, 1859-04-09
Prairie Farming in the West.
BY James Caird, M. 2.

frera<s Prizes or agricultural Produce in
IHfHofs; f'r0ff or Farming. tn Itfia0is,
sa5es or shri- I'oritfoa; The t'ompany,-
T<rn'x o1 snf<fo [aAA Or t'redfi; l:4<Hp-
sion H.om state Tarea III paid FOR; f0H.-
pa.ison dtfHffH Fns'mfak- III Ersfaud aRa
o.eHinsr Land +" ffif"ots, <fr., <le., fte.
What are sl.c profits ii farming on the prai-
IL iul,.ls Of Illinois Z That is the opposition Of
interest tn the agricultural readers Of tits little
1ook.
The average prices Of wleat and Indian cora
II Chicago, since -:,n, and .hose Of beef, purk,
:heese, and butter, since l>54, have been:
S:;;'; ;;;s TT s, 1: Il; bur, ;:: Els r. r.
:7i. ir.T 3 ....-." y. Eutt,f.psS ::..:.....:o
These prices may be rcchunvI, un III average,
Is about ole-hulf tile value uf tie sanc articles
II England. II thu cost of production in thu
Two countries were nearly .l,e sl1ne, the va1,':
If land Of equal quality should be- t"ce as great
ia England Us in illinois. 1t is, however, thirty
times great, and in this disparity consists the
advantage which Il settler may hope tu reap by
buying land i'll Illinois.
The cost Of production il an impurtant elc~
mcnt nf price. Manua! labor is 1.hs per cent.
tearer in Illinois than in England; but the Cos;
pf keeping horses ii l9o pcr cent. cheaper. anil
ls i larger proportion Of tic work Uf the f.!rEl
is done in .inlrrica bv horsepower and ua-
rllnery than in England, the clcapncSs of h"r>.,
labor will fully compensate the prairie farmer
for the sitarnrss Of manual labor. The Gust III
production, in SD fur rs labor il concerned, is
thus 1nuci, alike in the two countries.
! lave already said thut wheat ilas proved.
during the lust two years, 4 very precariuls
crop. 1t Gun usually be crowd will slfetv as
tho first, and sometimes the SECOND cre,t, TN
newly broken praric. Aud it is alsna pretty
sate crop t" follow grass land wien first broken
up after haviu. been Soc wears laid 10 III ;,urc,
But l1uli#.l corn is the cr"i> uf the prairie tarn-
CT. anu there is ALWAYS market Tor II either by
selling consuming it in the t:lttcning of hogs.
If yruwn within l1t miles us C;'icaS", It may br
ca. rled by rail 10 that port, there Slipped I"
Montreal, and tllrdce to England, Whrrc it MAY
he delivered Ut iS quarter, after p;lyin1 Ill
expenses, nm, it will tilcn leave Is. s. blt.lel
to the grower, At stcl price there would lie
:: demand for any conceivable quantity, as it
and l'o1s that We have cveG had in tlis country.
Ii was calculated by Mr.. L;lwes. the result y!
experiment, thai lhout + t1s. Of meal pr,sltri
| IT.. of pork. Indian corn meal ut this price
would Gust less tl,an ID. Il IL.
have HOW before HE four detailed accounts
If farms Of eighty acres each. I'LL Of which sow
4 profit, besides avin. Tor the land Itself, from
the first crop. Eni these cases were instances
durin:. the period It high prices III 1>:1i5-b And
counts which have been recently laid btore thr
public. | propose, therefore, to oiitt I'LL es'i-
;lIa;r based IN !hr probable future range Of
prices, and. IL tncil:te calculations. hill take
II" acrcs uf lln1l; thu iirst crop wlIeaf, and tile
following crnp Indian corn, The wheat crop
shall be cultivated by contract, the land ftncch
hrukcn Up, sown with wheat, reapcd uud thrash
ed, anu iabnrt;s i'"r> huilt iurln:. the first
eighteen months. TIle &etuh1 :,as: following
crops shall bc managed ls two resident piuw
men, whuse w:lges anh the cost ct kerrin,
their four nurses, "ill bc the unly outlay.
,:.1v1 ,;t,v"f r,t..':. rr4knr s..~.:: with wh:
f.a. a.t! ,ta,.c a:ai rtsl .........,......, 81, =,
ra;i:a! Invested in til. purchase "s f"cf l"rsts in5t.
r5i:1
a:c'"iat '.''.-.'...' =
Total -
ttr>t emp w:!c4t, = u.',r's, 3: $. e1... g.,
st.'td erer. ii.-. e"-. 10 5s. 1t Is. 81 4ld-,I
srs', .;rv ,br stcrl emp, hvlc. thu .:l4e ii ,ss
EE a'lu s9"ek-
Tic third Yea: bc!i ins by the pr:ric farmer
finding himself the unihcu.Ibvre,l owner uf his
i.ll, al! fenced md improved, with stack OF
llnrScs and implements. anu the whole Of his
Original capital in his pntset lie may continue
+, erup hi. !Hr,n with Indian corn. 1run whicA
i4c will reap ,try ia,G &c lvtc:rs m his capital.
Thu fur. .pin:. example has reference to Il cup
,t.list purchaser, nut working farmer Tue l'h'
,cres may bc multiplied by any number for
which there i. adequate capital. and the results
uu.l, to he the same i'll proportion. There up
;,cars to be thus very ample surplus III tie
way of annual return, while The value of the
l.,,i itself will probably treble within ten years
from the mere growth uf population.
But 4 workiu. farmer viii mt only receive the
SINE annual dividend from his capital, but will
also TAXI to himself the full rate Of wages which
is allowed for hired labor in this estimate. 4tnd
lie NAV, moreover, u.7a:! himself Of the credit
given By the Illinois Central Railway to.Apaa;-
~ the purchasers Of their lands.
That Company have still l,;;e1,n'n acres Of
land to evi:. II is eituatcd along their line of
railway. c!sirtly within tivu llilsj Ill either side,
and atiurtts every variety IT soil, eiinr'e ;tn.l
situation III be found ii the State rf Illinois.
They offer their lands at prices which. consider
ing situation. quality aud terms of payment.
are 't,a cheapest met with in America. Every
facility tu. til. transport Of prntluce to market
is ut The command ot \ settler nr thcir lands.
At every nine OF trr miles there Is slatinn viii.
I'll electric telegraph, where the LATEST news 1t
the markets ilay be learned; while there il
usually store ut the station for the sale ef pro-
.Iuce, and the purchase Of neeessaries. Their
tcrn,e Of 1.av1ncnt fur the land are either cash
with 4 proportional discount III tho Irict, "r d
long credit with low r::te Of Interest. So con'
t.ltnt do thrv feel in tue increasing WI iue G
:hcir land, tia. they readily leave tie entir.
pricc Of il us mortgage to be repaid by ;n,sua
instalincnts out If the rradncs" nj thu land Itself
Purchasers from them nbtcin the further i'm
in,r:ni ms::antage If exemption FINN ;.ll Stat,
'uxcs until the wl,slr ;s>1a'lnrnts u, the pric.
have BEEN paid nj and this ust,ullv ci;vn1s owe
the ilrst seven years.
LIT lis consider the advantage Of this crcd!
ptan IL the father uf several *.,ns, tn whom l.:
NAV be nuxinu< IN ,irc the n,rln* et starting il
lie. Ii l,c desires IL place one MS tenant
farm in England. Of S'p acrcs. he must r:oyid
him 9Th capital If Es:2,,"''. But IT, instead y
making hi. sou IAr tenant nf another man, III
determines II purchase tasn. o1 HE same TX
tent for him on the prairie, he may pay tic ac
vance Interest Of iht purchase money Of tn
lapd, fence il, build on it. stock it, and SOW TIL
first crop for Ahcut r:no. Two years elapsc he
for: the tirs; iCstaiiEcnt Of the price is DUE ant
should lsaye yielded enough IN pay it, Lcs;dt
al the expenses Of management. I'm Intelligent
prudent ,.,a, with s;h' in hi. l'eckvt. may rel
On finding that snu, sufficient IL slar, him sur
ccs>fn1lv o :,n acres If prairie land, if he avail
himself Of the credit system.
I'll. position will bc this: lie enters into cot
tract witt. the t.1E;,any for the purchase cf q.
~ SAAAt -" 49, "0
He PAYS per- cent. advance interest UPON Til
list he pays nothing further for Two wears. III
first in>talincnt oue-tfth Of tl,e price, then b.
comes payable and each rear thereafter. till u
il raid. another fifth. His account will stan
| thus.
Twd yca!< advance atcyss Itt-e # t,aa e
Contract prize ffrsr!nE Iol aer~. tttaall& k,-w1g
"Hh wl:st. rca1'ns att ta::sLtn.. and for lu!td.
. III: h":t, stale, lal s!lrd- =
lT.c uf a;s4* implements, aud haEnes-. .......
7c,A: :............-...........,... -
1a:c "tt:ss e.c;... Z
| ,,. ~
stean1 year: eosty7ct f"r f.ne!nc an:tcf ne acs.
| - s""'Lr II villa wheat .liuE and tf-l>1t:lE .,
"a;,s a! and h"rse keep fl c,iva;lg lo1 avres tf
Total q
| His 2'+' acres of corn crop will now yield hi
! from E6'"' I" 411.n. thus more than rccumpen
ing Ills outlay. aud leaving plenty in hand to y:
his llrsa i2s'alnen,, and to proceed with II
vigorous cultivation OF the land The sas,
sum which would lc needed to start c3c son
furmer Of another mans hish.rentrd land
England, would thus Start four sons as the o1
ers Of farms. fenced stocked, and under Gro
On the fine prA,Fle soils Ct i!iunis.
hive i'll i l'rcvi"u> letter pointed tut Il
profitable nature Il. sleep farming i'll lflno
md would n.ain refer ~ j, here. as III ubiy
well worthy Of t{s consideration Of Young IN
grant farmers: NcriEo slr~p prove vcrv he;
thr, and can be kept chcarly On tie pr:ai,je,
Their wool is nearly as valuable in America
: ;t England, and the supply is not adequate
| +1,o snNrnssinr hnme cnnsumntion af +bnt -o,,