Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 March 1881 — Kansas Letter. [ARTICLE]

Kansas Letter.

Editor Rtj>ub ! u:i%e: —B*d ng an eld resident of Jasper county, I thought ft short lettei from this region might ir.ti rcr'ing to some of your readers. I was a citiscn of your par* of Indiana more thaiPt’iirty years and was a regular fur trader, thi* business calling me to all parts of the county, where I became acquainted with Ike people and the country. ' Last November I moved with my family from H&ngiag urove township to Elk county in tbe southeast part of Kansas. Here l purchased a farm on Elk river. It is bottom land of exeetient quality, well watered, plenty es good timber, building stone and three-fourths Of n mile trom Lougten, n railroad town. W’e are well pleased with this part of the country, it being h-althy, settled by intelligent people, with good schools and churches. i , The surface of this coontry is roiling, especially tbe highlands. It is about sev-enty-five per cent, prairie, nnd the rest bottom er valley land, which is about eightyfive percent, open nnd the remaindet timber. This is mostly confined to the streams, which are numerous and furnish walor for stock both summer and winter. This is a good couutry for stock raising, the summers bring long. With tbe great amount of graxing and the plentiful supply of spring water, it is esrtaialy n first-class country for live slock. Tbsn these rich valley and bottom fauns produce from forty to eighty bushels ot corn per acre, and twenty to forty-five bushels of winter wheat. The hilly or undulating lends produce good crops of both millet and Hungarian hay,, castor beans and all kinds of vegeubics. The peach, cherry, pear, grape and apple grow to perfection. There is it large amount of.stock fed here, t attle, bogs, sheep and ponies urcr kept in large herds. From 1,000 to 6,000 sheep or poniee are kept iu some herds. Fat cattle at the snipping pens here are worth from $3 50 to $4 00 per cwt., and sheep from to $4.00 per head. Corn is 25 cts. per bushel, wheat 80 cts Buriuess ot all kinds is fine. We have a good school with out- hundr.-d and sixty pupils enrollud, and employing two teachers who are paid SSO per month each, for a term es nine months. The winter ha* been pleasant to the present time, »ud farmers are now getting ready to p'uw for the spring planting. Th*y usually plsnt ourn hero in March. < * J. H. Lusgton, Kah., February 20, 1881. “