Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1871-09-23
A Foprx Tuors.Np ACRE FARM

A Forty THOUSAND ACRE FARM
A correspondent of the Louisville (ky)
Journal gives some account Of the 'for-
ty thousand acre farm" OF Mr.. Sullivant,
in Vermillon county, Illinois:
A visit to the farm of MIR. Sullivant
is of itself worth trip, and its manage
ment a subject full of entertainment.
The farms contains forty thousand acres
in tract, though elsewhere in the State
the proprietor has tracts numbering in
the aggregate almost as many acres
more. Much Of this land was entered
by Mr.. Sullivant years ago, at very
small sum per acre, something less
than two dollars The land is now
worth about forty dollars an acre, and
is rapidly increasing in value as the
country becomes populated, for the soil
itself is eminently productive, rich and
loamy, fertile prairie land, with an oc-
casional forest mainly of oak trees. The
extent Of this tract may be conceived
when it is stated that one may ride di-
rectly from his house, in more than one
direction he may chose, six miles be-
fore leaving his territory. Mr. Sullivant
is thorough farmer, and one of the old
pioneers in the art and science, as he is
now the first greatest and most practi-
cal and scientific farmer, perhaps of the
age The order in which he keeps his
farm, and the successful conduct of it so
far, speak sufficiently for his ability. If
there be no particular merit in the &C
QUESTION of his immense estate, OF the
foresight that led to it, his management
is enough to mark him as more than an
ordinary man. His hospitality is wide
ly known, and has been enjoyed by
many, among whom may be mentioned
the Prince of Wales, who during his
visit to this country, expressed a desire
to engage in hunt Of prairie chickens,
and was elegantly entertained at Mr..
Sullivants place. The estate is divided
into farms of five thousand acres each,
which are known by their number Be
tween each of them runs boulevard
eighty feet in width, bounded on each
side by a fine hedge. Each farm is
thus enclosed, and entrusted to relia
BILE tenant, who has his residence and
a requisite number of houses for his la
borers. There are four or five hundred
men engaged on the entire place.
Near the residence of Mr.. Sullivant IS
quite a village, inhabited by the men in
his employ, and there is blacksmith
shop with four fires; an immense build
ing, devoted to the protection OF the
agricultural implements, being quite
conspicuous Every improvement in
such implements has been seized on by
this great farmer, who, at the same
time, is careful of his stock, and has his
hundreds Of plows carefully cleaned and
vanished when they are put away for
season. There are several hundred
horses there, but this number is only so
small from the fact that Mr.. Sullivant IS
not a stock raiser. Much of the land
lies idle, awaiting the due time for its
service. The main energy of this year
farming is devoted to the raising OF ten
thousand acres Of corn. Twenty thous-
and dollars worth of lumber has just
been received, to be applied to the cree
ton of barns and elevators. Hitherto
the nearest railway point was twelve
or fourteen miles distant, but road is
about completed now which will give
facilities that will much increase the
value of the estate. The proprietor ex-
poets to raise two hundred thousand
bushels this year, and double the guam
tity next Forty bushels to the acre is
a small estimate.
The farm of Alexander, the stock
raiser, who failed short time ago, is
short distance south.