Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-08-27
Mlisfellaneeus.
An Illinois Farm.

What will those persons who have been
accustomed 10 consider five hundred acres
a large Farm, think of the following p
The editor of the Esprit of the Agrieultu-
rat Press" has recently been on visit to
the farm Of M. L. Sullivant, Esq, in the
south eastern part of Champaign county llll-
nois. The farm contains over fUenty thou
sand acres, and although only about seven
thousand acres are yet under cultivation,
employs over one hundred men! Three
thousand acres are planted in corn, and the
editor estimates that the farm will produce
at least $4,000 bushels of wheat this year,
besides large quantities of barley, oats, flax,
DC. Mr.. Sullivant employs five different
reapes this season, and threshes immedi-
ately after cutting, employing steam en-
gine as his power in the latter operation.-
A blacksmith's shop is located on the farm,
and employed continually in repairing
farm implements; a school is kept up for
the education of the children of the
workmen. One hundred and twenty-five
yoke of oxen, and fifty horses are employ
ed. 1t must be acknowledged that this is
something of farm, and that Mr.. Sulivant
possesses much executive ability to sue
cessfully manage such stupendous con-
cern; yet we are informed that everything
moves on as regular as the click of chro-
nometer. This is but one of the many large
farms which now grace the broad prairies
of that and adjoining counties, none of
which are so large as this, but large enough
to excite the wonder and admiration of
outsiders, who know nothing of the mag
nifcent VEST Chicago Democrat.
Mr.. Sullivant also farms it on large
scale near ColUabus, in this State. He
has lands enough in Franklinton and
Franklin county one would suppose, to sat-
isfy most men, considerable proportion
too Of the very fertile Sciota bottoms
Within the past three or four years be has
been selling portions of his large tracts in
Ohio, and investing in prairie government
lands in the West, mainly in Illinois. He
has monopolized in the vicinity of one
hundred thousand acres of the great prai-
ries in Central and Southern Illinois, every
acre of which he considers intrinsically
worth $50 for agricultural purposes, even
for corn alone. He entered some for
ty thousand acres in one body, on
which there was scarcely stick of timber
and not drop of running water The
big farm spoken of is on this tract. His
tenants have to haul frewood about twelve
miles. Water is obtained by digging at
reasonable depth, and supplies are furnish
ed by windmill pumps. Mr.. s. broke up
strip of prairie some two hundred miles in
length to put out Usage orange hedge for
fencing, but gave up the experiment. He
now uses posts and boards, and planted
hickosies at proper distances for future
posts. He expects that the thrifty young
trees will become large enough to be used
fol. posts as they stand by the time the
frst fence rots down, say in dozen years.
Last year Mr.. Sullivant's Illinois farming
operations were not very profitable. His
immense corn fields were mainly planted
on the newly turned prairie sod, and the
season was so unfavorable that the harvest
was very light. His lands he regards
about as fertile and productive as the Sci
'oto bottoms, and his crops this summer
and autumn will largely swell the over
flowing granaries Of Egypt. MIR. S. is quite
moderate in his expectations. He does
not hope to be rich man himself, but
thinks be may leave something for his child
rem !-Cleueland Herald.