Show BURNING KANSAS tue THE western part of the great state of kansas is often afflicted by terribly hot winds they are veritable sir they wither up anil and destroy the crops and render work during their prevalence impossible this year the thermometer ran up to 1 30 degrees while the south wind blew the blast Is deadly and add devastation marks its path there is a cause for this of course charles braudis adams the railroad magnate has given his opinion of it to the kansas city times re has witnessed its effects both in periods of drouth and when there has beanan been an average rainfall ile he does not claim to be the discoverer of the reasons lie he advances but has formed his views after conversation with observing men ile he thinks the trouble is is gracea ble to the unsettled condition of the country lying south and west of kansas this is the theory y originally the whole county west of the missouri river was one vast rolling plain which had bad for centuries been burnt eyer ever by fire and trodden by buffalo until the surface of tile the soil was somewhat of the nature of a tile from this the water flowed rapidly off into toe ravine and then to the missouri river th vre ire was no more capacity lor for abs le in the soil than there is if in ane root roof of a church the radiation of heat hea t from this tile like surface was also about the same as it Is f from rom the roof ot jot a church accordingly as the prevailing winds passed over this vast ns t baking and radiating surface they became heated to a higher and hir higher her degree dearee until they withered up every green tiling thing with which they came in contact it was like a draught of air across iron radiators As agriculture crept west from froin the missouri river this tile like plain has hais been broken up and fields of growing crops dave taken place of the buffalo grass ane soil now not only holds the rainfall but the fields of growing crops especially of corn protect the earth from the constant burning rays of the sun and generate coolness alness co as well as moisture As yet the area ot of agriculture has stretched only a limited distance wilst west and toward ane south it is put a stop to by the indian territory that territory r remains in its primal condition and together with the Pan panhandle hamile ot ol texas constitutes a vast radiating surface over which in its heated condition the prevailing winds of summer pass and then strike the southern border of kansas here they come in contact with growing crops especially of cornand they burn and wittier wither these up until the sirocco becomes cooled by passing over the artificially tempered area accordingly this summer the hot winds seem to have traversed onty the western and southern sout bern portions of kansas there destroying the crops but losing their destructive force before reaching the northern and eastern tiers of counties mr adams concludes that it if this theory is correct there will be no e hinge change in the condition until the in dian territory is opened to cultivation and the hard baked soil is broken up As it is kansas is still the pioneer state with the old tile covered plain stretching out beyond it farmers of western and southern kansas occupy therefore much the position of a per manent front rank in the line ot of battle sure always to take the fire 1305 behind hind them rest in seen se cHrity rity the northern tier of counties of the state and the adjoining state of nebraska these ideas are worthy of consideration and of a remedy for the evil which afflicts at least of what may mav be C called tied burning if not bleed we irig kansas |