T30 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (KANSAS.) 



The area sown, as returned by township as. psors 

 in March, was 6,254,474 acres. The area reported 

 sown for next year's crop is 6,020,103 acres, being 

 a decrease of 234,644 acres, or 3.7 per cent, below 

 last year's sowing, which was much the largest 

 ever 'reported. The shrinkage in spring-wheat 

 sowing, so conspicuous annually of late years, 

 is again strikingly in evidence this year with 

 but 46,293 acres, and a yield of 325,397 bushels, 

 worth $155,546.57. 



The corn area was 6,990,704 acres (which in- 

 cludes the 5,919,590 acres reported by assessors, 

 plus 1,071,174 acres of the plowed-up wheat-land 

 first planted to corn) and yielded 201,367,102 

 bushels, worth $78,321,653.26. 



The yield of oats was nearly 60 per cent, greater 

 than last year, or 32,966,114 bushels, the largest 

 yield since 1892. 



The yield of potatoes, on a conspicuously di- 

 minished area, 60,618 acres, was 8,193,632 bushels, 

 the largest and best crop by far since 1899, with a 

 value of $3,136,856.71. 



The net increase in value of this year's agricul- 

 tural productions over that of 1901 is $20,614,343; 

 and of live stock $2,069,680. In two years the 

 increase in value of agricultural productions has 

 been $28,072,589, and of live stock $11,649,659. 

 The total increase over the values of three years 

 before amounts to $68,071,029. 



The quantity of old corn in the hands of farm- 

 ers on March 1 was 7,724,942 bushels. The 

 year before it was 35,121,339 bushels, and two 

 years before 48,252,667 bushels. The quantity 

 of old wheat in farmers' hands March 1 was 

 9,664,595 bushels. The year previous 7,996,555 

 bushels, and two years previously 4,824,828 

 bushels. 



Other products of 1902 are: Rye, 3,728,296 bush- 

 els, valued at $1,584,321.31; barley, 2,188,973 

 bushels, valued at $801,381.69; buckwheat, 2,770 

 bushels, valued at $2,216; castor-beans, 4,400 

 bushels, valued at $5,500; cotton, 136,005 pounds, 

 valued at $9,520.35; flax, 1,427,975 bushels, valued 

 at $1,713,570; hemp, 10,200 pounds, valued at 

 $610; tobacco, 15,150 pounds, valued at $1,515; 

 broom-corn, 16,584,205 pounds, valued at $495,640.- 

 15; millet and Hungarian millet, 400,160 tons, 

 valued at $1,445,415; sorghum for sirup, 1,792,- 

 200 gallons, valued at $663,114; value of sorghum, 

 Kafir corn, milo maize, and Jerusalem corn for 

 forage, $12,738,694; tame hay, 803,934 tons, val- 

 ued at $4,823,604; prairie hay, 820,637 tons, val- 

 ued at $3,282,548; wool-clip, 647,427 pounds, val- 

 ued at $97,114.05; cheese, butter, and milk, 

 $8,412,217.65; poultry and eggs sold, $5,706,352; 

 animals slaughtered or sold for slaughter, $51,- 

 346,589; horticultural and garden products and 

 wine, $1,995,550.50; honey and beeswax, 403,155 

 pounds, valued at $60,631.20; wood marketed, 

 $186,150; total value of products, $215,868,995. 



Railroads. Kansas has 8,753.55 miles of main 

 track, and 1,636.25 miles of sidings. The assessed 

 valuation of all railroad property is $60,276,206. 

 In 1902 two branches were constructed by the 

 Missouri, Kansas and Texas in the southeastern 

 portion of the State; one from Moran to lola, 

 the other from Mineral Junction to Joplin, their 

 aggregate length being about 37 miles. The 

 Kansas-Southwestern, a line 59.35 miles long, 

 from Cale Junction to Anthony, became the prop- 

 erty of the Santa Fe. The Kansas and Southern, 

 an 8-mile road in Pottawatomie County, connect- 

 ing Westmoreland with Elaine, on the Leaven- 

 worth, Kansas and Western, operated independ- 

 ently, went into the hands of receivers in the fall. 

 The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient, chartered in 

 May, 1900, to build from Kansas City to Port 



Stilwell, on the west coast of old Mexico, has in 

 operation a portion of its line, south from An- 

 thony, in Harper County, into Texas. Grading 

 has been done for a portion of its road-bed in 

 Lyon County. In November preparations were 

 begun on an electric line to connect Wichita with 

 McPherson. Surveys had also been completed 

 for an electric line up the valley of the K;i\v. 

 connecting Kansas City, Mo., and Topeka. Only 

 5 of the 105 Kansas counties, and but 7 county 

 seats, are without railroad communications. 



National Guard. The Legislature of 1901 

 passed a militia law, and the organization of the 

 National Guard of the State is made to conform 

 as closely as possible to the organization of the 

 regular army. The membership of the National 

 Guard is: Officers, 126; enlisted men, 1,232. There 

 are 2 regiments of infantry, and an artillery bat- 

 talion. All equipment required by the organized 

 militia of the State is supplied by the United 

 States to the amount of $21,241.82 annually. 

 This equipment remains the property of the Uni- 

 ted States, the State being held to close account- 

 ability. The value of the property for which the 

 State of Kansas is responsible at the close of the 

 fiscal year ending June 30, 1902, is: Ordnance and 

 ordnance stores, $42,020.72; quartermaster's sup- 

 plies, $55,795.61; aggregate, $97,816.33. The old 

 Napoleon smooth-bore, muzzle-loading field-guns 

 have been discarded, and the artillery is now 

 equipped with 4 3.2-inch breech-loading steel guns. 

 The infantry is still equipped with the Springfield 

 rifle. The militia took part in the military ma- 

 neuvers conducted by the regular army at Fort 

 Riley in September, the Legislature having made 

 an appropriation for an annual muster, and on 

 being invited to do so, the militia men partici- 

 pated with the regulars in their mimic war. For 

 the maintenance of the National Guard for the 

 fiscal years ending June 30, 1904, and June 30, 

 1905, the Adjutant-General recommends that the 

 Legislature make an appropriation of $60,040. 



Free Employment Agency. December closed 

 the twentieth month for the State Free Employ- 

 ment Bureau established by the last Legislature 

 (1901). In that time 4,694 applications for work 

 were received, of which 3,971 were supplied. It 

 is believed by the director that a large number 

 of those reported as not finding places had sim- 

 ply failed to notify the agents, and hence were 

 marked as unprovided for. In the same period 

 there were 1,993 applications for help, of which 

 966 were furnished. The director assigns as tlic 

 reason for the failure to provide the help sought 

 the general prosperity that prevailed, making it 

 next to impossible to find, in this or other States, 

 unemployed men or women. Of the 1,027 unsup- 

 plied, two-thirds represent applications for farm- 

 hands received in September and October, 1902. 

 The wages offered were largely in excess of the 

 ruling rates during previous years, yet men could 

 not be obtained from any source. The total fig- 

 ures, as shown by the director's consolidated re- 

 port, are: Work and help desired, 6,687 ; furnished. 

 4,937; not secured, 1,750. The State employment 

 agent works in connection with the clerks of 

 cities of the first and second class, the clerk- ri- 

 ceiving no additional remuneration for this work. 

 All books and blanks are furnished by the Stnte. 

 the city furnishing a room in which to do the 

 business. No charges are made to those seeking 

 employment or those in quest of help. For the 

 .most part, housemaids and common laborers have 

 benefited in greatest degree by the new law, al- 

 though it is planned for all classes. 



Labor. Eight hours constitute a day's service 

 in State, county, city, town, and other municipal 





