The numbered farms of this series were mortgaged lands to which Watkins acquired title over the years, usually by foreclosure or purchase at sale. In the first decade of the 20th century, these lands were reorganized for their lease and rental income potential. Watkins' dream was to "break the sod" and irrigate the western Kansas plain, thus fueling agricultural development and prosperity which would flourish under Watkins' direction in lands which were once barren.

Dick Williams managed these agricultural lands for the Watkins company. His correspondence is a central feature of this series from the mid-1920s to 1946. The western Kansas lands were bequeathed to the University of Kansas Endowment Association under provision of Elizabeth Watkins' will. The University's Endowment Association managed these hundreds of western Kansas farms starting in 1940.

These individual farm materials contain correspondence and related records which offer a detailed view into the leasing and operation of hundreds of Watkins-owned farms in Texas, Louisiana, and Kansas.

Correspondence with tenants, lease agreements (wheat, oil, and natural gas) production records, tax and financial statements all comprise the written record which, for the most part, begins in 1908-1909. Most farms are a quarter section in size and files are available on over 400 individual tracts of land, indexed by county.