erected offices, machine shops, round houses, etc., such as will be commensurate with the importance of a railroad, which, with its various branches, will in time embrace little less than 1000 miles of track. Labette City is a village of about 4CO people on the east bank of the Labette river, in a well settled country. Seven miles more brings us to OSWEGO, the county seat of Labette county. A recent travtller who has been often over the route, describes Oswego as "the same substantial good town f improving steadily, surely." It has a population of about 1500. It is located a short distance from the Neosho on a bluff which comes abruptly to the river on its west side. Never failing springs abound and an excellent water power is improved with flouring and saw mill. The village of Montana, a ftw miles distant, has mills, etc., and about 250 inhabitants. All this region is plentifully supplied with coa). Ten miles from Oswego is THE L. L. & G. R. R. AND ITS TOWNS. 233 CHETOPA.. This thriving young city is situated on the west bank of the Neosho river and near the scuth'line of tne state. Chetopa is southwest of, and distant seventeen miles from Columbus, on the Missouri River, Fort Scott o to build a road directly west from Plattsburg, in Missouri, 35 miles to Atchison. This will necessitate the construction of a bridge across the Missouri river at this point. The A. T. & S. F. R. R. will use the track of the C. B. U. P. R. R. for a few miles, as shown on our map, aud will strike across the divide and s .uthwest down a tributary of Grasshopper river, which it will cross at, or in the vicinity of, Grashopper Falls. This village of about 800 inhabitants is pleasantly situated, chiefly on the west bank of the stream. It has a very good water pewer, while but a mile distant is another, and they furuish power to run two flouring mills, and a woolen factory. The town con- tains five or six church buildings, which fact tlls its own story about the char- acter of the peuple. Six miles above the village is another wate. power now being improved, while three miles down the stream from the village is another mill, and at Osawkee, 10 miles below Grashopper Falls, is a flouring mill run by water. All these water powers are on Grasshopper River. In the south part of this county -n this stream, are the towns of Medina and Perryville, on the K. P. R. R. The latter has a population of about 500. About 14 miles southeast of Grashopper Falls is OSKALOOSA, the county seat of Jefferson county. It is built on high rolling prairie, at the head of several streams, which flow froai numerous springs in and around the town. The place ii nearly surrounded with timber. Firewood sells at three dollars per cord. The population is about 900. No liquor saloons have ever been permit- ted in the town. A large court house and public school house built of brick, with trimmings of Junction City stone, and an elegant Protestant Episcopal Church, also built of biick, adorn this highland village. From Gr^ssh ,pper Falls to Topeka there are as yet no towns, although vil- lages will sooa spring into existence, after the railroad is completed. The A. T. & S. F. connects on the north side of the Kansas River, at North Topeka, with the K. P. R. Crossing the Kansas river on the railroad bridge built by the former company, we arrive at the depot, machine shops and gen- eral offices of the road, located on the eastern border of the city of Topeka. This city waa fully described in the article relating to the K. P. Railroad, and we continue on our way southward. Wukarusa station is located in the fertile valley of the river of that naiae, and is the natural centre for a good country. About six miles to the westward is the village of Auburn, pleasantly located THE A. T. & S. F. R. R. AND ITS TOWNS. 243 in the Wakarusa valley. The next station is CarbondaU, where extensive coal mines are opened, and a large amount of coal delivered. From this point a railroad is projected to follow down a creek which heads near by, and H^on reaching the Wakamsa, its valley will be followed to Lawrence, there de'iver- ing coal, and giving the A. T. & S. F. R. R. connection with the railroads which run eastward from that cit.. . The next town is BDRLINGAME, one of the county seats of Osage county. At an election recently held, a majority of the votes were declared to have been cast in favor of LYNDON, but the election was contested, and meantime the county offices are held partly at one place and partly at the other. The popu- lation of Burlingame ia about 800. The attractive town site in located on a email stream, and a large and elegant public school house stands upon a con- spicuous eminence. There is now being erected a woolen factory, in which new and excellent machinery will soon be placed. It will be run by steam, ai the eoal mines near at hand supply cheap fuel. The elegant stone buildimg ia 130 feet long, with Mansard roof. An extensive wag >n manufactory is in ope- ration here. Passing the station of Peterton, located in the rich valley of Dragoon's creek, vre reach Osage City. Here are also extensive and valuable coal and other mineral deposits, which are described under the heads ''Stone Quarries," and "Paint." This town has net long been in existence, but it appears to be flourishing. Following eastward from this village, by stag, down the valley of Salt creek, a distance of eight miles, we reach the new and enterprising town of LYNDOIC, already referred to. This town was laid out March 7, 1870, by a company of which Hon. L. D. Bailey, late Judge of the Supreme Court, is president. Six months afterwarJ, the Judg- informed me in as delicate a manner as possible, evidently a little fearful 1-st he might hurt my fe lings that his town had beaten the fi'.-st six months growth of Ottawa. Of course (in my view) language would fail to express higher encomium upon their success. The town now contains about 700 inhabitants. Coal is easily obtained, and the country has filled up rapidly with actaa'. settlers. East from Lyndon, near the county line, and near the confluence of Salt Creek with the Marias des Cygnes, is the town of Quenemo, formerly the agency of the Sac and Fox Indians. The celebrated warrior, Black Hawk, was a chief of this tribe, and a son and namesake of Ke-o-kuk, the equally cele- brated friend of the white man, is now a chief of the tribe in the Indian Ter- ritory, where they recently removed. Mr. Wm. Whistler, a remote descendant of the tribe, who lives at Quenemo, and last winter represented Osage county, in the State Legislature, informed me that the last buffa'o killed east of Council Grove met their death in June 1?48, when a Sac and Fox hunter killed three, near the present towu site of Quenemo. In returning to thj Atchi-on, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, we will diverge southward from the route by which we came to Q'lenemo, and pa?s up the broad valley of the Marias des Cygnes, a distance of about twenty miles to the THE A. T. & S. F. R. R. AND ITS TOWNS. 245 town of Aroonia. This place was founded as a Welch settlement by J. Mather Jones and others, but includes people of various nationalities, and has become a village of considerable size. Proceeding a few miles further up the valley, we enter the new but promis- ing town of Heading, lately laid off as a town and railroad station. The sur- rounding lands are largely in the hands of eastern capitalists, who have the ability to build a good town at this point. There are a few things however, which are in general absolutely necessary to success in town building. There must bo displayed, among other things, liberality, energy and printers' ink. Eastern capitalists are not infrequently totally oblivious of these necessities. They general expect to " keep the cake and eat it too." I am glad to be in- formed, however, that Reading is in the hands of parties who are disposed to do the fair thing for immigrants. Continuing our journey by railroad we pass the station of Horton, cross the Neosho River and arrived at EMPORIA. As the city has been fully described herein, we hasten westward up the broad and beautiful valley of the Cotton- wood, and pass the new station of Toledo. As the cars have been running but a few weeks, there is but little to indicate where the stations are to be. COTTONWOOD FALLS, eighty-two miles from Topeka, is nearly in the centre of Chase county, of which it is the county seat. The rapid stream affords an excel- lent water power, whick is improved by a. saw and flouring mill. The stream is crossed by one of the King Wrought Iron Bridges. The town is pleasantly located, chiefly en the south side of the river, upon an undulating prairie roll which overlooks the valley. It contains about 500 inhabitants, and with the advent of the railroad is growing rapidly, as it is the shipping point for a great extent of fertile country to the southward. Westward from Cottonwood Falls, up the river a few miles, is a good mill at an excellent water power, and also another water power eight miles below the town. The stations of ElmdaU, Hunts and Cedar Point occur in succession as we pass up the valley. The latter village is a short distance from the depot, nestled under a bluff on the south side of the Cottonwood upon which are growing a fringe of Red Cedar trees. The river affords at this point a good water power, which is well improved. Florence is a new town in Marion county, laid out about iix months ago and now nsmbering in population some hundreds. It is built upon bottom land at the junction of Doyle creek and the Cottonwood, and promises to be a place of considerable business. There is aa excellent water power here, waiting to be improved, as are many others on this excellent stream. The Cottonwood valley is, I think, among the most picturesque in the state. The bottoms are from one to three miles wide, and on either side excellent inagnesiun limestone crops out, at the top of the steep bluffs which wall in the vaTley. The stream is moderately well timbered, and abundant creeks and rills break through the bluffs and enter it from the north and south. A marked characteristic of the scene, is the regularity with which the bluffs and projecting 246 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. strata of rock lessen in height as we ascend the stream, until at Florence they are but a few feet above the level of the bottom lands. Hnge rocks are laid in the abutments and culverts along this road, almost as they came from the quarry, with little use of hammer and chisel. For the most part they project themselves from the bluff, or have fallen part way down its side, and are ready to be transported to their near destination. Northwest from Florence, and in the Cottonwood valley, at the mouth of Clear Creek, is the village of MARION CENTRE, the county seat of Marion county. It is in the midst of the best farming land in the county. Two fine ana con- stant water powers are here awaiting capital for their improvement. The railroad leaves the C ttonwood at Florence and follows up Doyle Creek to the new village and colony of Conesburg, now Peabody, which was first opened to settlement in December, 1870. It is located on the north side of Doyle Creek. A splendid tract of country lies around and to the south of this place. There is very little timber in this region, but the soil is good and water abundant. From this place the road continues its southwest course over the divide, separating the waters of the Cottonwood and the Arkansas rivers. At a dis- tance of fifteen miles from Peabody is Newton, the last station yet located en this road. It is on a tributary of the Little Arkansas river, called Sand Creek, where said creek is crossed by the old Texas cattle trail. At this writing, May 10th, the cars only run to Florence, but they will run into Newton about July 1st, and the will road immediately be continued westward. The first house was built in Newton during the last ten days, but there is already a good deal of excitement in that vicinity as to its prospects. To the south and a little west of Newton, near the Little Arkansas, is the small village of Sedgwick, while still farther in the same course, on the banks of the Arkansas River is Park City, located where the new Texas cattle trail crosses the river. WICHITA, the county seat of Sedgwick county, is situated on the east bank of the Little Arkansas, at its junction with the Arkansas River, and is twenty-five nrles south of Newton. It contains abcut 800 inhabitants and is a very active, thriving business place. The settlements in this county have nearly all been made within the last year, and there are yet thousands of beautiful claims to be tak n under the pre-emption and homestead laws. Until this country was awakened by the speedy pro -pect of a railroad, very few were inclined to locate there. I visited Sedgwick county for the first time during this spring, and I think the Arkansas Valley the finest val!ey in the State, so far as the lay of the land, and excellent soil and water are concerned. It is not better than the Kansas valley perhaps, excepting in extent. The Arkansas valley is here from tea to twenty miles wide, and instead of being absolutely flat, is varied by very gentle rolls. The soil is a deep, rich loam, and is very quick and warm, a:.d it contains cocsiderable black eand. By digging three or four feet th: ough this soil one ent f ;rs,Mn places, a composite layer of clay and gravel of irregular thickness, while in other places near by, the subsoil is entirely a compact bed THE A. T. & S. F. R. R. AND ITS TOWXS. 247 of gravel or coarse sand. Beneath the composite strata referred to, one also strikes upon the gravel and sand sub-oil. Here is displayed a striking s\stera of sub-Irrigation. Th? Arkansas River rises in the Rocky M untains, and its banks are full during the growing reason, owing to the melting snows in the mountains; but, although appareu'ly ready to carry desolation all arouud by overflowing, it never does overflow, but underflows ; nstead in tl: n nor-tis sub- soil of the valley. By capillary attraction, it is evident that a p. rtion of thia water is drawn up within rea-h of the r>ots of growing vegetation. It is to be noted however that the roads are excellent, mud drying quickly after a rain. Throughout this enMre region, water is obtained by digging a frw feet on the uplands, as well as on the bottoms, and small flowing streams are common on OXFORD WILEY, NO. 8,753. [Owned by N. L. C^ affef, at Manhattan.] the prairies. The water is pure and soft. There is in this vicinity but little rock, magnesian limestone and gypsum being found in the eastern porti n of Sfdgwick county, and red sandstone in the western po'tion. There are indi- cations of coal, and the Lignite variety will undoubtedly be f^und in this valley; but coal will be transported on the cars from the mines in OsRge county, so as to retail for twenty-five to thirty cents per bushel. Timber ig fotind in limited quantities, but the people have adopted the herd law, by which every man cares for his own stock, and little fencing is needed. The law star ds for five years, during wh'ch time hedges will be grown. Iron ore has been discovered in the northwest portion of the county. 248 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. All things considered, the Arkansas valley is probably amsng the moat attractive portions of the state for settlers at this time. This valley grows parlicularly fine vegetables. In short it is unsurpassed for the production of all tilled crops, while the region but a few miles southwest, described by Mr. Honeck on page 109, will furnish illimitable stock range summer and winter for m5ny years, as it is not adapted to dense settlement, but almost every square mile in Sedgwick county will furnish excellent tillage land. Captain Henry Booth, who is favorable know to many Kansas men, having been a resident of Western Kansas for fifteen years, and for some time Post Trader at Fort Lamed, thinks more rain falls on the Arkansas bottoms in that vicinity than falls generally in Kansas anywhere west of Junction City. The river is wide and being at a higher stage of water ic the summer season, he thinks it causes rain in its immediite vicinity. He has been familar with that region for tan years, and has full confidence that these wide bottom lands will prove to be very productive. The small streams of that region he says are fed by springs (which flow out so near the bed as to be out of sight in high water) and the streams are never dry. The stock range is the best he ever saw. Messrs. Beal and Boyd and others, took 1,500 head of Texas cattla into the vicinity of Ft. Lamed in October last, and out of the lot about 20 died, the remainder wintering in good order on the grasses, with no other feed excepting salt. Of the rough land south of the Arkansas Kiver, in the vicinity of the Big Bend, he speaks very highly as a pastoral region. The water is good and abundant, and the grass of excellent quality. The Buffalo killed there in April of this year were, fat after wintering on these grasses. He confirms the account of abundant and delicious wild fruits. All these statements are also confirmed by J. M. Steele, Representative from Sedgwick county, who is famil- jar with that country The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad has not been pushing its line -very rapidly until this season, but its valuable land franchises are now in the "hands of a powerful and enterprising corporation, and the road will speedily be constructed up the broad valley of the Arkansas River and one of its tribu- taries to New Mexico. Passing through the boundless grazing and tillage ilands of that territory, awakening to life the solitary place-i, and developing the mntold mineral wealth of that region, it will pass on by the shortest and best line to the Pacific Ocean. It will also have such branch lines as the varied interests of its tributary regions may demand. The most valuable salt deposits in the United States are on the immediate southern border of Kansas, and will be developed by this road. The general direction and the excellent country for the most part, through which this road passes, must make it a very important route. Since writing the foregoing I have had the pleasure of an interview with several of the officers and directors of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Rail- road, who have recently (May, 1871,) explored the country on the line of their road, through Sedgwick, Rice, Barton, Rush and Pawnee counties, extending their trip via Fort Zarah, to Coon creek, 18 miles beyond Fort Larned. They THE A. T. & S. F. R. R. AND ITS TOWNS. 249 followed the bottom lands of the Arkansas on their outward trip and returned on the upland prairies, 15 to 20 miles from the river. They report excellent grass and good soil throughout the entire route, even the uplands through the counties of Barton, Rice and McPherson as well as Sedgwick, showing a smooth even sod of blue stem the most valuable of our prairie grasses over almost the entire face of the country. Good building rock was also found in many places, abundant indications of coal were noticed, scattering groves of timber were seen, many running streams were crossed, and everywhere the settlers have found pure soft water at a depth of six to fifteen feet on the bottoms, and from twelve to thirty feet on the uplands. They saw and heard of numerous wells, and in but one instance did they learn of a well deeper than twenty-five feet. The water is uniformly found in gravel and is soft (good for washing clothes) although the surface soil appears to contain an abundance of lime. Mr. W. 0. B. Peabody, Resident Engineer of the road, informs me that the genuine Kentucky Blue Grass was seen by him in many places, especially in the vicinity of the old Santa Fe wagon road. This road having been traveled for many years, as already explained, by teams from the Blue Grass regions of Missouri and Eastern Kansas, these teams have scattered the seed along thf roadside for many miles to the westward. But Mr. Peabody assures me that he saw many thickly set and thrifty patches of blue grass at a distance from the Santa Fe road, which he is confident have sprung from seed conveyed by buffalo. He has spent many months in the best Mue grass regions of Kentucky, where the exercise of his profession called him across a succession of fields set to grass, and he is confident that this grass in the Arkansas valley is the identi- cal Kentucky Blue Grass. This testimony is vastly valnable, for it settles the question, " will blue grass grow in Western Kansas." I have already shown how rapid and certain is its growth in Eastern Kansas, but I have supposed that we must await experiments before attempting to answer the above ques- tion. It is true there is every indication that it would succeed on the best lands in Western Kansas. It is also true that I hare been repeatedly informed by persons of apparent reliability that they had seen Kentucky blue grass in Western Kansas. The evidence is conclusive that some kind of blue grass 3*ows in many places in those regions, but not understanding kow the Ken- tucky Blue Grass could get into that country, I have called it the Kansas blue grass. The explanation of Mr. Peabody is, however, entirely satisfactory, as the buffalo would naturally transport to a considerable distance the blue grass seed they would crop in their ramblings across the Santa Fe road. In Eastern Kansas, cattle will in two or three years seed the prairies, in places, for miles around a blue grass pasture. I am now satisfied that the farmers in Saline, McPherson, Lincoln, Ottawa and other counties, were correct in their conclu- sions that they had discovered small patches of Kentucky bine grass in that region, which were annually spreading and driving out the buffalo grass. The General Manager of the road is T. J. Peter, and its lands are sold by Laud Commissioner D. L. Lakin, of Topeka. This road sells on long time, as do all Kansas Railroads, but this Company has also devised a plan whereby a 250 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. liberal deduction of about one-third is made to actual settler* in consideration of improvements upon the lands. The road bed, the masonry and all the appointments of this line are most excellent, furnishing in themselves a satis- factory guaranty, aside from the high reputation of the officers of the road, that this company will construct a first class through line. TOWNS NOT HERETOFORE DESCRIBED. All the villages and cities of any importance, situated upon a railroad, or within a county through which a railroad passes, have a" ready been described. It is deserving of notice, for the benefit of Eastern readers, that by the word "town" we mean a village or a city. Subdivisions of laud, each six miles square, are called townships, but every collection of houses is called a town in the West, and occasionally, the inhabitants call their place a city before there are many houses to be seen. Wabaunsee County contains no towns with more than a few hundred inhab- itants. ALMA, the county seat, is situated on Mill Creek, which stream fur- nishes excellent water power toward its mouth. Near the stream, below Alma, is Newbury, and in the central portion of the county is Eskridge, In the northwestern portion of the county, on the Kansas River, is Wabaunsee, a village laid out by the Connecticut col ny, which came to Kansas, u^der the management of C. B. Lines, in 1856. The colony was cal'ed "Beecher'a Sharp's Rifles." from the fact that Henry Ward Beecher presented to each male member a Sharp's rifle and a Bible. This county, as well as Pottawotomie county, and a large portion of Jackson and Shawnee counties, was largely in the po session of the Pottawotomie Indians until recently, and therefore the land thus held is but sparsely populated. Washington County is on the north line of the State, and Little Blue River runs through its northeastern portion, affording excellent water power at Hanover and EallarcTs Falls, both awaiting development. The county seat is WASHINGTON, a town of about 500 inhabitants, situated on the north side of Mill Creek, on undulating second bottom. There is here a water grist mill and saw mill, and also others six miles down the stream. Coal has been little developed, as wood is delivered at $3.50 par cord; but there is coal in abund ance, and it is used by blacksmiths, which tests its quality. Republic County, next west of Washington, is abundantly watered, the Republican River running across its western portion, which is described by the letter from Mr. Warner. New Scandinavia is situated on the east bank of the Republican, and has fine unimproved water power. BELLVILLE, the county seat, is situated centrally in the county, on high table land a very little rolling. It is between Riley and Salt Creeks. This central portion of the county although high, is said to be good tillage land, while the valleys are excellent. Jewdl. County, is but sparsely settled, the first emigrants going in the spring of 1870, but many hundred families have gone there and into the reg'on beyond. JEWELL CITY is the county seat. It is very favorably spoken of. TOWNS NOT HERETOFORE DESCRIBED. 251 Mitchell County south of Jewell, has in its limits two thriving towns. Caw- ker City is situated in the northwest portion of the county on the north iide of the Solomon, at the confluence of the North and South Forks of that stream. Other streams also enter near here, making this place the centre of a number of valleys and giving a good supply of timber, much of which is hard wood. There is here a good steam saw and grist mill. Fast of this place, and nearly in the centre of the county, is BELOIT, the eounty seat, beautifully situated on the south bank of the Solomon River, which is also thriving apace. The sur- rounding country is highly spoken of. Osborne and other counties to thd west of Mitchell, are watered by the South Fork of the Solomon and its tributaries. Settlements are just beginning to extend into this attractive coxmtry. Lincoln County lies south of Mitchell. The Saline River runs through its entire length, furnishing one or two water powers. The county is well watered and is highly prized by its citizens for stock purposes. A good deal of blue grass is faid to grow upon the bottoms, furnishing winter feed. Abram has recently been laid out near the centre of the county as county seat. Another town is being laid out by the side of a water power in ihe western portion of the c uuty. Magnesian limestone rock extends entirely across the bottom of the river. Messrs. Ira C. & H. S. Buzic, S-hemerhorn, Green, Powers Lyden Barrett, Penny Freebon and otters, each wintered from 500 to 1,000 head of cattle upon the native grasses, and they came out in very good order, with small loss. Others did this all thorugh Western Kansas, but I mention these names because tbey were furnished me by a friend who is acquainted with the parties. The Lincoln County Gazette \ras established at Abram since my list of papers was put in type. Ottawa County is a fine county of land, both for farming on the wide bottoms of the Solomon and Saline and tributaries, and for farming and grazing on the uplands. The county seat is MINNEAPOLIS, situated on gently rolling -prairie on the east side of the Solomon River near the mouth of Pipe Creek, a con- siderable stream of constant running water. A dam 120 feet in length extends across the Solomon, built on rock bottom, and a flouring and saw mill is con- stantly running by water power. Lindsay, two miles below, also has a water power not yet improved, a short distance below the town. At Delphos, on the Solomon in the north part of the county is a water power, and also on the Saline in the southwestern corner of the county. T. E. Scott keeps about 700 head of sheep in this county, with profits that are entirely satisfactory to him- self. Jacob Campbell and many others keep large, droves of cattle. Cloud County, situated north of Ottawa, is watered both by the Republican and Solomon Rivers and their tributaries. CONCORDIA is the county seat, and a!so contains the United States Land OflSce for the Repu 1 lican Land District. The town was located in 1870, on the south side of the Republican River, on second bottom and bluff land. The site is a beautiful one, and the town is growing rapidly. Clyde and Shirley are thriv- ing villages on the Republican, in the northeastern part of the county, and 252 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Olascoe was lately laid out on the Solomon, in the southwestern part of the county. It is in the region of the Republican River that are found the salt marshes described by Professor Mudge. I am informed by B. H. McEckron, Representative from this county, that there flow into the Republican in this county, three timbered streams on the north side of the river, and thirteen on the south side. A few miles north of Concordia a valuable coal mine has recently been opened, from which coal is carried forty miles, to Waterville, and there used for blacksmithing. The eastern half of this county is red sand- stone formation, and the western half Magnesian limestone. Clay County lies eastward of the last mentioned county, and the Republican River runs through the county from the noi th western to the southeastern cor- ner, with numerous tributaries, while Chapman's Creek winds through the southwestern part of the county. CLAY CENTRE is the county seat, and is situated on the north side of the Republican. The site slopes gently to the southwest, and a stream, fed by living springs, courses through the lower portion of the town. They have erected a stone school house and Baptist church. A flouring and saw mill stores, &c., also are to be found here. Republican City is situated near the river of that name, and is in the centre of the county. It was recently laid out, but has stores, a hotel, drug store, Ac. Bituminous(?)coal is found in this county, of very good quality ; and lead ore has recently been discovered in the northern portion of the county, which, by analysis at St. Louis, yielded ninety per cent, of lead. A company is organ- ized to test its value. On the Republican, in the southeastern portion of the county, is Wakefield, a thriving village, in an excellent country. It was laid out by an English colony, under the charge of Rev. Mr. Wake. This county contains fine lands, both for cultivation and grazing. We have thus rapidly glanced at the northwestern unties of Kansas. All that this region needs for its thorough development,, -is railroads. There are no land grants yet made for that section of the state, but if by granting every other section, two or three railroads could be constructed through that region, it would be vastly better for all. Eighty acres, five miles from a rail- road, is better than 160 acres, fifty miles from a railroad. Railroads will soon push into this country, as the attractions of these valleys are too great to remain much longer unawakened by the whistle of the locomotive. But if no land grants are made, local subsidies will be necessary, and these can only be made available in the form of county, township or city bonds. Crossing the Kansas Pacific Railway, the only organized county in Cen- tral or Western Kansas, of which we have not spoken, is McPherson. This county is watered in the north part by the Smoky Hill River and its tributa- ries, and the Little Arkansas passes through the southwestern portion, receiv- ing Turkey Creek, which rises in the central portion of the county, and is timbered with hard wood. The wide bottoms along these streams, are excel- lent agricultural land, and the county is well watered, affording fine range TOWNS NOT HERETOFORE DESCRIBED. 253 for stock. LINDSBORO, formerly known as Sweedale, is situated on the north bank of the Smoky Hill River, and is the county seat. It was located by the "1st Sweedish Agricultural Colony," organized in Chicago, under the direction of Rev. 0. Olsson and others. In the eastern part of the county is another Sweedish colony from Galesburg and Berlin, Illinois, Rev. A. Dahlsten pastor. These gentlemen have organized two large and flourishing Lutheran churches. The country is excellent, and some large stock farms have been opened. A Kentucky colopy is located on the rich lands of Gypsum Creek, in the eastern part of the county, and there are good settlements in the south portion of the ceunty aud excellent land. Of the country west from this county, I have already spoken sufficiently in detail. This entire Arkaasas Valley region, with the valeys of its numerous tributaries, will soon be noisy with the hum of busy multitudes, who will be making homes, planting crops, trees and hedges, and building railroads and towns. The town of Atlanta was lately located centrally in Rice county, by an enterprising company. Crossing the fine county of Sedgwick, already described under the head of of the A. T. & S. F. R. R., we enter Sumner County, which is on the south line of the state, and entirely within the " Osage Lands," which we have already shown are for sale to actual settlers only at $1.25 per acre. The Arkansas River passes through the eastern portion of this county, and this, with other streams, sufficiently waters a very excellent country. The first settlers went into this country during the spring of 1871, but it is rapidly being occupied. It is not yet organized, and I do not know where its principal towns- are situated. Sumner is a magnificent county. The country west of Sumner county has been but little explored. Its valleys are highly spoken of for cultivation, in the letter published from Mr. Honeck r while its uplands are evidently unsurpassed for grazing, and it must be a good fruit region. COWLET COUNTY lies east of Sumner, and is watered by the Arkansas, which flows along the western line of the county a distance of 25 or 30 miles, and also by the Walnut, a fine stream which runs through the central portion of the county and empties into the Arkansas River near the State line. Near the confluence of these streams is Arkansas City, which was laid out in the fall of 1870, and contains several hundred inhabitants, and is rapidly improving. A pontoon bridge is about to be built across the Arkansas River at this place. North of this place, and at the junction of Timber Creek with the Walnut River is WIWPIELD, the county seat of Cowley county. It is situated on second bottom and overlooks the broad and beautiful valley. Two water powers are here fovind, and there are numerous water powers in the county. This county has timber, stone, coal and as good land as lies out of doors. Winfield was laid out by B. C. Manning in January, 1870, and contains 500 or more inhabitants. This entire county is within the 0?age Trust Lands. Butler County Moving northward up the Walnut we cross the county line and soon reach the village of Douglas, which L&B a valuable unimproved water 254 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. power. Twelve miles up the Walnut is Augusta, which is the seat of tne U. S. Land Office for this district. It is a new place, but is rapidly improving, and is said to contain more than 500 inhabitants. It is situated at the confluence of the Whitewater and Walnut rivers, with a water power on both streams. Twelve miles above Augusta is ELDORADO, the county seat of of Butler county. It is a thriving and substantial town, with about 600 inhabitants, built on gently sloping second bottom, at the junction of the main Wa'nut with the West Branch. It has an unimproved water power. There are many other water p wers in this county, as the streams are all rapid and fed b\ numerous large springs. The Walrut valley is one of the fiest p. rt;ous of Kansas Its railroad facilities are yet undetermined, but it is probable that a road will soon be constructed from some po'ut on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, down this rich valley through Butler and Cowley counties, while other roads will penetrate this region from the ast. Eastward from Butler is Greenwood county, also a very valuable connty of land, and with an abundance of tiaiber, stone, water and water power. The Verdigris and Fall River com so through this c unty from north to southeast, furnishing water power every few miles, and receiving numerous tributaries. Two mills are now run by water. Good coal has been opened iu various parts of the county. EUREKA is the county seat, and the only town of importance in the county. It is centrally loca'ed, on Fall River, and contains a population of about 800, and is a town of substantial growth and character. Greenwood Oity has been recently laid out near the eastern line of the county in an excel- lent farming region. Eureka will undoubtedly be connected with the world by rail at no distant day by a line running eastward, but probably the first railroad she obtains will be a branch from the L. L. & G. R. R. at Ottawa via Burlington. Wilson County lies southeast of Greenwood, and is also well watered by Fall R ver and Verdigris, which run through the count , receiving many tributaries, and unite near the southern border. At their confluence is Neodo- sha, a thriving town with a population of about 800. It has water power and three good mills, a grist mill and a three foot vein of coal, one mile from town. At FREDONIA, the county seat, and Fall River, above Verdi, on th i Verdigris, and at Guilford, Altoona, Coyville and Jackson's Mills, are improved water power.-. Fredouia and Altoona are towns of importance. Buffalo is a post- office and village in the northeastern portion of the county. Montgomery County is south of Wilsoc, and like that county, is almost entirely within the Oeage Trust Lands. It is the eastermost couaty on these lands, and has settled with great rapidity, and its lands, especially the valleys, are highly esteemed by the settlers. It is watered by the Verdigris River and its tributaries. INDEPENDENCE, on this stream, and in the center of the county, is the county s at. It is a thriving place of nearly a thousand inhabi- tants. The Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad is now being com- pleted diagonally through this county to the south line of the State, but at this writing I am not in'brme ! as to its route. The couuty is well supplied with coal, timber and stone, farker is the second largest town and is IRRIGATION. 255 located in the southeastern portion of the county. There ia an abundance of water power in the county, and a number of mills run by water. There ar also several villages, among which are Radical City, Elk City, Coneyville, Ennis- ville and Liberty. Howard County lies to the west of Montgomery, and is also entirely within the Osage Trust Lands. It is watered by Elk River, Big Caney, Middle Caney, and many other smaller streams The county has an abundance of water power. Thrre is a great deal of fine Bottom laud in the county, but perhaps it has not so large an amount of tillage laud in comparison with the grazing laud, as the adjoining counties. It is rapidly settling, but there are many choice farms yet to be taken at $1.25 per acre. I am not able to say what Is the county seat, as the question has been in dispute. Longton, Elk fhllsa.ud Peru are the principal towns in the county. The first settlers went into the county but a few months ago, but the population Is rapidly increasing. IRRIGATION. I think the only stream in Kansas from which water can ever be used to any considerable extent for irrigation, is the Arkansas .River. The benefits of irrigation are in demand only during about three months of each year, while crops are growing, and at that time the streams in Kansas, as everywhere else, unless fed by mountain rivlets flowing from perpetual snows, are at their lowest. It is true that upon small streams, dams may be made, and by erect- ing windmill pumps at wells, reservoirs may be filled, but for extensive operations in irrigation, the Arkan- sas is the only stream that can be relied upon. Not only is this stream at its highest stage during the summer, but its banks are everywhere low, so that water may be taken from it without difficulty. The fail of the Arkansas River in the Indian Territoy is estimated by Mr. O. Chanute at two feet per mile. In Kansas, the country rises much more rapidly to the west, and the fall of the river is probably two or three times these figures. In Colorado, main irriga- tion ditches are given a grade of from two to five feet per mile, accroding to that excellent authority, the Rocky Mountain News. The Arkansas therefore 256 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. has fall enough for irrigation purposes, especially when we take into consideration its numerous windings. Another important element in this discussion is the character of the soil to be irrigated. I have not made anything like an exhaustive investigation of this subject, but it appears that a sandy soil is essen- tial to success in irrigation. It is probable that a clay soil would retain the water so long as to bake the surface and injure the roots, and from a few experiments made in this State I think the same thing true, but to a less degree, of our prairie loam. It is questionable whether there is much land in Kansas, excepting in the extreme western portion, that is adapted to irrigation, and I am quite confi- dent that with deep tillage, there is little land in the State that needs irrigation, excepting in the extreme western portion. Some however have supposed, not from experiment, but from the appearance of the soil, that the Arkansas Eiver region, above Fort Dodge, would be benefitted by irrigation. If this be true, we may look to that vicinity for magnificent irrigation operations within a very short time. While in Colorado recently, I obtained a few items upon this subject which may interest the reader. The city of Denver is irrigated by a ditch which is carried along a gentle eminence, rising at the eastern outskirts of the city. The water is conveyed in a com- mon ditch, which is about three feet wide and three feet deep, although usually of greater width than depth. At convenient distances, conductors made $f four, 2 inch pine plank, 6 to 12 feet long, are placed in the lower bank of the canal. The lower end, or mouth of all these troughs, extends beyond the em- bankment to prevent washing. At the upper end is a gate, which may be opened to any desired hight, indicated upon it in inches, and when in place it is fastened with a strong padlock. The water is con- veyed from the largest ditch to a set of smaller ones, IRRIGATION. 257 from which it is distributed through troughs with gates, as above described, to still smaller ditches, which run through the city at the edge of the side- walks, and from which it is taken into the yards and gardens. The ditch gates in Denver vary from 8x8 inches to 16x16 inches in size. The price for water was formerly $5.00 per year for a single lot of 25x125 feet. Farmers above the city are supplied from this ditch at the rate of $3.00 per square inch. That is, a gate is opened to such a hight as to make an opening, say 32 inches square. The gate is then locked, and the water flows through the opening dur- ing the entire season, which the farmer conducts upon his land in such manner as suits him. For this he pays $96.00 for the season. When a company owns a ditch, the price varys from $2.00 to $3.00 per inch. Usually, however, the farmers co-operate to construct and own a ditch themselves, when the cost is considerably less. It is ordinarily calculated that from one-half an inch, to one inch of water is required through the growing season, to each acre irrigated. One farmer told me he irrigated 35 acres with 20 inches of water, and that it required one man to attend to the irrigation during three months time. The water was applied to every portion of the ground about once a week, running in one set of small ditches ten or twelve hours, and then turned onto another part of the field for the same period. The engineer of the G-reeley colony reports the com- pletion of a canal 26 miles long. The cost of exca- vating was $22,669, there being 107,949 cubic yards at 21 cents per yard. It would seem that there is some mistake in the figures, for a ditch of the above size would only convey about water enough to irri- gate 3,000 acres, allowing one-half inch per acre. This would be quite expensive irrigation. Fre- quently water is taken from streams at a trifling 258 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. expense, but ordinarily it may be said that the cost of water for irrigation, varies from 50 cents to $3.00 per acre, each year. ALTITUDES. No pains have been spared to obtain the correct elevations of different places in Kansas above the ocean level for use on the accompanying map. The Superintendents and Chief Engineers of the various railroads kindly furnished me the levels of their respective lines, but no two were from the same base. In order to arrive at the altitude above the ocean, I applied to Mr. O. Chanute, of Kansas City, Chief Engineer of the M. E., Ft. S & G%, the L. L. & G-. and the A. & N. E. Eailroads, and whose scientific accu- racy is well known. Mr. Chanute informed me that by the levels of the Mobile & Ohio E. E, high water of 1849 at Columbus, Kentucky, was 308i feet above tide water at Mobile. The levels of the Illinois Central and Ohio & Missis- sippi E. B. from Columbus via Cairo to St. Louis, corrected by test levels over the Iron Mountain E. E. from Columbus show the St. Louis Directrix to be 403 feet above the Gulf. Mr. Chanute has not been able to obtain what he considers entirely reliable figures showing the elevation of the mouth of the Kansas Eiver above St. Louis, but according to the best data at his command, the bottom land at State Line and Kansas City, on which is situated the Union Depots, is 748 feet above tide water at Mobile. The fall of the Missouri Eiver he reckons at 0,664 feet per mile, making St. Joseph, 109 miles up the river, 820 feet above the ocean. Denver at the foot of the Eocky Mountains in Colorado Territory, 638 miles west of Kansas City by the K. P. K. is 6,100 feet above the ocean level. NOTE. The elevation of Newton on the A. T. & S. K. K. is not correctly shown D the accompanying map. It should be 1,445. PRODUCTIONS OF KANSAS. 259 PRODUCTIONS OF KANSAS. It would seem that enough had been said about the productions of the State, but I am in receipt of such questions as these: Can you raise vegetables in Kansas ? Can you raise sorghum in Kansas ? Is it a good country for hogs ? etc., etc. Perhaps some of these questions have not been directly answered in the preceding pages. Kansas is an excellent country for vegetables and vines. Mellons grow in profusion. The best Irish potatoes grow on land which has in it the most sand, and a crop should be planted for summer use as soon as the frost is out of the ground, and then a crop planted in June for winter use. Some persons cover their potatoes with straw instead of earth, at plant- ing, dropping the seed in a furrow. Potatoes are always of good quality, and produce a good crop if planted in this way. This is an excellent country for sweet potatoes, and by packing them in dry sand in tight boxes or barrels, they are kept through the winter nicely, in a cellar of moderate temperature. Cellery and asparagus also thrive. A gentleman in Leavenworth blanched his cellery successfully, by letting it grow thickly together on rich land, instead of heaping earth about the stalks. The leaves shaded the stalks so completely that they grew tender and white. Sorghum is a crop which has never failed. Even during the famous " dry season " its long roots found sufficient moisture below the surface another proof of the value of deep cultiva- tion. Peanuts are easily grown here on our lightest lands. In short, anything that grows in the States east of Kansas in this latitude, or farther north, can be produced, cheaply in profusion here. Sod corn is grown by planting corn on newly turned prairie sod, cutting through it with an ax or spade. The seed is put in this opening, and the planter presses the sod 260 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. with his foot as he walks along. No after culture can be given, as the sod is too tough to be cultivated, but weeds do not appear the first year, and from 20 to 40 bushels of corn may be grown if planted before June. The sod rots the first year, and afterward plows easily. HOGS. Concerning fattening pork, a large number of our best farmers lately gave their opinions through the Kansas Farmer, that they can grow corn at the present prices for labor, etc., at 40 cents or less per bushel. They agreed, as do farmers generally, that corn fed in the ear, will produce ten pounds of pork for each bushel of corn. This refers to fattening hogs after they are grown to proper size, and means that a hog in fair condition and of decent stock, weighing 250 pounds, can be made to weigh 350 pounds by feeding 10 bushels of corn. In raising hogs, our farmers have but recently commenced upon what is to be a system extensively practiced, and that is to graze them on red clover, winter rye, sor- ghum, etc. Some farmers pasture sheep or young -cattle on winter rye during the winter, and then let it grow and ripen, and turn hogs in to harvest it. The object is save labor and thereby increase the profits. Perhaps it is out of place, but I must protest against the notion of some people that it will not pay to use fertelizers. Deep plowing, and rotation of crops, will keep our lands in good heart for gen- erations probably, yet it will pay to apply all the manure that is made on a farm. Farmers in Illinois, Iowa, etc., have found this out, and Kansas farmers are also beginning to learn it. MANUFACTURES. 261 MANUFACTURES. While it is true that Kansas is to be pre-eminently renowned for stock raising, agriculture and fruit growing, it is not less true that with our water power and cheap coal, certain branches of manufacturing will prove very remunerative. Aside from flouring mills, the demand for which is apparent and is not half supplied, there should be many more agricul- tural implement manufactories. It is needless to say that the demand is extensive and incessant and constantly increasing, and it is evident that such material as is not to be found in this State, can be shipped here for a less rate than can cumbersome machinery after it is put together. The same is true of wagons, carriages, etc. In the manufacture of woolen fabrics of coarser grade, there certainly will be great profit, as the material is at hand, and the market is extensive both here and in the newer regions south and west. Cotton can be obtained cheaply also, as it is grown successfully in the Indian Territory which lies immediately south of us, and our railroad lines, will within a year, penetrate the vast cottonfields of Texas, which are less than three hundred miles distant from our southern State line. The following extract from the Bulletin of the Na- tional Woolen Manufacturers' Association, furnishes conclusive testimony as to the adaptation of the West to the business of manufacturing goods of common grade: "The advantages legitimately claimed by the western manufacturers are, the saving of transporta- tion on both raw material and fabrics; the facility of sending directly to customers no commissions being paid to middlemen in the large cities and the public sentiment of the consumers in favor of the products of their own region, which is encouraged by the confidence that the goods are honestly made. It is 262 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. evident from facts observed by us, that the "West will hereafter rely to a large extent upon the products of its own mills for ordinary cloths, and that the East must relinquish this market, or compete by cheaper productions, or a higher class of fabrics." FREIGHTS. The following table, furnished me by Messrs. Bidenour & Baker, Wholesale Grocers, at Lawrence, shows that freights between Kansas and the East are very reasonable. Goods from New York are delivered at the Missouri River cheaper than at most of the towns in the interior of Illinois. The strife between the various through lines, which com- pete for the increase trade of Kansas and the west and southwest, is sufficiently dwelt upon under the head of Railroads, and it is there shown that this competition is no inconsiderable item in the long list of causes which bring so many people to Kansas and make them so prosperous after they get here : TABULAR STATEMENT of the rates of freight per hundred pounds, betwem the various cities mentioned, and the State of Kansas at the Missouri river January 1, 1871. Prepared by Messrs. Ridenour & Baker, wholesale grocer*, Lawrence, Kansas. FIRST CLASS. SECOICD CLASS. THIRD CLASS. FOURTH CLASS. New York $2 60 $2 03 $1 69 $1 14 2 60 2 03 1 69 1 14 Philadelphia 2 60 2 03 1 69 1 14 Pittsburg 1 70 1 20 1 00 85 1 40 1 05 85 60 Cincinnati 1 00 75 75 90 75 65 45 St Louis 60 40 40 30 Buffalo 2 40 1 85 1 50 1 05 Cleveland . . . .... 1 70 1 20 1 00 85 Toledo 1 70 1 20 1 00 85 Detroit 1 70 1 20 1 00 85 Chicago 1 00 75 75 50 Quincy 60 40 40 30 FREIGHTS. 268 The above are winter rates. Summer rates are about 30 to 50 per cent less. First class rates from, New York and Boston to the Missouri River are now, May 1, 1871, $1.84 per hundred. First class includes household goods well boxed ; and on some roads, second had furniture, well boxed, accompanied by passengers, but most railways charge double first class rates on these articles, except by special contract. Agricultural implements, by special contract, and farm wagons in pieces, are first class. Also, dry goods, boots and shoes and general merchandise. Classified lists showing in what class any particular article will be rated, can be seen upon application to any railroad, or freight express agent. There are many articles, especially in the fourth class, upon which special rates can be obtained by shipping full car loads. Immigrants to Kansas are also enabled to make contracts for greatly reduced rates per hundred on their household goods, furni- ture, farming implements, farm stock, etc. Messrs. Eidenour & Baker estimate that the rates of freight of the same class going east are about one-third less than they are coming west. Wool, sacked, is classed by all roads between here and the eastern cities, at one-and-a-half times first class rates. At the present rate of $1.84 cents per hundred from New York, freight on wool would be $2.96 per hun- dred. Deduct one-third for eastern bound freight, and it leaves $1.98 per hundred. In shipping by the car load, less rates can be obtained. But it is safe to calculate that the wool grower not only raises his fleeces at the trifling cost already described, but he can then ship them to New York or Boston for two cents per pound. How can eastern wool growers compete with these advantages ? 264 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. WHEN TO COME TO KANSAS: There are many evident reasons why it is better to come to Kansas now, than to come a few years hence. The census of 1880 will show the prediction of Horace Greeley to be true, " that ten years will give to Kansas a population of one million of inhabi- tants." The increase of the last five years has been at a much higher proportional rate than this, and emigration is likely to increase rather than diminish. It needs no argument to show that it is better to be in advance of, rather than than to follow, this tide of human beings. In a few years the railroads will all be built; the towns established; the water powers improved, and high prices for land and lots will pre- vail. Lands which can now be brought for five or ten dollars per acre, or taken as homesteads, will then be worth thirty to one hundred dollars per acre. Mill seats with good water power can now be had without expense, by those who will improve them. Coal mines that are to yield enormous profits may now be purchased at a nominal cost, and land can be bought for a song, upon which busy villages and towns are speedily to be established. One takes a sleeping car in New York and reaches Kansas in three days fresh, vigorous and ready for business. He finds towns already established with as good churches, schools and society as in any eastern town, but which are soon to double or treble their population. If he prefers fresher fields for enterprise, or cheap lands for tillage, the railroads will take him in a few hours where he can purchase at low rates and on long credit or, by continuing his travels a day's journey from the depot he can find free Homesteads and " Land for the Landless." Nor is this all. It is quite unnecessary to take risks in founding towns, and making valuable im- provements. Town building has come to be a legiti- HOW TO COME 10 KANSAS. 265 timate and important part of railroading in the west, it is quite useless for private companies to attempt to rival railroads in this line, and so town building is no longer a doubtful and dubious business. The railroad system is now so well established in this state that it is not difficult to tell about where the lines will run, and to select localities where good towns will find support, but where there are now limited improvements and low prices. So also, to one who seeks a farm in the interior, there is not the uncertainty as to the future which prevailed a few years ago. It is now settled that every county must have, and soon will have, one or more railr.oads within its boundaries. As the counties are about twenty-four miles square, it follows that every farmer will soon be so near u, depot, that he can drive to it and back again in one day. HOW TO COME TO KANSAS. Having determined to come to Kansas, the first necessity is to sell out where you now are. In this you will probably find trouble at once. You have put a certain price upon your property and say you must have it, but there are many others ^ho want "to go out west," and there is much property on the market. First you must determine the question absolutely, do you want to go west? Having decided that you would on the whole prefer the west, sell out for just what your ^property will bring. Have no fear that you will loose anything by selling at a low price, because the purchase you make in Kansas is certain to compensate you for such losses in a short time. Besides, if you are a farmer, you can carry on that business with such profits in Kansas, that you ought not to be detained a single month by the low price at which you must sell. While you are hesitating there, land is doubling in value here. Do not doubt 12 266 that people eat and drink sleep and wake live aud die in Kansas very much as they do elsewhere. Have no fear but that you will find a plenty of people here who are much like those you leave behind. Make up your mind for hardships and privations for sickness and sorrow because these are insepara- ble from humanity. Finally, remembering that home is as sweet and that heaven is as near, in Kansas as in any other country, with a stout heart prepare for your journey. WHAT TO BRING. It is not difficult to determine what to bring with you in coming to Kansas. First ascertain how much money you can get for various household articles. Then by learning the weight, you can, with the help of the chapter on freights in this book, determine what it will cost to bring each article to Kansas. With the assistance of the subjoined list of prices, you can then readily determine what articles to bring. Generally speaking, you will bring all bed- ding, table linen and carpets, and in these carefully wrap, separately, crockery and table furnishings, because they will, not sell for much at auction. There are numerous but indescribable articles for use and ornament, which cannot be sold at any price, and hardly given away, yet they will help to make things comfortable and cozy, aud you will probably be sorry if you leave them. In such cases the test is simply: "This article weighs so much, and it will cost so much to take it to Kansas ; will it be worth as much when I get it there?" In this council the ladies should have a decisive vote, for upon them will devolve the greatest privations in "going West." Bring high priced furniture if you have any, and expect to want any here, but the less the better, unless you can reach Kansas with your pockets full of greenbacks. Com- WHAT TO BRING. 267 mon furniture, mirrors and agricultual implements you will sell. It does not pay to bring any but good stock to Kansas, unless it be sheep, and that matter is treated under its appropriate head. One of the best things " to take" is a lunch basket filled with roast chicken, sandwiches, bread and but- ter, pickles, or a tumbler of tart jelly, a Washington pie, etc. For a small sum you can buy a lamp-heat- ing tea-pot or " ^Etna," thus making yourself quite comfortable wherever you are. Three meals a day can be obtained on all principal routes, for seventy- five cents per meal. If you start for the table as soon as the cars stop, and when there, without being boisterous, make yourself entirely at home, there is always a plenty of time. Take a sleeping car. It pays, no matter what penurious people say. These cars are clean, ride easier than other cars ; are better ventilated and the company is more select. By this means you arrive at your journey's end vigorous and clear headed, and ready to see things just as they are. The cost is one dollar and fifty cents to two dollars per night, for double birth. Leave out a plenty of extra clothing, and prepare for the necessary expos- ures of travel. The following are the prices for the cheapest furni- ture at Ottawa, Kansas, which shows about the aver- age prices for the State : Bedsteads $4 00@ 4 50 Tables, fall leaf. 5 00 Tables, extension, ^ foot. 1 75 Chairs, ft ^ dozen 4 50@ 5 00 Tin safes, 3 shelves and drawer 7 00 Bureaus, full size 15 00@18 00 Bureau washstand 8 00 Washstands 4 00 Mattresses, husk 5 00 Mattresses, moss 10 00@12 00 Rockers, arm 4 00 Rockers, cane seat 4 50 Rjckers, sewing 1 50@ 2 50 Cribs 4 00 Wardrobes, black walnut.15 oO@18 00 Lounges 3 50 Lounges with mattress 6 50 Cook stove No.7,complete20 00 Cook stove, Charter Oak, complete 27 00 Cook stove, Concord, com- plete 27 00 Hf-atinK stoves $6 00@10 90 Stove pipe fy joint 30 Sad irons $ ft 08 Milk pans each 25 Fruit cans, q'tsf* dozen... 1 00 Toilet sets, giates, mantels, table cutlery, and house furnishing good* at eastern prices. 268 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. Plows, 12 inch Moline Breaker, rolling cutter, guage wheel, two shares30 00 Plows, stirring, German steel 14 00 Plows, stirring, caststeel, double shin 18 00 Nearly all plows scour in this soil. The above prices are only ten dollars . Wagons, two horse.with brake, top box , neck yoke, stay chains and whiffletrees $95 00@100 00 Pitchforks, 3 tines 75@ 90 Shovels, Ames' caststeel 1 75 Hoes 50@ 75 Hardware, putty, etc., as cheap as in Plows, Robinson's Gang and Trench 100 00 Corn planters, best two horse 70 00@75 00 Mowing machines 130 00 Combined mowing and reaping machines 175 00 200 00 above factory prices for freight. Harrow teeth $ ft 07@ 08 Axes, best 1 50 Grindstones f>, ft 03 Nails ft keg, lOd 5 50 Saws, cross-cut ^ foot... 75 Well buckets, each 75 Horse shoes, "$ keg 7 00 Illinois or Ohio. PINE LUMBER. Flooring $M $37'50@$50 00 Siding ^M Ceiling $ M Shingles & M Finishing inch ^ M Framing staff $ M 00 27 50@ 30 00 4 00 5 50 40 00@ 50 00 36 Common boards and fencing^ M 32 50@ 35 00 Lath ft M 6 50 Windows (glazed) 8x10.. 1 75 Doors, 4 panel 2 00 3 00 Paper (building) ft ft... MECHANICS WAGES. B5t hammer range ft foot, laid in wall 30 Brick work ft M, laid in wall 16 00 Fine cutting ft squa.ie foot 1 00 Plasterers ft square yard, 3 coats and lath 40 Carpenters ft day $2 50@$3 50 Boss car pouters ft day 4 00 Painters ft square 1st coat 15 Per square additional coat 10 Masons common s one work ft fc ot, laid in wall 16 Best rubik toot, laid in wall ". 20 Farm laborers command $25 per month and board. Work horses cost $75 to $150 each. A yoke of oxen can be obtained for $125 to $150, and good milch cows are worth $35 to $60 each. THE COST OF LIVING. If one brings a family to Kansas intending to live upon a salary, hiring a house and buying at retail,. he will not be likely to save more than he would upon the same salary in the East, provided he lives in the same style. Of course the matter of style is what costs in all families and ruins [many, but the apparent necessity for keeping up with our friends and neighbors, is not so pressing here as in old com- munities. In this therefore, there can be a saving. The item of rent is a heavy one here. The uses to THE COST OF LIVING. 269 which money may be put are so various and so profit- able, that 'people who build houses receive large returns for their investments. For instance, a neat house with a cellar, three or four rooms on the first floor and two chambers above, with a garden of a quarter or a half acre, will rent for from $20 to $30 er month. Cottages with two or three rooms rent or $12 to $15 per month. Eents are payable monthly in advance. Few people rent for any considerable period. They soon "run up a smoke of their own," if it is but a humble domicil. He who lives in his own house, and buys when articles are plentiful and cheap, can live cheaper here than he can in the East, as the tables given below will testify: BETAIL. 3 TO 50 @ 1 00 1 00 The foregoing table was prepared for this book in January, 1871, by my friends Messrs. Eidenour & Baker, long established and favorably known grocery Flour, $ cwt $2 Flour, graham, ^cwt 3 M JO @$4 00 4 00 Rice, (Carolina) $ ft Salt^ bbl 3 VI} EH) Corn rueal ^ cwt 1 Potatoes ^ bushel... 40 BO 1 ) 1 50 @ 60 @ 20 Vinegar, ^ gallon... Dried apples ^ ft Dried peaches ^ ^ ,. : j ,o in u Bacon ^ ft 1 | Raisins ^ ft 80 Shoulders $ ft Pork pickled in 18 @ 12 3 @ 15 Prunes ^ ft Currants ^ ft 18 is Beef, dried $ ft Mackerel ~$ kit 1 White fish <$ kit 1 Codfish <$ ft Halibut ^ ft 90 til 96 $ @ 22 @ 4 25 @ 2 00 i Blackberries f* ft Cherries, pitted Raspberries ^ ft Corn ^bushel Oats $B bushel 1^ BO on t& 10 Cheese, N. Y. factory 'ii 22 Coal oil $ gallon.... M 26 Cheese, Kansas, *$ ft Butter ^ ft l 1 ^ "'"i 20 35 Tobacco, best Navy 90 Eggs ^ dox ]t 20 Tobacco G I % ft |Q Beajis, Med. Navy 06 J06 Tobacco, smoking --, Sugar, N. , ^ ft Sugar, Coffee, $ ft... Sugar, hard, ^ ft Coffee.choiceRio^ft Coffee, fair, $ ft Coffee, Java, 0. G Molasses, Sorghum, ^ gallon !>> 16 163 28 80 jrg 15 25 22 @ 80 TU-JS, No. 1, each 1 Tubs, No. 2, each 1 Tubs, No. 3, each 1 Washboards, zinc, ea Buckets, 2 hoops, ea Buckets, 3 hoops, ea Beefsteak $ ft 88 10 oo 30 25 .".< ' !> Molasses, N. 0. $> gal Syrup, $ gallon Teas, ft Ou 60 DO @ 1 10 @ 1 40 (Si 2 00 Pork steaks^ ft Veal Steaks $ ft 270 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. merchants of Lawrence. They also have large branch houses at Topeka, Emporia and Tioga, all under the firm name either of Eidenour or of Baker, and these figures may therefore be relied upon as representing the average retail prices in this state at the time they were made. HORSES. The breeding of fine horses has come to be so important an interest in Kan- sas, that I desired to treat the subject in a considerate manner, and therefore applied to various " horse men " for such data as was needful, but have received very little assistance in this direction. Through Mr. B. F. Akers, of Leavenworth, I learn that there are more than sixty thoroughbred horses and mares in this state, and among the iormer he quoted from memory the names of "Newry," " Chicamauga," "Veto," "Express," " Leinster," "General Mitckell," "Derby," "Orlando," "Prairie Boy," " Blondin," " Escape," etc. Among the dealers and breeders who have contributed most largely to the horse stock of the state by valuable importations of thoroughbred and trotting horses and mares, are Mr. B. F. Akers, Col. C. R. Jennison, H. D. Bunch Steiner & Tough, and F. C. Buckley, all of Leavenworth ; Dr. W. L. Challis, of Atchison; Mr. G. W. Greaver, of Wyandotte ; A.M. Eastman, of Topeka, who bred " Henry," a famous trotting horse which has been taken East, and lately tretted a mile in 2:22^, on Flatwood Course, N. Y.; Mr. Conn, of Council Grove ; J. Reynolds,]of Howard county ; a gentleman who has recently brought several fine horses from Kentucky to Wyandotte coutty ; and many others, also have horses of great value. Th moneyed value to the state, of these efforts to establish the reputation of Kansas for thoroughbred and trotting horses, is probably not fully appreciated by the most of us, and the writer confesses to a very moderate degree of enthusiasm upon the subject. Whether a horse trots a mile in 2:29% or 2:30, seems a matter not of very great importance to the world, and if he will carry me safely sixty miles a day, I am not par- ticular as to his pedigree. But this is not the way horse fanciers regard these questions, and speed and blood command fabulous sums in the market. Farm- ers and breeders raise horses for the money there is in them, and there is certainly a great deal of money in the business of raising fine horses. In this regard the reputation of a state is of great importance. A Vermont horse will command a better price, with most buyers, than one of equal value from Maine, because of the reputation gained by the former state in this direction, and if any Western man wants a thoroughbred, he goes to Kentucky for it. The breeders in our state are confident that Kansas will soon have an enduring reputation for its fine horse stock. There are many young horses in this state which will soon be upon the market. Mr. Akers, above alluded to, introduced 271 to the Eastern public three noted trotters, bred in this state, which be named "Kansas Chief," " Kansss Queen," aud "Kansas Pet," and after a eerie* of successes with them upon various cowreep, he disposed of them for the handsome urn of fifteen thousand dollars. The same gentleman aleo brought to the state the trotting stallion " Comas," of which a cut is given herewith. In this connection it gives me pleasure to state that the well known Amaca Sprague of Provide: ce, Rhode Island, will soon open a large farm in this State* to be devoted principally to the breeding of fine horses and rattle. He is already the owner of eome of the best stock in New Fngland, which will be immediately removed to this sta'e to a farm punhased near Leavenworth for this purpose. Mr. Akers !s associated with Mr. Sprague in this enterprise, and it is their purpose to fit up a farm of about 40,000 acres in the interior of the state, seed it to blue gra c s, divide it into suitable fields by oeage hedges, erect substantial and commodious buildings, and put uj on the place he beft stock that can be procured. The enormous wealth, enterprising spirit and bu-iness sagacity of Mr. Sprague, combined with the thorough practical knowledge possessed by Mr. Akers, who has acquired a competency in this business in Kansas, renders the brilliant success of this scheme a foregone conclusion. In five year's time these gentlemen will have the best stock farm in the world. " COMAS." This well known trotting stallion was brr.ught to Knnsas by B. P. Akers being selected after a visit to the best breedk g studs in the country. He was foaled in 1863, and was bred in Iowa. Like "Kirkwood" and "Bashaw, jr.," he was got by Green's Bashaw, dam Topeey, by Prophet, by Hill's Termont Black Hawk, by Sherman Morgan, by Justin Morgan, by True Britton. Green's Bashaw, by Drake's (Vernol's) Black Hawk, 1-st dam by Webber's Tom Thumb ; 2d dam, " The Chas. Kent Mare," (dam of RT sdyk's Hamble- tonian, sire of Dexter,) by imported Bellfounder; 3d dam, "Old One Eye," by Bambletonian, (son of imported Messenger ; ith dam, by imported Messenger. Dra Arc's (Vernors) Black Hawk, by New York Black Hawk; dam by Ken- tucky Whip, son of Cook's, or Blackburn's, Whip. New York Black Hawk, by Andrew Jackson, dam the celebrated Sally Miller, by Mambrino, by imp. Messenger Andrew Jacksvn, by Young Bashaw, dam by Whynot, son of imp. Young Bashaw, by imp. Barb Grand Bashaw, dam by imp. Messenger. Mr. Otto Holstein, correspondent of the Field, Turf and Farm, in desciibing this horse, says, after giving his pedigree : " Here is blood enough on his sire's side to insure trotting qualities in his progeny. But this is not all. While the paternal house furnished to the trotting world ' Dexter,' ' Lady Thorn,' 'Goldsmith Maid,' 'American Girl,' 'George M. Patchen,' Ac., toe maternal side has scarcely been a whit behind, for, from it, sprang the cele- brated 'Lanctt' and the wonderful 'Ethan A lien,' the sire of 'Honest Allen,' HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Pocahoutas, &c. Comas is, therefore, oce of the best bred trotting stallions in America, being a combination of the two most successful trotting families in the United State-, the Bashaw and th? Messenger, with the additional excel- lence of the Black Hawk. " His general excellence of color is that he is a rich chestnut, and of form is that be is a ponj -built horse, Pfteen hands and two inches high, revealing the great speed, elastic step and wonderful endurance for which the family is SD noted. His carriage is lofty, consequently his head and neck are well set upon his shoulders. His back is apparently short, owing, measurably, to the strong arches of muscle over the loin, so necessary for enduring strength in the trotter. His legs are clean and flat, kis wither? and shoulders inclined, chest leep, and capacious enough for excellent respiratory action, main and tail fine " COMAS." (The property of B. F. Akers, Leaveuworth.) and Ion2, his eyes are good, as also are his joints and feet, the great and neces- sary adjuncts to a successful stock horse. Comas, comparatively speaking, has been brea with more than an ordinary degree of care, and a foundation has been formed for future excel eiice, which is now fully substantiated by the appearance and wonderful trotting action displayed by his produce." "KANSAS BOY." 273 "KANSAS BOY-" [The property of B. F. Akers, Leavenworth.] I am indebted to Mr. Otto Holstein for the following description of this horse. "The stable companion of Comas is his son, 'Kansas Boy.' This fast and fashionable bred three year old stallion is a blood bay, fifteen hands and three inches high, was sired by Comas, dam by Gauglion Gangle, son of Ber- trand, sou of Sir Archy, son of imported Diomed. Large as he is there is no waste timber in his make up, but is well and compactly built, not leggy } possessed of a gamey head, rangy neck, splendid shoulders, deep, roomy girth, well ribbed on the barrel, with grand quarters like his sire, a set of legs as hard and clean as polished ivory. An analysis of his breeding is conclusive as to his future worth. Through his dam he traces back to the stoutest and most fashionable blood known to the American racing turf, as well as throwing his descent down the line of r .the winning trotting blood to ' Andrew Jackson,' who, in the characteristic words of the late Hiram Woodruff, was ' Rough to look at, but king of trotters.' Kansas Boy, will in all probability not be offered to public patronage until his trotting abilities are thoroughly developed. He has been in training but a short time, and with Comas can trot close to '40 to pole." 274 HTTTCHINSON 3 KANSAS. "NEWRY." (The property of Dr. W. L. Challis, Atchieon.) As among the most noted of thoroughbreds in Kansas, we present herewith a cut of the spltndid stallion "Newry." He is a bay horse, foaled 186-i, bred by the late Robt. A. Alexander, of Kentucky, from whom he was purchased by Ool. C. R. Jennison, and by him sold to Dr. W. L. Challiss, of Atchison. He was got by the illustrious race horse and stallion, LEXINGTON, dam Novice, (dam of Norfolk,) by imported Glencoe ; thence through seven uncontaminated crosses of pure blood. His produce give ample evidence of a brilliant future for him. Upon the race course, he defeated the fast "Fanny Cheatham,'" both in their two year old form, a first mile of a heat race, in 1:46%. The celebrated " Norfolk," his full brother, in a race of three mile heats, defeated " Lodi " in the unprecedented time of 5:27%-5:29}^, both heats standing out in bold relief against the world. DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIONS. State Capitol, Topeka. Frontispiece. The east wing of the elegant design made for the capitol of Kansas is com- pleted, excepting the pillars and portico. This wing is 114 feet long, 78 feet wide, and 95 feet high to the apex of the roof. It is divided into three stories, with basement under ground for steam heating apparatus, fuel, etc. The upper story is divided into two legislative halls, with committee rooms, while the two lower stories are divided into conveniet-t offices for the use of the Executive and Judiciary Departments cf the State Government. The exterior walls are four feet thick, and are constructed of Junction City magnesian lime- atone. The building is of the corinthiau style of architecture. The partition walls are of limes'one, with brick arches, upon which rest heavy wrought iron beams and joist. The iron suspension roof is covered with tin. The expense of the building thus far, has been about $375,000, and with the completion of the portico and some minor additions, it will answer all needful purposes for many years. Mr. J. G. Haskell, of Lawrence, is the architect. It is impossi- ble that in all respects this wing can give entire satisfaction as a capitol build- Ing, but it is a thoroughly built, substantial and elegant structure, and a credit to the State. It stands upon twenty acres of ground, donated by the city of Topeka to the State, near the business part of the place. These grounds are now being laid out, and preparations are making to ornament them with trees and shrubery. Old University Building, Lawrence. Page 11. This building is 50 feet square and two stories with high basement. It was erected by the people of Lawrence, and by the contributions of friends in the East. It stands upon an eminennce overlooking the city, and is built in a substantial manner of stone and brick, State University, Lawrence. Page 16. This cut is an accurate representation of the new University Building. It is 246 feet lor g, 98 feet wide in the middle, 63 feet wide in the wings, and 95 feet high to the observatory balcony. Its chapel hall, in the centre of the building, is 94 feet long, 56 feet wide and 35 feet high. The building contains 276 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. more than 50 rooms for the various branches of instruction. For all the Phy- sical Sciences, the rooms are arranged in suits of four rooms each, as follows Lecture Room 23x45 feet, 1st Labratory 19x52 feet, 2d Labratory 21x45 feet, Library and Aparatus Room 10x35 feet, Professor's Room 11x13 feet. The building throughout is built of limestone, and the water table, corner stones, window arches and sills, etc., are of magnesiau limestone from Manhattan. The shade of the latter contrasts gratefully with the limestone, which is taken from the edge of Mount Oread, upon which the building is situated. The interior is now being finished, and when completed it will be heated with steam, ventilated by the most approved method, and supplied throughout with water and gas, and in all respects will be one of the best arranged University buildings in the land. The entire cost will be about $150,000, and I venture to say that it is one of the largest and best public buildings ever erected in the United States for that amount. Mr. J. G. Haskell is the architect. The educational work of the institution was commenced September, 1866. The President and Chancellor is Gen. John Frasser, L. L. D., assisted by a corps of eight accomplished professors. The University is a child of the State and crowns the public school system of Kansas. Forty thousand acres of land has been set apart by the State for its endowment, and annual appropriations are made for tuition, as all State pupils are admitted free of tuition charges. Its scientific ap iratus is extensive and valuable, and altogether it is one of the most promising educational institutions in the United States. John Brown's Cabin. Page 20. A description of this Cabin follows the cut. Humboldt Bridge. Page 25. This structure of 190 feet span, crosses the Neosho river at the narrowest place occurring within a distance of many miles. It connects the principal portion of HumboMt, which is on the east side of the river, with that portion around the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad Depot on the west side. Adams House, Manhattan. Page 31. This Hotel was erected and is owned by Maj. N. A. Adams of Manhattan. It contains large, airy rooms, and is a well kept house and an ornament to the place. It is constructed of magnesian limestone at a cost of about $30,000. ^ Topeka Iron Bridge. Page 36. For a complete description see page 217. The view is taken from the north side of the river. Drouthy Kansas. Page 41. This humorous sketch serves to tell its own story, although I have heard people protest, with solemn earnestness, that such a sweet potatoe, watermelon and Irish potatoe, such corn, pumpkins and wheat, never grew in Kansas. ILLUSTRATIONS. 277 People of so lugubrious and solera a turn of mind, are not expected to look at our "Drouthy." The charcoal sketch from which this picture was copied, was dashed off by Prof. H. Worrall of Topeka.to enliven a party of Cincinnati tourists who came to visit this dry country, but were detained in Topeka several days on account of a tevere rain storm which flooded all the country. Ludington House, Ottawa. Page 47. This commodious and substantial block was erected in Ottawa by D. W. Zim- merman, and is now owned by citizens of Ottawa. It contains in its farther portion a spacious public hall, which is now being fitted up for concerts, exhi- bitions, etc., by H. F. Sheldon. The well kept Hotel is situated on Main street and is convenient to the depot. The Leavenworth Bridge. Page 54. One of the most important works that has been undertaken for the benefit of the city of Leavenworth, and the State of Kansas, is the great railway-and highway bridge now being constructed over the Missouri River. This bridge is intended to connect the several railroads centering on the west side of the river, at Leavenworth, with those centering on the opposite side ; and also to facilitate the intercourse between the metropolis of Kansas and the rich and thriving section Of Missouri adjacent to the border. The extreme difficulty of budging the Missouri Rivr, together with the novelty of the design adopted here, have invested this bridge with peculiar interest, and its successful completion will go far to revolutionize the method of placing foundations in similar streams. The piers are each composed of three large cast iron cy imlers, sunk by the " pneumatic process," from fifty to seventy feet, not simply resting upon, but actually penetrating the solid rock a distance of about twelve feet. These ci.lumns are then filled witn masonry, and above water they are braced and tied in a substantial manner, forming a great iron pier. The bridge proper is composed of three iron spans, each 340 feet in length, and the bottom chord will be 50 feet above extreme high water. This great hight makes the approaches long and expensive. The cost of the whole structure, including nearly one mile of approaches, will be about $750,- 000, and this capital is mainly furnished by the citizens of Leavenworth county. The foundations and approactes are completed, and it is expected that by November, 1871, the superstructure will be in place, and ready for the passage of trains. The cut herewith given, drawn for this book from the ecgneers' working plans, shows the bridge as it will appear when completed. The bridge was designed by Gen. W. W. Wright, engineer in chief, under whose supervision it is being constructed. 278 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Congregational Church, Lawrence. Page 61. The Plymouth Congregational Church, at Lawrence, has been erected dur- ing the past two years. It is 115 feet long, and 68 feet wide, in addition to which are the entrance and stair case wings. The auditory is 87 feet long, 60 feet wide and 30 feet high. It is furnished with solid Black Walnut pews and pulpit, upholster d and carpeted throughout, and has one of the largest and best organs in the west. The building also contains a lecture room 20x60 feet, two parlors, each 20x22 feet, and a pastor's study, Sunday Scheol Library and infant class room, each 13x20 feet. The edifice is built of brick, with limestone dessii>g and is of the most sub- stantial character. The cost, inclusive of foundation, was $45,000. J. G. Haskell, of Lawrence, was the architect. Corner Main and Second Streets, Ottawa. Page 65. This view of four or five buildings in Ottawa, is given to illustrate the man- ner of growth in a new town. Some of the cheapest buildings on the street are shown, but the thoroughly constructed stone and brick bank building, is typical of those which will soon take the place of the wooden structures around it, and the modest sign of the "Great Western Hotel de Horse," is characteristic of the genuine, unpretentious, and retiring Western man. Morris School, Leavenworth. Page YO. This large public school building was erected in 1866, and 1867, Mr. E. T. Carr, of Leavenworth, being the architect. It is built of brick and is a very convenient and imposing structure. It seats 850 pupils and cost about $50,000. The upper story is used by the State Normal School, of Leavenworth. Kansas Valley National Bank, Topeka. Page YY. This beautiful building stands on the corner of two principal streets in Topeka, and the Kansas Valley National Bank, occupies the principal rooms on the main floor. The Atchison, Topekaand Santa Fe Land Office, telegraph office and State Superintendent of Insurance, who also occupy rooms. The building is constructel of brick and stone, and cost $27,000. The Bank com- menced business October 8, 1866. Its authorized capital is $500,000, Daniel M. Adams is president and Chas. N. Rix, cashier. Its business has steadily increased, and it reports having annually paid its stockholders 20 per cent, per annum, besides setting apart a liberal surplusfund. Street Scene, Humboldt. Page 82. This life-like cut tells its own story, without the necessity for explanatory remarks. Like all other cuts in this book (with exceptions named) it is from a photograph. ILLUSTRATIONS. 279 New Episcopal Female Seminary, lopeka. Page 88. This elegant structure is now being erected of limestone, with contrasting tnagnesian limestone trimmings. It ia situated upon a beautiful square of 20 acres presented by the city of Topeka, two blocks east of the capital square. The view given is from a perspective plan by the architect, Mr. J. Q. Haskell. It will be completed during the year 1871. The building is 100 feet long and 74 feet wide. Its well lighted basement is 10% feet high in the clear, with three high stories above, and airy rooms next to the roof. It contains complete accommodations for boarders, and private Apartments for the principal and his family. A beautiful studio with a north light will be a valuable feature, while the music rooms, reception rooms, par- lors, dispensory, infirmary and dormitories will be spacious, and provided with all conveniences for ventilation and to promote health. The south wing containing the gymnasium, the main school room and the chapel, bears the name of Wolfe Hall, after Mr. John D. Wolfe of New York, who haa very generously contributed about $20,000 to the institution. This is to be, in all its appointments, the most complete girl-i schools this side of the Mississippi, and perhaps we should say this side of tin Alleghanies Rev. J. N. Lee, A. M , is principal, and the school is under the supervisory care of Rt. Rev. Thomas H. Vail, D. D., Bishop of the Diocese of Kansas, who is Pres dent of the Beard of Trustees for the institution. The catalogue for last year shows an attendanco of 148 pupils, five pianos in use, etc., during which time the school was in session in the old building;. All the varied advantages of this institution, including a home with its care and culture, are to b obtained for about $300 per annum. Baptist Church, Leavenworth. Page 95. This church is 57x96 feet from outside to outside, including towers. The audience room is 53x67 feet. The hight of walls to coinmencementof roof is 28 feet, and the hight from floor to apex is 62 feet. This room is carpeted and each sitting cushioned. The sittings, including gallery, number 700. Each tower has two finished rooms entered from gallery. In the basement a.e five rooms, one of which is a session room that seats 300 persons. The church is built of brick, and finished in the most thorough and elegant manner. The entire coat has been about $65,000. Wire Suspension Bridge, Ottawa. Page 100. This beautiful structure was erected in the year 1867 at a cost of above $14,000. Its span is 150 feet, and it rests upon abutments of rough dressed limestone each being founded upon the rock bottom of the river bod. They are 10x20 feet at the base and about 30 feet high. It connects the north and south portions of Main street in the city of Ottawa, which here crosses the timber skirted Marias 'les Cygnes. 280 Ottawa University. Page 106. This building was erected in 1866 of limestone walls faced with cut sand- stone, and with limestone cap si 11s, corners, etc. It is 40x65 feet in size, and with three high stories, including basement, and is elegantly finished. It stands upon one section of 640 acres of choice land, adjacent to the city of Ottawa, and through the land winds a small stream fringed with timber. This section is divided by Osage Orange hedges into fields of convenient size, and adorned with forest, fruit and ornmental trees and shrubbery. Poole's Building, Lawrence. Page 110. This fine building is the property of Samuel Poole, of Lawrence. It is built of brick and occupies one of the most prominent corners on Massachusetts street. It is 51 feet wida and 110 feet long. The lower story is used for busi- ness purposes, and the upper story is occupied by Liberty Hall. This fine room seats 1,000 persons, and is 25 feet high. The walls and ceiling are 'freeccad, and the stage is arranged with scenery and foot lights complete. The stage is 48x20 feet. Block in Humboldt. Page 115. This block is erected of stone on the main square in Humboldt, and is devoted to general business purposes. Public School, Pomona. Page 122. This commodious and convenient school house was erected in Pomona within a year after the first house was built in the village. It contains a graded school, with a large attendance, and illustrates the modern methods by which we transform, in a brief space of time, a spot of open prairie, to a crowded town, with all the conveniences of modern civilization. W. Cor. Second and Delaware Sis., Leavenworth. Page 126. The elegant four story building, represented in this picture, will be recoguizfid by Kansans as standing on one of the principal streets in Leavenworth. These stores are constructed of brick and stone, with iron fronts, and are finished in the most thorough and workmanlike manner, and are occupied by substantial and reliable bussness firms. Universalist Church) Lawrence. Page 130. I take pleasure in calling attention to this beautiful little church, not only from its harmonious proportions and graceful parts, but from the peculiar adaptation of the plan to a new country. Everything attempted to be done in a new country, from the least to the greatest, whether the construction of a stable to to the erection of a Cathedral ; whether the laying out of a new tows, or the completion of a contineotal railroad, should be so planned that it shall answer the immediate purposes for ILLUSTRATIONS. 281 which it H intended, and at the same time be capable of expansion, by addition* which shall not mar the unity of the design. The lecture room at the rear of the main portion of this church, is 22x46 feet, forming a complete little church for a new settlement, capable of seating two hundred persons. It is intered through the lobby, which shows in the cot, while the end door may be thrown open for egress. The audience room, which can be added at any time, is about 34x45 feet, with a tower 12x12 feet, and a lobby in front. The larger room seats 300 persons, and the interior is nicely finished with Black Walnut and Hard Pine. This church is built of pine, braced and tied together in the most substantial manner, and the entire cost is within ten thousand dollars. I think it would be a valuable improvement, so to construct the partition between the rooms, that it could be removed at pleasure, forming one large audience room for extra occasions. Kansas Fruit Medals. Pages 139-143. In the year 1869 an appropriation of $500 was made by the Kansas State Legislature, to defray the expenses of an exhibition of fruit before the American Pomological Society, to convene in Philadelphia during the same year. Dr. Wm. M. Housely, George T. Anthony, C. B. Lines and S. T. Kelsey, were appointed a committee by the Kansas State Horticultural Society to collect fruits for the purpose of this exhibition, They obtai aed about 20 barrels of apples, pears and grapes, and proceeded with them to Philadelphia. There they found the American Pomological Society convened with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the exhibition of fruits was held under the auspices of the latter society. Notwithstanding the large display of fruits there made, and the extraordinary exertions oflpther states to carry off the coveted first prize, the award of the great gold medal was made "to the Kansas State Hor- ticultural Society for a display of fruits unsurpassed for beauty and excellence." Such was the size, beauty and flavor of the Kansas fruits, that none but experts could recognize in the specimens, the varieties which they were accustomed to raise in the east. Neosho Falls , Wbodson County. Page 148. This view of the valuable water power on the Neosho river at the town of Neosho Falls is accurately copied from the photograph, excepting that both of the long approaches to the bridge are constructed of iron, with arched supports, which the artist has not inserted in the approach which is shown. This water power was improved by Col. N. S. Goss, the founder of the flourishing town of Neosho Falls. The length of the dam is 220 feet, and the power is sufficient to carry a large amount of machinery. Being situated upon the railroad which is penetrating the best cotton fields in America, this would be an excellent site for a cotton factory. The enterprising town is hidden by the trees and river bank, at the left of the picture. 11* 382 HUTCHINSON'S KANSAS. Plan of Highland Cemetery, Junction City. Page 156. This plan sufficiently explains itself, while it bespeaks the taste and public spirit of the people of Junction City, who have thus laid out and adorned the ity of the dead. The above plan was but recently adopted, but the work o growing trees and shrubbery is progressing as rapidly as possible. Presbyterian Church, Junction City. Page 166. I regret to acknowledge that the data I had receired concerning this tasteful edifice, is not at hand at the moment of sending this matter to press. The cut is from an accurate photographic view, and sufficiently shows the excellent appearance of the structure. It is built of magnesian limestone, and is thoroughly finished inside and out. All must concede that it is a very good building to stand where buffalo were pursued by the wild Indiaa, but a short fifteen years ago. E. T. Carr of Leavenworth was the architect. Lincoln School, Topeka. Paqe 179. This is one of the most graceful and complete structures in the State. It forms a harmonious picture from whatever point of view it is approached. It is in the form of an irregular Greek cross, and is 74x91 feet in size and three stories high, exclusive of basement. Its largest tower is 15 feet square and 104 feet high. The smaller tower forms the ventilating shaft, with a smoke stack in" the centre. The walls are limestone faced with brick, and the openings are trimmed with an excellent quality of limestone. It contains seven school rooms, each about 24x33 feet, three recitation rooms, a sufficient number of wardrobes and dressing rooms, and a hall in the third story 36x51 feet. The building seats 704 pupils, or 528, if all occupy separate desks. It wag erected in 1870 at a total cost of about $50,000 including furnishings. The Challis Ferry Boat, Atchison. Page 186. The ferry boat " S. C. Pomeroy," at Atchison, is propelled by two powerful engines, and is capable of carrying across the swift waters of the Missouri a large number of loaded teams. The ferry boats which ply between the opposite banks of our western rivers, as well as the steamboats which carry freight and passengers up and down these rivers, are all so constructed as to take on or discharge passengers, freight, teams, cattle, etc., at the side of the boat, instead of the end. This is necessary, from the fact that the strength of the current in these rivers is so great as to oblige the boats to tie up with their bows headed up stream, when their sides drift against the bank. As the rivers are constantly rising and falling, the ferry boats tie up to a wharf boat, which is moored along shore, and which is reached by a bridge from the land. When this ferry boat is crowded, teams pass entirely around it on the open space shown in the picture. ILLUSTRATIONS. 283 Steam Flouring Mill, Pomona. Page 206. Thi3 substantial stone building was recently erected and fitted up with tie most approved mill machinery, at a total expense of abotit $18,000. Kansas now has many excellent flouring mills, but she needs many more, especially in the newly settled portions of the State. Exchange Bank, Atchison. Paqe 213. This fine brick block is situated on the principal s'reet in Atchison, and was built and H owned by the Banking House of Wm. Hethericgton & Co. This is the oldest Banking House in Atchison, having commenced in 1859, and con- tinued with a constantly increasing business. The building is built of brick and stone, with iron trimmings, and is an elegant and durable structure. Bancroft Block, Emporia. Page 227. This building is 50x80 feet in size, and three stories high with basement. It is built of stone and briek, with iron front, and is completed in the moht sub- stantial and tasteful manner. Tne lower story is used for stores, the second story for business offices, including the real estate office of E. P. Bancroft, who erected and owns the building. The third story is thrown into one \?\ _-e hall> well lighted and ventilated, which will seat 600 perrons. It is con-i:: speakers and singers one of the best halls in the state. It has two good entran- ces, and is situated in the centre of business and near the hotels. Cor. Levee and Main Street, Leavemcorth. Pan the country. It is 73x125 feet on the ground, is to be faced with dressed stone, the basement blue limestone and the super- structure with a fine quality of magnesian limestone. The basement is to be 5 feet in the clear above the sidewalks, and will be divided into offices, coal room, boiler room, etc. These offices are to be well lighted and pleasant, and are designed for first class business offices. The first floor is to be fitted up entire for offices, and approached from the corner entrance will be the principal busi- ness officts of the company with the minor offices in the se ond story, and BO arranged as to be approached by a private stair case. Besides the numerous rooms in the second story for the use of the company, there are several splendid offices, designed for renting. In the third story the Free Masons propose to have their Lodge rooms. These when completed, will be the finest in the West. The building is to be heated by steam, will be thoroughly ventilated and sup- plied with all the modern improvements, and from its central location and the admirable adaptation to the uses for which it is intended, it will undoubtedly be a profitable investment. The architect is B. T. Carr of Leavenworth. Minister, No. 6,363. Page 244. This splendid animal is of red color. He took the first premium at the fair of the Kansas State Agricultural Society in 1870. He was got by Lord Derby, 4, 949, and was calved September 23, 1863, and was bred by the late R. A. Alex- ander of Kentucky. He is now owned by Andrew Wilson of Topeka, Kansas- His pedigree is to be found in the American Short Horn Herd Book, vol. 7* His weight on 17th August, 1868, was 2,310 fts. Oxford Wiley, No. 8,756. Page 246. Oxford Wiley was calved August 13, 1866, was bred by A. J. Alexander of 'Kentucky, and is now "vned by N. L. Chaffee of Ashtabula county, Ohio. He is kept by the sons of Judge Chaffee at their farm near Manhattan, Kansas- His color is red roan. He was got by imported Royal Oxford, 1,877 and is a very fine animal. " Comus." Page 302. (The property of B. F. Akers, Leavenwarth.) Described on same page. "Kansas Bog:' Page3Q3. (The property of B. F. Akers, Leavenworlh.) Described on same page. 'Neu>ry." Pa#e304. (The property of Dr. W. L. Challis, Atchison.) Described on same page. INDEX. PA. Area .*. 9 ,184, 187 Alum A. 89 American Desert 108,112 Atchison and Nebraska Railroad and its towns 228 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and its towns 242 Altitudes 258 Boundaries 9 Barometrical observations 84 Brick 93 Burning lime 93 Buffalo grass 94 Blue grass 136 Banks 190 Olimate ., 29 Climate, change of 35 Coal 73 Cement 90 Clay for brick 93 Cattle business 114 Common schools 176 Churches and clergy 180 Counties, square miles and statistics 184,187 Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad and its towns 222 Cost of living 268 Dairying 103 Dtsert 108,112 Description of Illustrations , 275 Englishman's impressions 162 Frosts .7. 34 Freestone 69 Fruit growing Ic8 Farming 146 Forest trees , 150 Freights 262 Grass, prairie 52 Grass, buffalo 94 Orass tame 186 286 INDEX. PAGE. Geo'ogy , 59 Gypsum 71 Growth of Kansas 184,188 Humidity, relative 34 Health 43 Hydraulic cement v . 90 Hay 52,99 Hedges ;f. 150 Hogs 125,260 How to come to Kansas 265 Horses 270 Iron , .'. 86 Inhabitants 167 Irrigation, sub 247 Irrigation 255 Illustrations, Description of. , 275 Kansas Pacific Railway and its towns 214 Lead 86 Lime 93 Land survey 191 Land, sale of T98.207 Land, U. S. offices 206 Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston Railroad and its towns. 233 Mud i 55 Marble 69,241 Mule breeding 135 Missouri River Railroad 227 Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad and its towns 228 Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad and its towns 236 Manufactures 261 Newspapers 168 Prairie grass , 52 Petroleum 90 Paints 91 Productions 19, 259 Population for 1860, 1865 and 1870, by counties 184 Population compared with other States 188 Quarries 64 Rivers 9 Rain fall 32, 33, 35, 40, 43 Roads 55 Railroads 209 INDEX. 287 PAGE. Surface and scenery 13 g il 18 Soil, analysis of. 21, 23, 26 Sky, face of. .' Stone quarries 64 Sandstone 69 Salt Sheep business 125 Schools, common 176 School, denominational State institutions 180 Securities 189 Survey of government land 191 Sale of " " 198,207 Square miles of counties 184, 187 St. Joseph & Denver Railroad and its towns St. Louis, Lawrence & Denver Railroad and its towns 241 Table of Agricultural productions 19 rain fall 32,33,40,43 temperature barometrical observations, force of vapor, and frosts.. " direction of winds salt analysis 83,84,85 prices of beef in Chicago 124 " growth of trees 161,162 " newspapers 173 " public school statistics 177,178 " growth by counties 184 " square miles in counties 184, 187 banks f 190 " prices of furniture 267 " agricultural implements, etc 268 " provisions 269 Timber 60, 150 Tin 87 Tame grasses 136 Taxes _ 182 Taxable property, increase of. 189 Towns not described with railroads 250 Vapor, force of. ., 34 Vineyards 144 Water 47 Wind and windmills 57 Western Kansas 94 When to come to Kansas 264 What to bring 266 Resources of Kansas. 1 PUBLISHED BY STATE AID AND AUTHORITY. This i8 the cheapest book before the public, and is the only work published which claims to treat of the entire State of Kansas. The map accompanying each book is the latest and best out, and is alone worth the price asked for the book and map. The engravings cost $1,800, and in number and character are far superior to anything ever before attempted in a similar work. The articles upon "Survey of Public Laud," and " Acquiring Title to Public Land," contain information of incalculable value to every western man, and the matter there presented cannot be found collected in any other publication, but exists in discon- nected laws, rulings, decisions and directions of the Land Department. The Surveying article was cor- rected and approved by the Surveyor General of Kansas, and the Land Sale article was revised by the officials of three United States Land Offices. The articles upon growing " Hedges and Forest Trees," "Fruit Growing," "Cattle Business," "Sheep Business," etc., were % prepared by men of wide experience in each department, and are worth many times the price of the book to all persons engaging in these pursuits. Price of the book with map, in paper covers, $1.00; neatly bound in muslin, $1.50. Sent post-paid on receipt of price. In quantities of one-half dozen or more, it will be sent post-paid at a reduction of one- sixth from the above rates. All orders must be accompanied by cash. A LIBERAL DISCOUNT TO THE TRADE. Agents wanted. Address C. C. HUTOHINSON, Topeka, Kansas.