New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-07-30
AZ ILLINOIS FARM

Char,,s d. Bragd0n assistant-edItor Of Tie Rural
Mar Yorker gives long, interesting account Of the
farm Of I-aac Funk, OF Mclean county, Illinois:
The home farm now CONSISTS of %, 500 acres in one
body. There 5000 acres more in the county, max
INK altogether 2o,JOO acres owned by him IN TINS
county Of Mclean. About half Of this land was
purchased at Government prices; the other hall at
prices ranging from s. 10 $50 per acre. The
!, oct Of this land Is paid for. receI pur-
cLg-e II 10000 worth OF land, from the Iii OILS
Central Railroad Company, is not quite paid for.
During The present year payment Will be mpleied.
lie stock the farm to-day duly LOT is as follows:
1000 bccfcattie, ready for the market, where they
will be iyon AZ fact AZ the market viii warrant; 20
COVE with calves; 400 stock tle 80 sheep OF the
middle cass Of WOOL 500 head OF swine, beside the
Tiys, which le does not count 2iO horses and mules
one year Old and upward, and 90 Sucking colts. lie
hls co.. acres under the plow 900 acres Va moad0w
AID the balance incl eed for posture. Three thousand
acres Of ,tese pasture lands are in tame grasses-
bhe grass, timothy, clover and red top. In seed
ing for pasture he would seed with timothy clover and
red top The Bloc grafs comes in naturally here, and
runs al other grasses out. Meadows qncklS ruined
by H. and have 10 be owod. In the East, timothy ia
meadow quickly runs clover OUT here tee clover Il
tie strongest and longest lived 1t trmphs over the
timothy Blue grass pastures are very valuable for
Fan Winter, and esgly Spring pasturage, but they
should not be fed during The Summer when they are 10
be 40 Used. IIDFes and mules Winter well on blue
grass-half tie Winter frequently they get nolhilg
lsc sheep cost little fthey have such pasture; they
frequently live Oh IL exclusivey, Mr. Funk thinks
sheep, with proper accommodations for shelter, and
with an abundance Of blue grass p6sure, would pay a
larger per centum profit the amount Of capital in
vested than any other kind of stock except mules.
But he has entered largely Into the handling Of
sheep, became they require more care and involve
great er amount Of labor than he could command; IN
short he EXPIRE SEED it, he has never been fixed for
it, He believes cattle, all in ALL give more! profit
than hOgs-tha is il pays better TO feed and market
them on The wholebecause the market IA more stable
and uniform. Mules the best paving stOck-better
than sheep, on the same amount Of capital invested"
All this has en- accumulated since 1921, when Mr..
Funk settled here upon eighty of land, having
arrived with his brother from 0hi) with only $22S in
cash.
According to Mr. Bragdon, this great cattle lord,
now 6 years old, works ike a common laborer, and
lives in poorer house and palmer than some
men Of much less preteDsions.
"Hoig he Winters Cottie.-Mr. Funk usually win
ters over from 200 90 1000 head of cattle, and stall
feeds for early Spring market from 500 TO 500 head
lie markets his ftal-fed cattle about the LIST Of April
He buys cattle all the time. whenever he do so
uroiitaby. Those he sells in the Summer and Fall
GENERALLY three years old. The class he stall feeds
generally four years old. The Eastern reader will
think II queer kind Of sall-feeting when he is
sured that not Of these animals go inside ast4 or
are tied up during tie Winter little further on we
will give l,aac Funks definition of stall-feedng. He
prefers TO buy cattle steers the Spring they are two
years old They usually cost then, II good ones from
Si8 10 So per head. Thtse are kept one Summer
Winter aud the half the neat Summer, when they are
in condition 10 narke and will average from go 20
$50 per head. lie winters his cattle shocked corn.
The steers that are TO be winteTed through and
kcted in midsummer strong-'ed.' Those that
TO 90 10 market the last Of March or first of April
sallfed The difference in the two modes Of feeding
il that the bullock that is being Stalled gets all he
can eat and good deal more, while the one that Is
strong-fed gets enough 10 keep him thriving finely
all wiutcr-gaDing in fe sh, and growing. too. The
is drawn from the field on wagons, TO the pasture
or lot where the cattle herded. One man feeds from
IS 100 head. And this occupies him from early
morning Ill late at night lie rises and eats breakfast
bv clUde-ight and draws With from two 10 four
yoke Of Oxenthe amount Of team depending upon the
condition of the soall day, aud returns and eats Lis
supper by caDdelight again. Mr.. Funk says the true
way feed is TO provide two fields for each company
Of cattle. Feed the catle In one field to-day, and 10
the second tomorrow; tomorrow turn one hog for
every grongted or two hogs for each Stalled animal
Into the field in which the cattle were fed to-day;
changing each day, tie hogs following the cattle. lie
says one acre of good corn will winter one bullock if
Stronghold il stal-fed it will require acre and
hall per bullock Tie cattle have no other feed and
no protection except timber, II they happen to be feed
pg II. Sails lis stock with this feed about every
thiri day, and provides them plenty Of winter. Beef
81 fl 70 20 to tie New York market, here at 50 TO
- per cwt., gross packing cattle ct = to : per
cwt, gross.
Gj6n Gg5giag.--Tut little wlea. or oats are
grown on this farm Corn is the principal crop culli
waited. Mr.. Funk "a down on wheat culture; and
down On growing grain Of any kind 20 draw to market.
lie saws a man worth i've or syn thousand dollars may
soon sirk il in wheat-goWng An he asserted tiia'
II man crJws q crop Of yearly, and being too
Toor 20 by stock and feed it, sesI in the sock on
Tie ground where grown, NJ Is cents per bu-hsi ne
will be worth, NJ he end OF i've years, dorbie we
amount OF corn and draws II five niles aud cells Il at
% cents yer busheI. Why Because the man whe,
draws the five miles loses time. labor wear ana
tear Of team aud wagons, gets his money In an0S's'