427 



this county, as the home market for corn is better in this than in adjoin- 

 ing counties, or in others still more remote from large markets. 



L€<(i-enicorth, Kans.: Farmers are selling their hogs to drovers in 

 Iowa and Illinois, as corn is 70 cents per bushel, and they cannot teed, 

 to any profit. 



Scott, Id.: Large numbers of hogs are coming in here from Missouri 

 to be fed. 



Douglas, Kans.: Fully one-half of our hogs have been sold and 

 shii)ped away to fatten ; the remainder will be butchered early. 



Fosey, Ind. : Our farmers are introducing improved varietiesof cattle, 

 sheep, and hogs. 



Fawnee, Kans. : Cattle are looking better than usual at this time of the 

 year. The drought has not been severe enough to damage the grass 

 much, and it seems to have more nutriment in it than in a wet season. 

 This county is peculiarly fitted for the raising of cattle and sheep. The 

 short nutritious grass, called " buffalo-grass," upon the hii;h grounds, 

 and the ranker growth of blue straw upon the bottoms for hay, seem 

 to meet all the wants of the stock-raiser. Short, mild winters, with good 

 winter feed, render it possible to bring cattle through without any feed, 

 as has often been done here successfully. 



Mitchell, Kans. : Sheep are doing exceedingly well, looking robust and 

 healthy no disease prevailing, and everything encouraging to the 

 sheep-raisers, except a near market for wool. This might be had, as we 

 have abundant water-power on the Solomon Eiver, and produce suffi- 

 cient wool to keep a large factory in operation throughout the year. 



NEWSPAPER CROP-REPORTS. 



The newspaper crop-report is an individual expression, oftener than 

 otherwise, of a villager rather than a farmer, hi form as variable as the 

 individuality of reporters, without reference to any standard of com- 

 parison, one with another, and without any certain means of exact in- 

 terpretation. Thus, if one is indefinite in quantity and proportion, one 

 hundred equally indefinite only make a chaotic aggregate. For example, 

 from a long list of such reports, which cost heavily in '' enterprise" and 

 money, I try to calculate the acreage of a crop from its details of com- 

 parative area. " The number of acres is small," but the percentage of 

 decrease may be 10, 30, or 50. " There is a great deal of corn planted," 

 yet I must have a new "deal" before the winning card of ascertained 

 acreage is secured. There has been " an increase in the number of 

 acres," but no one can say whether it is large or small. " More than 

 usual has been sown," however much " more" may mean. "Farmers 

 have put all in the ground they can possibly manage," which is the 

 record of each recurring year, though circumstances greatly modify 

 the mathematical import of " all." Some make exact comparisons ; one 

 returns one-half more than last year, another one-third, another still, a 

 quarter, but rarely is the comparison more closely drawn ; it appears 

 not to be worth while, if 33 per cent, shall seem a unit too low, to 

 split the difference between that and 50; or if the increase is evidently 

 a few acres, it might be undignified to say less than a quarter, or at least 

 10 per cent. There are others who scorn to accept an increase less than 



