100 years ago
JUNE 23, 1904 — Messrs Thomas and Fred Scully, sons of Wm. Scully, are here looking after their extensive land interest — which includes some fifty thousand acres in the county. They have been driving over the lands, inspecting conditions, interviewing their numerous tenants, and acquainting themselves, generally, with the situation. By the way, the Scully interests are managed on a broad-gauged policy, and we never hear of a complaint from one of their tenants.
Another company of Marionites "hiked the Pike" Monday. Among them, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Freeland, Mr. and Mrs. John Gardner, Mrs. Greely Kyle, Mrs. Earl Grimes and Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Loveless.
INTERESTING STATISTICS
Gleaned from the latest official records of Marion County
From the trial abstracts of the statistical rolls of Marion County as compiled by the County Clerk from the assessors' returns of 1904 we find that we have 2,568 farms, 333,635 acres under fence and 124,131 acres not fenced, total number of acres reported 457,766. Only 27 acres are reported under irrigation and this in Fairplay township. The assessors estimate the value of the farms, with their improvements to be $10,540,080, and the farm machinery $162,175.
There was planted in the fall of 1903 a total of 85,182 acres of rye. But 25 acres spring wheat are reported and that from Milton township, corn 93,706 acres, barley 1,040, oats 56,838, potatoes 1,024, flax 10, broom corn 548, millet and hungarian 3,782, sorghum 7,577, milo maize 24, kaffir corn 7,214, Jerusalem corn 6. There was on hand March 1st, a total of 480,498 bushels of corn and 27,884 bushels of wheat.
The aggregate acres in tame grasses was timothy 335, blue grass 745, alfalfa 16,308, orchard grass 1, other tame grasses not named 124 acres.
The total number acres of prairie under fence or used for meadows is 122,852. During 1903, "tame" hay to the amount of 29,349 tons were put up while the prairie or "wild" hay amounted to 23,239 tons.
The humble, helpful hen contributed in eggs and offspring a gross value of $159,375 as shown by sales, while the sales of garden truck amounted to but $2,179, Bear that in mind when your neighbor's hens pay your garden a visit.
The cow should be given credit for 442,245 pounds of butter and 742 cheeses made on the farms together with $74,491 worth of milk and cream sold.
The value of cattle and hogs used for food or sold for the year ending March 1st, 1904 was $4,115,621.
There are 13,432 horses, 605 mules, 13,871 milk cows, 42,813 other cattle, 27,216 hogs, 2,728 dogs and 923 sheep gave up 3,488 pounds of wool.
There are in bearing 112,131 apple trees, 5,559 pears, 42,520 peach, 4,805 plum, 12,233 cherry. Not in bearing 16,553 apple trees, 1,708 pear, 12,773 peach, 1,411 plum, 4,713 cherry. Of forest trees we have 158 acres of Walnut, 23 of maple, 7 of honey locust, 168 cottonwood, 90 of Catalpa and 491 acres of other varieties.
We have 28 acres of raspberries, 13 of blackberries, 6 of strawberries, 125 of grapes, 1,214 stands of bees from which was taken 18,604 pounds of honey and 108 pounds of wax.
A glorious Fourth will be held at Lincolnville in Simon Sill's grove near town. Conveyance will be furnished for 10 cents. Hon. J.S. Dean will be speaker of the day. Contest ball game races in afternoon. Display of fireworks at night. Procession will form in western part of town at 10 a.m. and proceed to grove. Bring your baskets and enjoy a picnic dinner. For those not wishing a picnic, meals will be served on the grounds. Everybody come.
John Powers showed us some English blue grass last week, raised on one of his farms, which measured over four feet in length. He thinks it's a great grass. Expects to get twenty-five bushels of seed per acre from it. It makes early and late grazing, and is a very profitable crop, he thinks. He has a fine stand on a fifteen acre field, from last Fall's sowing.
A transient boarder skipped out a week or two ago leaving an unpaid board bill at Leachman's of $2.75. Now, hotel bills are mighty sacred things in the eyes of Kansas laws. Special enactments were made to protect them, and so Sheriff Evans followed the delinquent boarder to Pratt and brought him back to the scene of his gastronomic offense, where he was duly arraigned and when he escaped from the clutches of the law he was minus $5.50 of his wealth and besides had to pay the $2.75 before he could breath the air of freedom. Rather expensive grub, wasn't it. The strange part of it was, the man had nearly one hundred dollars in money, a draft for $10.00 and a time certificate from $11.00 on his person!
Watermelons made their first appearance in our market Tuesday.
(Copied by Joan Meyer from the 1904 microfilm files of the Marion Record)
