USA > Kansas > Kansas; a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. with a supplementary volume devoted to selected personal history and reminiscence, Voilume I > Part 5
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The counties having the most acres cultivated were Sedgwick, Mc- Pherson, Dickinson, Miami, Marshall and Sumner, all of which had more than 210,000, while Ford, Barbour and Hodgeman of the or- ganized counties had the least number of acres in cultivation.
A strong feature in the dissemination of agricultural knowledge is the county agricultural society. In the general statutes of 1868, 1872 and 1873 provision is made for the incorporation of these county clubs for the encouragement of agriculture. The important relation exist- ing between them and the State Board of Agriculture is shown in sec- tion 2 of chapter 9 of the session laws of 1873, which declares "that every county or district agricultural society, composed of one or more counties, whether now organized or hereafter to be organized under the laws of the state of Kansas, shall be entitled to send the president of such society, or other delegate therefrom, duly authorized in writing, to the annual meeting of the State Board of Agriculture, to be held on the second Wednesday of January of each year, and who shall for the time being be ex-officio member of the state Board of Agriculture ; pro- vided, that the secretary of each district or county society, or such other person as may be designated by the society, shall make a monthly re-
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port to the State Board of Agriculture, on the last Wednesday of each month, of the condition of crops in his district or county, make a list of such noxious insects as are destroying crops, and state the extent of their depradations, report the condition of stock, give a description of the symptoms of any disease prevailing among the same, with means of prevention and remedies employed so far as ascertained, and such other as will be of interest to the farmers of the state," etc. Chapter 37, session laws of 1879, provides that the monthly reports required to be made to and by the board of agriculture, by virtue of existing pro- visions of law, shall hereafter be made quarterly instead of monthly, except when the public interests shall require special reports. Fifty- eight county societies were organized as early as 1874.
The decade from 1880 to 1890 is replete with new suggestions, new methods and new ideals for agricultural development. The hope of earlier years developed into confidence and in 1884 the report of the state board of agriculture says: "During the biennial period just past, nearly 2,000,000 additional acres have been put in cultivation. The principal field crops, corn, wheat, oats and grass, have received each a proportionate amount of this increase in acreage, the most notable additon being to the winter wheat area, which increased from 1,465,- 745 acres in 1882 to 2,151,868 acres in 1884 . The area of grass, made up of the tame grasses and prairie meadow under fence, increased in two years nearly 1,000,000 acres. The westward march of the tame grasses may be said to have commenced within the period covered by this volume. Fields of timothy, clover, orchard-grass, blue grass and many other kinds, are now to be found in the central counties, and even beyond, while such fields were rarely met two years ago The results of farming operations in Kansas for the past two years, have definitely settled any doubt as to the entire fitness of the eastern half of the state to the successful prosecution of agriculture in all its branches. The debatable ground of ten years ago is now producing crops that have placed Kansas among the three great agricultural states of the Union, and the soil that ten years ago was believed to the satis- faction of many to be unfit for diversified farming, is now producing average yields that largely exceed the yields of any other portion of the country."
During the years 1883-84, in complying with the law, the state board of agriculture issued each year a pamphlet intended to supply informa- tion concerning the resources and capabilities of the state, to those seek- ing homes in the west. "This report was restricted by law to 60 pages, and the edition each year to 65,000 couies, divided into 20,000 English copies, 20,000 German, 15,000 Swedish, and 10,000 Danish."
The encouraging outlook for the realization of hope in all fields of industry was circumscribed by a drought in 1887. The five prosperous years preceding it were unduly stimulated by heavy immigration and outside capital, the prevalence of fictitious values in all branches of business caused the crop failures of that year to fall more heavily upon
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the people than they otherwise would have done. The drought, which extended throughout most of the western states, fell with much force on Kansas and she experienced one of the most disastrous crop years in her history. In 1888 much of the loss was retrieved, a rapid restora- tion of confidence was occasioned in a large measure by the develop- ment of two new and very important industries-sugar and salt-and by an abundant harvest.
During the years 1888-89 the state board of agriculture turned some of its attention from immigration to the instruction of farmers in the means and methods best adapted to successful agriculture. With this in view the agricultural meetings were conducted along the lines of a farmers' institute, and were considered very profitable. A most im- portant step in the scientific development of husbandry was made in 1887, when the passage of the "Hatch bill" by Congress provided for the organization in each state of a station for experiment in lines pro- motive to agriculture. This experiment station, located by the legisla- ture, was made a department of the State Agricultural College at Man- hattan. The work of the section is done in eight departments: the farm department deals with experiments in farm crops, such as the testing of seeds, the introduction of new crops, rotation and adapta- tion of crops to soil; the botanical department includes work along the lines of plant breeding and forage crops; the chemical department is engaged in analysis of soil, feeds, waters, ores, clays and miscellaneous things, the dairy and animal husbandry department conducts experi- ments in cheese making, economical production of milk, butter making, relative advantages of cattle foods, etc; the entomological department experiments relate to orchard pests, crop pests, etc .; the horticultural department makes experiments in fruit raising, shrubs and vines as ornamentals, vegetables suitable for canning factories, etc .; the vet- erinary department experiments in all kinds of diseases of cattle, swine and stock. The general department controls the management of the station, the distribution of bulletins, press notices, etc. The experiment station puts itself in touch with the agricultural districts through bul- letins, farmers' institutes, crop contests, press reports and display trains. Its influence has been shown in every community, as is evidenced by the diversity of crops, and the crop yield. In 1890 the crops raised were winter wheat, spring wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley, buckwheat, Irish and sweet potatoes, castor beans, cotton, flax, hemp, tobacco, broom corn, millet and bungareau, sorghum, milo maize, Jerusalem corn and prairie hay, the total number of acres cultivated being 15,929,654, the crop valuation $121,127,645, and the population 1,427,096.
Up to 1890 agriculture was practically confined to the eastern and central parts of the state, the western portion being considered almost unfit for crops. In 1891 and 1892 a special effort was made to place be- fore the public the capabilities of Kansas soil for the production of wheat, and several farmers from every county in the state who had grown unusually bountiful crops were asked to report to the State
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Board of Agriculture the yield and methods of culture. These reports were a new and surprising revelation and showed that western Kan- sas, through to the Colorado line, was bound to be adapted to success- ful wheat growing, many yields being reported at from 30 to 40 bushels an acre without irrigation. Another crop that sprung into prominence at this time was alfalfa. In the spring of 1891 farmers in all parts of the state who had been successful growing alfalfa without irrigation were asked to report upon their manner of preparing the soil and seed- ing it, the acreage they had in alfalfa, its value for hay, pasture and seed. These reports indicated that it was the most profitable crop that could be grown in Western Kansas, and had revolutionized farming in that section.
STEAM PLOW IN ACTION.
The conditions in western Kansas, especially in the Arkansas river valley, were improved by the magical influence of irrigation. The valley proper is from four to twelve miles wide, and the whole district is flat enough for easy irrigation. The soil is sandy alluvium, containing the highest elements of fertility, needing only moisture to change it from barren prairie to productive fields. In the early days of immigra- tion large numbers of people settled in the Arkansas river valley, towns were laid out, companies incorporated and large plans made for the fu- ture of this subhumid region. The ordinary methods of farming were not adapted to the climatic conditions and failure followed, until irriga- tion from the Arkansas river was tried. The experiments were success- ful until Colorado adopted similar methods for its arid portions and used so much water from the river that by 1892 the ditches in Kansas were ill supplied. The U. S. government made investigations in west- ern Kansas that led to the discovery of an underflow of the Arkansas that amounted to practically a subterranean river. In 1905 it installed at Deerfield, in Finney county, an irrigation plant that pumped water from wells drilled to this underground stream. Through all the
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Arkansas valley the well irrigation method is successfully used. A crop like alfalfa that grows abundantly without apparent irrigation or rainfall has long roots reaching to the underflow, or gains moisture from the subsoil.
The investigation of drought resisting crops, resulted in the cultiva- tion of the soy-bean in 1889 with most gratifying results. They were found to stand drought as well as kafir corn and sorghum, not to be touched by chinch bugs, and to enrich the soil in which they were grown, The soy-bean was brought from Japan, where it is extensively culti- vated for human food, taking the place of beef on account of its rich- ness in protein. Because of its peculiar flavor but few Americans like it. The soy-bean is valuable as stock food and for soil inoculation. Other important crops developed since 1890 are the sugar beet, and cow peas. It is not great variation in crops that Kansas has strived for but intelligent production of those adapted to Kansas soil and climate.
During the years from 1890 to 1908 thorough attention was given to every detail of farm life, it being the ambition of the state to have every agriculturist farm in the best approved and most scientific manner. In former years the farmer devoted his time to a few main crops and let the minor points take care of themselves, pests and disease were con- sidered bad luck rather than results of carelessness or ignorance. The farmer of today has a broader view of his vocation and investigates not only the soil, its needs and bacteria, crop rotation, planting, and seed but also has a knowledge of silos and ensilage, the breeds of ducks, chickens, turkeys and geese, the most economical and effective stock food, the best rations for milch cows, how to exterminate the Hessian fly, prairie dogs, gophers, chinch bugs or clover hay worms; and he knows about weeds, their names, fruits, seeds, propagation and dis- tribution, all the simple diseases of stock, their symptoms, causes, and cures, and furthermore is interested in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. Kansas leads all other states in the output of wheat, but corn is her most important soil product. The statistics of the principal Kansas crops for 1908 were as follows: winter wheat, 6,831,811 acres, 76,408,560 bushels, valuation $63,597.490.19; spring wheat, 107,540 acres, 400,362 bushels, $287,655.55 ; corn, 7,057,535 acres, 150,640,516 bushels, $82,642,461.72 ; oats, 831,150 acres, 16,707,979 bushels, $7,118,847.22 ; rye, 34,799 acres, 361,476 bushels, $240,058.21 ; barley, 247,971 acres, $2,657,- 122; emmer (speltz), 50,469 acres, 934,941 bushels, $437.606.67; buck- wheat, 316 acres, 3,945 bushels, $3,587.30; Irish potatoes, 81,646 acres, 5,937,825 bushels, $4,431,684.17; sweet potatoes, 4,818 acres, 471,760 bushels, $413,686.13 ; castor beans, 65 acres, 585 bushels, $585; flax, 58,- 084 acres, 383,941 pounds, $360,010.46; tobacco, 32 acres, 4,800 pounds, $485; millet and Hungarian, 225,267 acres, 416,413 tons, $1.841,231.50; sugar beets, 14,513 acres, 53,178 tons, $265,890. The total acreage of sorghum planted for syrup or sugar was 12,175, producing 927,269 gallons, with a value of $426,958.90; the number of acres of sorghum planted for forage or grain, 402,719, valued at $2,851,481 ; milo maize,
(I-4)
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55,255 acres, 106,268 tons, $515,269; Kafir corn, 630,096 acres, $1,794,- 032 tons, $6,856,845.50; Jerusalem corn, 3,231 acres, 8,251 tons, $35,- 402.50 ; tame grasses, timothy, 413,148 acres; clover, 182,789 acres; 1 bluegrass, 232,172 acres; alfalfa, 878,283 acres; orchard grass, 2,956. acres ; other tame grasses, 77,550 acres; of tame hay in 1907 there were 1,429,119 tons cut, with a value of $9,534,290; in 1908, 13,744,690 acres of prairie hay was fenced; in 1907, 1,145,643 tons of prairie hay was cut and its value was $5,495,083.50; the live stock products in 1908 were valued at $87,678,468; and the horitcultural products of $995,829,. making a total cash valuation for 1958 of $277.733.933.
The large acreage of crops and their excellent quality is due, not only to the efforts of the farmer but also to the excellent properties in the soil and the salubrious climate. The soil of the upland prairies. is usually a deep, rich clay loam of a dark color; the bottom lands near the streams are a black, sandy loam; and the lands between the up- lands and the bottom land show a rich and deep black loam, contain- ing very little sand. All soils are free from stones, and except a few stiff clay spots on the upland prairie are easily cultivated. The climate of Kansas is remarkably pleasant, having a large percentage of clear bright days.
The final transition of the poor Kansas homesteader into a rich Kansas farmer has been the theme of much newspaper witticism. The- first families who came lived in habitations of the crudest sort. While. a few possessed cabins of native lumber, many occupied dugouts or houses built of squares of sod taken from the prairie. The dugout con- sisted of a hole dug in the side of a canon or any sort of depression on the prairie that would serve as a wind break. This hole was roofed across, about on the level with the prairie with boards, and these were. covered with sod. The sod house was more pretentious and comforta- ble. It had walls two feet in thickness, a shingled roof, doors and windows set in, and sometimes was plastered, altogether making a neat and commodious dwelling place. The land laws of the United States are such that any citizen of this country, can, under certain con- ditions, file his homestead or preemption papers at a nominal cost on a quarter section (160 acres) of and agricultural land belonging to the government. If he makes an actual residence upon it for five years. he secures the homestead for the price of filing fees; if he proves up, that is, gets title from the government before the five years are passed,. he is required to pay $1.25 per acre for it. While the land is given to the settler for developing it, the process usually requires several years. and some money. ยท Fences, out buildings, implements and stock are ac- cumulated slowly, especially when one is poor, as nearly every settler is. The situation in Kansas was similar to that of other new States, money was needed to forward the interest of the state and of the in- dividual, hence in early years the loan agents representing eastern cap- ital did a thriving business. Especially was this true between the years. 1884 and 1888, a period during which 24 counties were organized in western Kansas, where some 250,000 new citizens had made homes ..
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Insufficient acres were cultivated to supply the demand for food and have a surplus for capital. The whole of Kansas was in a state of specu- lative fermentation, stimulated by an abundance of eastern money seek- ing investment in farm loans and city property. It was so easy to borrow money on a homestead, that it is said three-fourths of the farms were mortgaged. The boom days came to a close in 1887, with a crop failure previously mentioned, and Kansas, not yet self-supporting, was left with an accumulation of farm mortgages that depressed her for many years. But the farm mortgages have nearly all been redeemed, and as the prairies have been turned to gardens and the sand hills have been covered with verdure, so have the dugout and sod house given way to residences of the most complete type. Where years ago the farmer and his wife were glad to have water anywhere in the neigh- borhood today they have it pumped by windmill or power into all parts of the house. The chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks no longer frequent the door yards, for the farmer of today has a lawn ornamented with shrubs and trees as perfect as that of his city brother, and the fowls have their own houses, and runways especially adapted to their needs .. The horses, cattle, sheep and other stock are no longer de- pendent upon the blue sky for shelter, for the most modern stables are constructed for their protection. The farmer and his son do not have to arise at break of day to get in the crop, because with good teams, plows, reapers, mowing machines, and other up to date appliances, the farm work does not take so much time as formerly. Nor does the farmer's wife wait until Saturday to ride to town behind the weary plow horses, because her automobile is always at the door. The early settler has lived to realize his vision. Kansas as an agricultural state is all he hoped and more.
Agriculture, State Board of .- On Feb. 19, 1872, Gov. Harvey ap- proved "an act for the encouragement of agriculture," section I of which provided that "The present officers and executive committee of the Kansas State Agricultural Society shall be and are hereby constituted the State Board of Agriculture, who shall continue to hold office during the terms for which they have been respectively elceted, to-wit: The president, vice-president, secretary, and one-half or five of the executive committee, until the second Wednesday of Jan., 1873, and five of the executive committee until the second Wednesday of Jan., 1874; Pro- vided, said society alter or amend their constitution in such manner as not to conflict with the provisions of this act. The governor and secre- tary of state shall be ex officio members of the State Board of Agricul- ture."
The act also provided that every county or district agricultural so- ciety, then in existence or afterward organized under the laws of the state, that had held a fair in the current year, should be entitled to send a delegate, with proper credentials, to the annual meetings of the state board, and such delegates should be members ex officio for the time being. It was further provided that beginning with 1873, and there-
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after, the annual meetings should be held on the second Wednesday in January ; that the board should make annual reports to the legislature, including both the agricultural and horticultural societies; that 3,500 of this report should be printed each year, and an appropriation of $3,500 was made to carry on the work of the society for the year 1872.
The first board was composed as follows: President, H. J. Strickler ; vice-president, George W. Veale; secretary, Alfred Gray; treasurer, Thomas Murphy; executive committee, Martin Anderson, E. S. Nic- colls, George L. Young, James Rogers, William Martindale, Malcolm Conn, Joseph K. Hudson, S. T. Kelsey, James I. Larimer and John N. Insley. Gov. James M. Harvey and Sec. of State W. H. Smallwood were ex officio members.
The first meeting of the board was held on March 12, 1872, when the constitution of the old agricultural society was amended to conform to the provisions of the act establishing the new board. At the close of the year the first annual report was compiled and presented to the legis- lature. Although this report contained much information regarding the agricultural interests of the state, the legislature evidently thought it ought to contatin more, for by the act of March 13, 1873, it was provided that "It shall be the duty of the State Board of Agriculture to publish, as a part of their annual transactions, a detailed statement, by counties, of the various industries of the state, and other statistics, which shall be collected from the returns of the county clerks, and from such other reliable sources as the said board may deem best; also to collect, ar- range and publish from time to time, in such manner as the said board may deem to be for the best interest of the state, such statistical and other information as those seeking homes in the west may require; and they shall deliver a synopsis of it to such immigrant aid societies, rail- road companies, real estate agencies, and others interested, as may apply for the same; also to arrange, in suitable packages and cases, and place the same in the agricultural rooms for public inspection, samples of agricultural products, geological and other specimens, provided for in this act."
By the same act the Academy of Science was made a coordinate de- partment of the State Board of Agriculture, and assessors were directed to collect samples of agricultural and other products and turn the same over to the county clerk, who would forward them to the agricultural rooms in the capitol at Topeka.
At the annual meeting on Jan. 14, 1874, Prof. James H. Carruth, of Lawrence, was elected botanist; Prof. W. K. Kedzie, of Manhattan, chemist : Prof. Edward A. Popenoe, of Topeka, entomologist ; Prof. B. F. Mudge, of Manhattan, geologist ; Prof. Frank H. Snow, of Lawrence, meteorologist ; J. H. Carruth, B. F. Mudge and Frank H. Snow, a signal service committee.
During the year 1874 the secretary prepared and published a series of monthly statements, by counties, showing the condition of crops, etc. The board also began in this year the collection and arrangement
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of specimens of coal, building stone, fossils, gypsum, timber, etc., and made preparations for securing a collection of Kansas birds, noxious in- sects, and anything else that would be of interest to the agricultural in- dustry in the state. Early in the year it was decided to hold a state fair at Leavenworth in September, but owing to the ravages of drought, grasshoppers and chinch-bugs as the season advanced, petitions from all parts of the state came to the board urging that the fair be abandoned,
DISPLAY OF KANSAS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
as it was believed to be impossible to show products that would be tip to the standard of a more favorable year. The board, however, declined to listen to these complaints, and on Aug. 18 issued an address to the people of the state, advising them to bring the best they had for exhibi- tion, and predicting that, if they would do so, the fair would be a suc- cess. Concerning the fair, the annual report said: "The result was all that could be desired as an exhibition. The products of the soil were never so well represented, either as to breadth of country or quality of product. Representatives of Eastern journals were present, and able to correct the prevalent idea that all of Kansas was dried out and eaten up." (See State Fairs.)
Plans for the annual report for 1874 were made at the beginning of the year. It was decided to include in this report a synopsis of the
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board's proceedings, the substance of the monthly statements, an out- line of the agricultural history of the state, a review of the work of the agricultural college, a statistical and industrial exhibit, a diagram show- ing the rainfall in various sections of the state, an outline map of Kan- sas, and a sectional map of each county, showing townships, villages, etc. At that time the outstanding indebtedness of the board, for the years 1871-72-73, was $6,585.42. To pay this indebtedness and publish the annual report along the comprehensive lines contemplated, it was resolved to ask the legislature for an appropriation. By the act of March 4, 1874, the sum of $16,735.42 was appropriated to liquidate the indebted- ness, pay the current expenses of the board, and publish the report. This was the first considerable appropriation ever made for the benefit of the board, and the precedent thus established has been followed by subsequent legislatures, which course has kept the Kansas State Board of Agriculture fully abreast of similar organizations in the most pro- gressive states of the Union.
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