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In Thomas and Hooker counties, where the natural hay land area is 
very limited, the settlers were compelled to resort to farming also. As 
a rule this has not been very successful, and the homesteaders of those 
counties are generally not wealthy. Many therefore wish that the 
‘cattle kings,” who always had money, were still in the region. In 
order to bring money again into the counties, meetings have been 
called for the purpose of petitioning Congress to pass bills authorizing 
the sale of the sand-hill lands at 15 cents an acre. Few of the settlers, 
however, are able to pay even 15 cents an acre for the Government land 
that they are now using and need as pasture for their stock. Practi- 
cally the land would be sold in township lots or other large areas to 
stockmen. As I have said before, the sand hills can not be used for 
winter pasturage. Hay is therefore needed for the winter, All the 
hay lands are in the hands of the settlers. The stockmen would be 
obliged either to ship in hay or drive their cattle away in the fall, or, 
which would be easier, to buy out, or perhaps starve out, the settlers. 
This latter would not be very difficult, as the settlers could not dispense 
with the summer pasturage of which they would thus be deprived. 
AGRICULTURE. 
A part of the Middle Loup Valley in Thomas County and some of 
the dry valleys in Hooker and the northern part of Thomas counties 
are used for agricultural purposes. Garden vegetables seem to thrive 
well. On July 11 we bought new potatoes as large as goose eggs, 
Fine cabbage, tomatoes, onions, watermelons, and cucumbers were also 
seen, At one place an experiment with alfalfa was in progress, It did 
not give good results, owing mainly, I think, to ignorance of the proper 
method of growing this crop. Fine specimens of Russian millet (Pani- 
cum miliaceum) were brought into Thedford by a settler who had a field 
of perhaps 3 or 4 acres. In June I saw a fine field of common millet 
(Chameraphis italica), The grain mostly planted is corn. Fields of 
oats and barley were also seen. The country, however, seems not to 
be very well adapted to agriculture. In June aud July we saw very 
fine cornfields, but when we returned to the same place in August it 
was apparent that the crop would be but light. I learned that during 
preceding years some fine crops had been obtained; but, as a rule. 
farming does not seem to be paying well in this region. Some claim 
that there is too little rainfall. From the experience of this summer 
and from the published reports, however, the conclusion seems justified 
that the annual rainfall is sufficient, and that the great difliculty con- 
sists in a season of drought in August with hot winds, which scorch 
the growing crops. As the wind in the summer is usually from the 
south or southeast, the general belief is that the hot winds come from 
Kansas or even from Texas. As a rule, however, they are of a much 
nearer origin. It will not require a long time or the traverse of a great 
distance for the wind, blowing over the highly heated sand _ hills, to 
become intensely hot. Lt seems to me certain that the hot winds which 
