Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, May 23, 1909, Page 21

B s - - THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: MAY 2 1909. County the Home of Farmers Who Trust in the Dairy Cow BEAVER CITY HIGH SCHOOL. the reader will follow with finger on the map, the three streams that pass through the the county, and thelr wide fertie valley, the productiv ness of Furnas county will tself. The streams water the en- These valley lands are wealth re. It was here that the first as grown in the state, and from Ing It has spread out to thous- ands of acres. Here it grows in its natural nd does not need irrigation. During the last five years, experfence has demonstrated that the introduction of dalrying to the western part of the state Is a great advantage, and that there are many conditions in this section favorable to the Industry. No country ever reaches the maximum of its development until its farmers engage extensively in dairying. The further one looks up the records of our oldest, most successful and wealthy agri- cultural sections the more firmly will he be convinced that the statement is correct. Tt has been pretty well demonstrated in past that individual butter making and butter marketing will never place a country in- the front rank of butter pro- Aucers. BEvolution in the handling of coww has proceeded rapldly in the last few years on Furnas county farms as well as elsewhere, A few years ago the manufacturers of creamery machinery scoured the country soliciting the subscription of stock In a local creamery. Generally enough money was pald In to buy the machinery at two prices and the solicitor looked for new flelds while the farmers hired a high-priced operator and lost money because no one knew how to find a good and permanent market for the product. Now all s changed. The creameries are nearly all gone and In their place are farm separ- ators. Thoe Beaver Clty creamery station sent for its first shipment twenty-seven cans of cream to Lincoln, representing 21,600 pounds of milk. At the present price of cream the shipment was worth more than $800, The recelpts of the station have been in- creasing steadlly and from this time om will do so rapidly. Farmers of this county who are ralsing alfalfa and milking cows for dalry purposes, are all getting pretty well fixed. The results from the alfalfa harvest have furnished them with plenty of good rich feed, probably the best that could be obtained for dairy purposes It produces cream in large quantities and of superior quality. Stockholders of the Orleans Creamery years assoclation recently declared at aividend of 5 per cent on its stock for the year Just closed. As a rule patrons are well satisfied with the results, and when a patron can recelve $3.72 for the butter-fat 80ld in one month from eight cows, as did I Flammang, a patron of the station, there {8 no room for displeasure or dissatis« faction. There is no better all around dairy and stock etate than Nebraske. Of the 48,636,800 acres comprising the state, all is avallable for dairying, or a combination of stock ralsing and dairying. “While cowboy life has all but paswed away in Furnas county, one may see them yet In wide sombreros and leather trousers, Cowboys of today are employed not “round up" the herds but to “ride fences, and assist in driving the fattened cattle to market. The ranches are conducted after modern fashion. Bvery ranch has as much or more land In cultivation as in pastures, and the erstwhile “vow- puncher” {s following the plow and drtving the self-bDinders these daye. The typleal Furnas county man s & boomer from eoholce and force of hadbit. He has the courage of his impressions and dls- counts the obligations of the future with a sublime confidence In that future's abllity to make good. He has the imagin- ation which enables him to see vistons, as well as the constructive energy to make those visions realities. He 18 always “Johnny on the spot.”” He wastes no time but keeps step with the prooession— uually a little i advance. He has seem- ingly no business secrets, but takes the whole world into his confidenc vertises. It matters not selling groceries, managing a farm, or running for office, he keeps himself and his business well before the public. He ad- whether he is Ten years ago the aspect of things out in Furnas county pretty hopeless and the man who was so reckl as to desire land there could get all he wanted at any old price. The change that has occurred is astonishing. The price of lands are high and farms are in such demand that Beaver City, Furnas county was organized In 1578, but til the buflding of the Burlington rail- a fow years later, it was principally ng country. Since that the land has cultivated and it is now ome of the corn countries tn the state and fa in center of the great fall wheat belt of the nation. The county is primarily an sgricultural one. The farmer is the pro- @ucer of nearly all of the county's wealth. The corn belt s the most considerable area in the world where agriculture is uni- formly prosperous. This prosperity 1s, moreover, healthful and natural, and not artificlal, ltke the sugar beet industry, for example, which has never in any country shown its ability to stand alone unalded by government favors, nor, like much of our manufacturing prosperity, based upon government protection. Of late years more attention to stock ralsing and improving the grade of stock Eiiiig FACU has rapidly the wealth of the country. Some idea can be galned regard- Ing this industry from the fact that the Burlington road shipped out of this coun- try In one 192 car loads of beef cattle and 1,23 car loads of fat hogs It Is a somewhal surprising fact that Furnas county leads all the other counties of the stato In the shipment and sale of beef and pork. In 1907 the farmers of this county s0ld and shipped out 42700 head of beef cattle and fat hogs. increased year T T T LT On June 8 of last year, at the Chicago stock yards, J. W. Cox of Arapahoe topped the market with a bunch of cattle that brought .75 per 10 pounds. On the same day two other Arapahoe men went on the market. Frank Sland marketed fifty-seven head, 120 pounds average, which brought #7145, and B. H. Hill marketed twenty-two head averaging 1,121 pounds, which brought $7.40 per 100 pounds. In & county where the conditions are so favorable for a combination of beef and butter as they are in Furnas county, the farmer 1s not confined to one source of in- come. Energy and thrift are nowhere bet- ter rewarded than here, and the farmers Wwho come here, many of them with thelr household goods and their team, are today owners of comfortable homes worth from 5,000 to $16,000, and this has been made here from the productiveness of the soll. It may seem somewhat strange that this county should be the banner county in LTY OF BEAVER CITY HIGH SCHOOL. the state In the production of alfalfa. The farmers of this county have 13,127 acres of alfalfa, which produced on an, average of five tons per acre. This would be consid- ered a large yleld in any county in any state in the union, and it is accounted for by the fact that this county has three broad fertile valleys reaching across it from east to west, which are especlally adapted to the alfalfa, dalry dustry. It is in valleys where @ ind beef in- these large part of the wealth of the county is produced. A fallure of crops on these bot- tom lands is almost unknown in the his- tory of the county. Furnas county 1s well timbered for a Nebraska county. The Republican. Beaver and Bappa are studded with a heavy growth of elm, ash, boxelder, cottonwood and some other varieties, These timber belts vary In width from five to forty rods. The B. & M. rallroad has two lines run- ning through this county, the main lne going through Oxford, Edison, Arapahoe, Holbrock and Cambridge, to Denver. The south line passes through Beaver City, Hendley and Wilsonville, its objective point belng Pueblo. Colo. This road pays one-sixth of the entire tax of the county. This company has sixty and one-half miles of rallroad in this county and good, nine thrifty rallroad statlons. The county has also €60 miles of public highway, of which 50 miles is covered each day by eighteen free rural delivery routes. There are four first-class water power flouring mills in the county. These mills manufactured and shipped out last year 3,270,000 pounds of flour and 180,00 pounds mill feed. Furnas county has 310,000 acres fn farms, of which 188,000 are under cultivation county has about farms and 16,000 population. The entire valuation of the county s $30.550,000, The first setllers of the territory of what Is now Furnas county located along the ms early In the '0s, about the years 2. For several years they fol- lowed the streams, where access to land and water was easy. But little land was brcken out for farm purposes for the first ten years. As population gradually in- creased, the newcomers occupled the divide lands, and the prairfe lands dotted with houses, and fertile uplands that had hitherto produced only bunch and buffalo grass were soon waving fields of soon were grain. After a few years the scd house and the dugout gave way to comfortable farm houses and barns. Through all the vicissitudes of the pa Furnas ocounty has steadily advanced in wealth and popu- lation, untll now it ranks one of the very best ccunties of the state. The first settler of Furnas county was Benjamin Burton, who, in the summer of 1870 pushed on far in advance of all civiliza- tion and settlement and established a ranch at the mouth of Decr creek on the north FURNAS COUNTY COURT HOUSE, side of the Republican river. Buffalo, deer and antelope and all other kinds of wild game were plentiful, also the wolf and coyote and other animals common to the western pralrie. In the spring of 1871 Theodore Phillips settled with his family on the Republican river at the mouth of Turkey creek. In April, 152, the home- steaders followed up the as far as where Beaver City s now lo- cated. Thim city was located October 9, 2, by J. H, McKeen and Jacob Struve and eaver and Sap the postoffice was established. There were o crops ralsed the first year and the sot- tlers hauled thefr supplies more than +100 miles, chiefly from Jowell and Republican countles, Kansas, In the easy days of the settlement and until the bullding of the rafiroad In 18%, all goods were hauled from points on the Union Pacific raflroad The first Fourth of July celebration was held in 1873, both at Beaver City and Arapahoe. At the former place Dr. Hob- son made the address and at both places a grand celebration wea had The boundary of the county by gt of the leglslature, and named In honor Furnas, then governor of Nebraska. On the 24th day of April, 1876, the first term of district court for this county was held at Beuver City, Judge Willlam Gaslin pre siding. At the election October 14, 1 Beaver City recelved the majority of votes for county scat. The county offices were located in five different places before the present court house was bullt. There has was fixed February of Robert W. BEAVER CITY. been but little necessity for a county poor farm and at present it is occupled only by the keeper. The county agricultural so- clety was organized in 1875 and was a suc- from the start. The years 1§74, 187 and were known as the grasshopper years and were dark days for the early settlers, as most of their were destroyed. One of the leading farmers of the county had his large tobacco patch completely destroyed, and he sald then the grasshop- pers sat on the fence and begged him for a chew, Beaver count crops City, county seat of Furnas is located on the level valley lands of Beaver creek. The location is & pleas- ant one and not only that, but it s the center of one of the richest portions of the county. Many fine farms In the immediate viclnity attest to the thrift and industry of thelr owners. Every branch of busi- ness is well represented. This city has a population of about 1,400, with modern con- venlences, good schools, two banks, four churches, no saloons, good flouring mill and several clevators, The first bullding erected and the first store was opened November 1, 1872, by McKee & Denham. The first sermon preached in the city was in July, 187, by Dr. G. A. Hobson. The first school was taught in 1874 by Misa Millte Wilson. Cambridge 18 located In the northern part of the county, on the Republican river, and fs the jewel of the Republican valley. It 1s noted for its fine parks and many taste- ful residences, well maintaining the reputa- tlon of Its anclent namesake. The first settler was Hiram Doing, who settled and entered a homestead clalm which now forms a portion of Cambridge. This oity was formerly called Northwood. The next settler to locate was D. W. Rockwell, who bullt a large sod house, put in a stock of goods and opened a hotel. This was the only business house in the town until after the completion of the rallroad in May, 180. The first postoffice was established in 1874 and called Medicine Creek. In 1880 the name wos changed to Cambridge. Oxford is located on the north side of the Republican river in the extreme eastern part of the county. The location of the town s a pleasant and attractive one and surrounded by a fertile and level country. The first rallroad stake was driven on the townsite in October, 187, The first train entered the county In February, 1880. The first store was opened by Forest & Pinck- ney in March, 180. The postoffice was established the following June. The first sermon was preached by Rev. Hampton in a hardware store in June, 1880, Arapahoe Is situated on the Republican the ‘northern part of the county and has about the same population as Cambridge, Oxford and Beaver City. The history of this thriving town began with organization of a town company at Platts- mouth. The town was called Arapahoe from the tribe of Indians of that name. In the spring of 1873 when Furnas county was organized, Arapahoe was declared the county seat. This was one of the best markets of the county for many years. There are eight excellent high schools in the county and ninety-five rural schools. There is a total value of school property of $125,000 with an annual expenditure for #chool purposes of $85,000. There are 4, puplls of achool age In the county with 146 teachers in charge. F. J. Munday s serving his fourth year as county supe intendent of schools and is evidently the right man in the right place. The vounty as a whe with material wealth, nelghbors, river in e 1s very prosperous the envy of all its with schools, the admiration of the world, with socfal conditions, the moi favorable, with churches pointing their spires heavenward, with farms and flocks and herds, and mills pouring forth their wealth, the future of this county is as- sured. While Furnas county has enjoyed @ rapld growth In recent years, the people are extending the hand of welcome to others and all anticipate that the brightest, best and most prosperous days are to fol- low, Cavalryman Ohagrined. MEMBER of Troop A of Cleve- land attended a banquet in Chi- cago not long ago and sat next to an elderly man who seemed to show mild interest when he learned that the Clevelander member of & cavalry organization. e got a great troop," remarked nder, promptly. “Of heard about us being the president’s rsonal escort in the inaugural parade.” He made soveral other remarks calou- lated o make an impression on the older The latter sald he had had some ex- ace n cavalry work himself, and the Clevelander then made a special effort to him sit up, How much of a march bas your troop made In & day?' asked the older course, man. The troop A member recalled & practice march that the troop made several years ago, In which they covered something like 10 miles In two days. He told it proudly. fave you ever gone on a long march of that sort? he asked. “Well," replied the other man, with a yawn, “I think the longest march I was ever on was when we went @0 miles in four days to relleve General Custer." The man was & major general, stationed at an army post in the west.—Cleveland Leader. —id Winntng a Bet. Qined with W. K. Vandebllt, jr., en his return from Monte Carlo, at the Cafe de Parls,” sald a California miliionaire. “Mr. Vanderbllt declared that there was ona sure way to get rich by gambling at Mounte Carlo. That was to bulld a second casino there and run It on the present casino’'s lines He said that in roulette playing the chances against you were quite unfair. You ware in the hopeless position of the man who made the brandy bet. “This man was by a friend, who sald: * ‘What met makes you look so blue? “‘Finn,’ the man replied, ‘has bet me a ten-spot that he can drink a quart of brandy in a day without staggering.' “‘And you look blue! Why,' cried the friend—'why, man, you've got a dead cer- tainty. Finn's bound to lose. He can't take two drinks without staggering scan- dalous.' ‘ ‘But the duffer,’ replied the other, ‘has taken the bottle to bed with him.''— Washington Star, Oandor of The Modest Scot. When Dr. Klopach, the editor of the Christian Herald, was congratulated upon the honor done him when the emperor of Japan bestowed upon him the Order of the Rising Sun, he lsughed and sald: *Yes, my new decoration makes me feel very proud. I feel as proud, in fact, as & High- land chief, and no one could be prouder that that A certain earl,” he went on, “once gave & dioner in homor of a great Highland chlef who ra “Phough ly came down from there were at this dinner, ne hills fllustrious per- any proud Hizhlar was curt and haughty with the gran “When the coffee c e on, tb host, leading his Highland guest up and down the great hall, asked him what he thought of the company. “*Och sald the chleftain, ‘they're no bad. They're no bad chiels.' “Then he frowned and proudly swelling out his broad chest, struck it a blow. “‘But the fack 1s,' he cried, ‘I never met a man yet wha was the equal o' mysel.' "~ The Circle. i The Annals of the Poor. Dr. Herman L. During, superintendent of the Philadelphia city mission, has for many years deveted his life to the poor. Dr. During is the Inventor of the pretzel test for street beggars. When a street beggar pleads starvation, you buy him a big Ger- man pretzel at the nearest stand. If he eats the pretzel, he is honest; If he refuses, he is & fravd, Dr. During In his work among the poor has learned many, odd, quaint things that relates superbly teller. In an addre for he at Eala, apropos of the hard, rough lives of the children of the poor, he related a dialogue between two little girls in Rum alley Muggle, wuz ye kissed?" the first tot “'On'y wunst in me life sald the second de Honnyman hospital wid a broken arm one o de lady nusses kissed me, an' I blushed like & child' "—Philadelphia Record, is a born story- ever asked wot I kin When 1 wuz in re- member, S Mighty Hard to Please, A New Englander, traveling on foot through the Southern mountains, studying the people, asksd a man whom he met to direct him to a certain cabin at which he had been advised to stay over night “Go- ing thar," sald the man. “Well, Tom's & tirst rater, take him just right, but he's mighty queer.' What do you mean?’ asked the traveler, “Well, it's like this" and the man looked at the stranger In a calm, impersonal way. “He'll be setting outside, most probably, aad he'll see you coming; he'll take & good look at you, and ef you don’t suit him he may the dog on you. f he don't, and you get to talking with him and say something he don't just like, he may throw you down and tromp on you. But ef you're careful in your talk, on the other hand, he's liable to take you for a spy and his gun fust and listen to explanations afterward, But it's no use trying to get by without stopping,” concluded the man, with evident relish of the prospect he was opening up to the stranger. you was to that 'twould be all up with y think you was proud and biggetty “Bt you want to come out of the moun- tain whole, don't go past Tom's ¢ use undertals for he'd bin w out stopping, whatever you do!"—Youth's Companion, el No Room for Uncer ty. As an indication of the drollery of Sen- dtor Burton this story s told of how he finished a conference with the remark: “Gentlemen, there is no use In asking; you cannot get the appropriation.” “Don't you think this is pretty hard on us, Mr, Burton?” inquired the spokesmian. You remind me," replied Mr. Burton, “of the story ot how Solomon Levi borrowed $1,000 from his friend, Einstein. Next day the latter was shocked to hear that Solo- mon had b at the In when he yme bankrupt atitude a the ~his own name ened to find him you call yourselt my friend, and you do not even Include my name in your list of ereditors—what about that $1,000 I &ave you on Monday?' ‘ ‘Nevertheless, 1 am your friend.’ “‘How s that? ** ‘Why, don’t you see, preferred list think they will get some money—but you know that you won't—and have no uncertainty to worry you!' “That, gentlemen,” sald Mr. Burton, precisely my position In this matter. You might as well know that you won't get anything; there is some consolation in cer tainty, and I know you will agree with me that there 1s & limit even to the capacious pockets of Uncle Sem."—Nationsl Maga- sioe His annoyance of Bolomon increased list of creditors next day aid not appear. He hast- his erstwhile friend and re- proach these men on that ‘s