New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-14
INTERESTING TO FARHFpS,
AN ILLINOIS FARM PRrscIpArrv
MICHAEL sULLIYAHT's FARM 90

comparison with the essats--a petty kingdom "a.
almost be csled-of Mr.. Selyant, near Hopss. CA...
paign County, Illinois, While ordinary msa an Coz.
tent with few hundred acres he numbers Ais h a.
thousand, and from the upper windows Of hio...
can look out upon single timothy meadow, ssisL
contains fifteen hundred acres within its bxod.,x
fences. Nor do we recollect 70 have seem tbs or
any other country body Of land more fsr thsa the
black loan of the praihes on which We ~ hs cor.
growing.
One needs TO 20 to Iaois 10 understand as sxteat
TO which an insatis.e thirst for land may iavsossl
The email farmer from New-England,. wb : nap (
mas drudged score Of years upon poorh I-zsrs
Homestead, and by bad management hal ms sis acres
poor without eniicbing himself goes 70 illos- I'D
settles upon halfsection somewbsr, nssr .hs ri
road Content at first with his 800 acres ana eioss
o find his roil 30 prolific as 70 rsquir, no .nur4
he works hard and thrvss for q whi8 30
with an ocean Of fertile land about him ssfss1
ing on every side TO the horizon, he gradually hse.
thirsty for an increase Of bis FARM and 81 dsrsok tic
buys, now quarter and now half section. and II
larger lots as tho disease gets the better Of him upz
bis estate becomes cumbrous and unnanagsable AID
bis load Of dsbt the same. II surely would be yi,,
ton Of eyey principle Of common ssnse 10 deny that
this overgowth of farms brings shifless management
Man is bus mortal and wheN labor IA scarcs the lana
owner isforced to skim over his great farm from tia
sheer upossbty TO do full justice 70 any portion Of H.
Tbiss the experience of most Illinois farmsru vbs
orr In buying more Land than their capital wxrssx;
and fter visiting number OF places VIC became ssn-
yinod that good management was decidedly TIA e.
cepion, shiftlesspess the rule.
me case of Mr. Sullivant Is somewhat different. Hn-
sef farmer, we are told of very large property, which
iaocaed near Columbus, o. he SO fully appresassdas
.lendid capabilities Of Illinois prairie land that hs
mietly located in very desirable localities Goyenmsa
laud.warrants 10 the extent Of many thouszad AGRA
and at one time and another 90 increased the quaay
that he now holds or did last FAIL over one hanirsl
thousand acres Of land. In the farm Ct Homer,
which we visited there are 20 600 acres In another IN
Livingston County 10000; and other smaller plos
elsewhere He bears the reputation Of being a q.
ceIlent farmer in Ohio, and with his skill aud sxpt
Renee the vast prairie estates viii undoubtedly In Gss
bs made the most Of. They are now in traaikn
state. partly cultivated and fenced and In part he
mere range of virgin prairie with the same tough Di
over which the buffalo roamed, and the Indian ods
at beadlone speed. Where the land Is under eron |
It's fertility Is well shown in thu stout adu |
OF the twelve and fourteen-fest corn ssi |
ths close bottom of the timothy meadow, near the |
bouss. This meadow, which measures tvo uil.i a 1
length and half mile in width, had been cut ovs /
prior to our visit; but we could from the soi whs
the crop must have been, even If the great stack 1t ods
side Of the field had not been witness 10 two taa Per
acre. On this farm there are 5000 acres mown the
hay from which we saw in stacks Of 80 tuns EACH Tia
whole amounting to upward Of 900 tuns svsass
Of one tun to the acre. There 500 acres Of corn
raised last year. and about 600 Of wheat the greater
part of the remainder Of the farm wac In meadow iad
pasture.
To do the farm work two hundred working Oxsa are /
required, which, with the sixty horses, are msnsgsd
by seventy lsborers. Five yoke OF cattle are Pst
each plow for breaking prairie, but only one Ia needed
for blowing Ole land. So much blowing has to b
at once, that Mr.. Sullivant would be very gsd g.
come tool thaiwould do 1t wholesaler and In the hops
that Jesse Fgs large gang Of plows would anssx
this purpose il tried last year. Thirty acres were
ploWed will Il; but "a n required sb:risrJ -ss
to work tle screws which regulate the depth
of work, and consumed 80 much power to do /
little worn, IL was abandoned. Ths very /
harrows o, the place would be suitable for
farmer in hobdignsg. They are 20 feet vida, maze
in sections which are attached TO one draff bar ana
drawn by several spans of horses. The prairie break
ing plow has beam nine feet long, resting on awe
wheeled sruck in front At one side the axle ex'
tended ot, so thai the wheel runs much further ffsn
the beam than the other BY which contnvssos vi
plow ouidss itsef toleraby well without being hh by
plowman. long lever, extending from the soss o
the beam to the handles, andwhich may BE- MsPu
in holes on an upright piece, enables the attendant
regulate the depth Of work as required.
Twenty plows sre sent out TO the field 70 WORK
once, and relay of ten otherr, to be used 10 sss
accident. any plowmsn gets into trouble, he h0is
flag on q small pole as signal Of distress the OTS
seer rides up If the plow is badly broken, iEhsnis
the shop to be mended, bat the powman merely dnFs
his team TO the end Of the funow, and hiehs ~
fresh plow that stands ready for him. ~
sullivsnt breaks prairie in May and June P'ew's'
or rather pairing the sod only an inch and hall ts
to insure its being rooted. The next year the ouna
plowed four inches In depth! The cost per acre ~
mated at 80 cents, not counting anything for oSS'
No grain is fed to the work-cssts, as the wild pa
grass is deemed sufficient 10 keep them IN coae'f-
The prairie hay failing In September, the tame -
come on and has. until December, after woS
shock corn Ia drawn to the stock, and fed
ground stalks and ALL just as it comes from the ha'
For the requirements Of the farm ven m'n's
machines are needed, with four "beadsrs" snd"I
reapiDg- machines, which cut q swsth Of ten -
width. To an English farmer these headers wv.
seem perfect abomination, for they merely hs"
the ears Of grain wish ouy foss 90 81 me so
and leave the rest standing on the field 70 b S,a
under at next blowing. The cut headsfal upon $50
travelling endless apron, and are carried from
another get st an angle Of about thirty eeg'-
and tumbled into deep-bOxed wagon, which NV"
along ss fast as the header travels.
The Homer farm IA MANAGED BY Mr. JOssph - |