New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-17
THE GREAT ILLINOIS GRAzrER.

er country as one Of s most successful farmers, and
even in the older States his example Is cited to show
what energy and enterprise can do on prairie iarn
n accumulate wealth in the business OF raising cattle
Undoubtedly exaggerated stories are told OF his
wealth in money and lands and one who should form
notion of the individual from these would DO SURPRISED
to find, as we did, on visiting him at home, q plain'
bluff man, Of simple manners, who gave 10 Us 'ne
rough welcome of Western farmer. The evidences
of prosperity are all about him. bat it is the prosperity
of one whose struggle has been with the rough crcum-
stances of drovers le How he has overcome these,
we will endeavor TO show.
lie is short in stature heavy in body, and full Of
Drawn and muscle He hailed us as we approached
the houe to direct MS where to put the hores, and re-
ceved us otherwise with little ceremony. One Of orr
companions wore bis full beard and had adopted the
Napoleonic fashion of twisting the ends of his NOUS
tacbe; but withal was fine, manly fellow, without
particle of efFemiDscy about him. This moustache
seemed to take Mr.. Srawn's eye, and at last, after
having surveyed each Of for some minutes he turned
TO the gentleman in question and sad buntly, Young
man. it must take you long time to fix that concern
every morning. Now" said he, pointing 10 the ven
cradle Col Foster ~ Ike this old gentleman BEST ne
shsves like Christian" We give this as specimen
of the man, for it IL in entire keeping with the scores of
anecdotes that told of his blunt, straightforward
way of doing business.
jacob Strawn was born in Pennsylvania in the year
1900; but went with his parents to Ohio in 1917 and
there remained for fourteen years, engaged Principally
in stock raising. His grandfather was English, and his
nine sons including Jacobs father, were all born In
Bucks County, Pa; 30 that the popular notion that
Strawn is Dutchman is erroneous. His father re-
NAMED first year in Perry County, and then went to
Licking County Jacob worked three or four years on
his fathers farm and then bought $40 acres from him
and started 10 life for himself at twenty years OF age,
with the assistance of wife. The first year he gave
bis fathernaw bushel of salt to induce him to save
for him his straw He bought SO calves, and keeping
them until they were thJeeyear ods sold the lot for
an average price of $40 80, which gave him his first
real start in life 1t was small beginning but quite
as much az he needed to make him the rich man he
now il. This farm he worked for eleven years,
when he went to Illinois with purse so furnished
that after he had purchased and paid for 800 of
land be had $4,000 in cash remaining, and eleven
good horses.
When boy of ten years of age he determined to
be a cattle grower and even then was considered
tolerably good Judge of stock that it is not strange
if after raising wheat for couple Of years on the
Illinois farm, to prepare it for its destined use, he
should have given bis whole energies to CATTLE horses
and hogs, and continued the practice to this day
There are few men who have worked harder, prac-
ticed more frugalitF, and followed more absolute
system in farming than the subject OF our SKETCH
and as a natural consequence, he has amassed large
fortune.
The number of his acres had been 30 exaggerated TO
us that we were surprised to hear him say that he had
never owned more than %, 900 at any one time and
that having sold half of the 800 he owned at Jack
sonville, and like proportion of the 10000 between
Jacksonville and Springfield, he was now possessed of
only some ten or eleven thousand acres in ALL AT first
when his farm was email lie managed it all personally,
but as il increased in size he rented it in this manner:
The tenant plows cuvates and cuts up the corn CROP
and receives from the owner price which varies from
eight TO twelve cents per bushel according to crcum
stances Strawn furnishing land, houses rewood, and
pasture for the COWS and work-horses. The plan
worked SO well that it has been followed without
change since the commencement The tenant gets ex-
ira work at fencing and other jobs between crops and
on these terms with strict industry and frugay, can
Law by something for the rainy day. The light prairie
soil free from stumps, and almost devoid of boulders
to impede the progress of the pow, is so much easier
to work than our Eagte farms that Strawn estimates
he has spent more labor 500 acres of woodland in
Ohio, than on 1000 and even more Of prairie. Hence
his tenants can at the small prices paid them per bush
ell for contrasting, live and support family, when
such would not perhaps be possible in an older State
Since 1884, Mr. Strawn recOects but two failures of
the corn CROP but the porentoua word has often been
applied to results which actually to be ascrbed to
the sbiftless management of prairie farmers He
Ill bel in March the
frost is out and in April plants; that by getting
ahead of the heavy Spring rains he secures
his neQhbors have often failed. In Winter his farm
tools and harness all repaired and made ready for
use, for he is too shrewd business to suffer him.
self to be overtaken by work in hurrying season,
when he is unprepared to get it out OF the way. AS
he says himself in q published article, "Look
at our neghbors in the Spring, about the time
their corn should be planted They get in
great hurry getting ready harness, plows, and
almost everything belonging to their business Bust
ling around going to mill, getting part Of a load
of wood at time for they have not time enough to
haul full load they so extremely hurried to get
their corn planted. II they would keep at work all
the season. we would starve the lawyers and whip the
doctors. When it comes rainy, bad weather, so you
cannot plow, cut and split your wood Make your
tracks roads when rains hard cleaning your stables,
or fixing something which you would have to stop the
plow for and fix, in good weather. Fix the fence, or
the gate that is OFF its hinges weatherboard your
barn, or patch the roof Of your house." In other
words Mr. Strawn would have bis brother farmers do
as he has DONE and has given notice publicly, that If
they viii serupulousy observe his directions, he will
guarantee success His offer he touches In the follow
ing quaint terms: Do not fail to get into bed by
seven and roll out early and attendto business There