Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-10-06
-Fen. Horses. Orfn.
1879. 1860 1887

Kitchens
Implements and machinery. s s. j
Nursery ..-.... ..........-....-. iva ~
Hedges ........... .sS3Aa sl4h
This is but fragment of the list
but it will be easily seen that with
such system Mr.. Su!livant is able
to keep himself thoroughly posted
as to the condition of his farm and
situation of his affairs.
Mr.. Sullivant has a pet theory
that what he is doing may be done
by any company Of earnest working
men who may combine capital and
labor for mutual Advantage. lie is
not man of grasping disposition,
but great-hearted and broad in his
views, as his great work shows on
every hand. On his return from a
trip away from his farm the men
gather about at evening to await
his arrival, and welcome him in a
genuine and earnest way that tells
of more than usual feeling, and
shows pleasing relation of q man
and his men.
The regular farm work Of Burr
Oak, which is essentially a corn
farm, is the breaking of raw prairie,
planting, cultivating and harvesting.
Oxen are principally used in break
ing, and with the breaking pillow q
furrow twenty inches in width is
cut. This appears to be merely a
turning of the sod, for the furrow is
but two and half to three inches
in depth. This work is done dur.
ing spring, summer and fall, and
the land, if plowed sufficiently early
(any time before the Goth Of June),
may be at once planted with corn,
which is not cultivated or worked
in any way until it is harvested
The yield will average twenty bush
els to the acre, which will pay an
interest on the land at Illinois Cen
trail railroad prices, the expense -of
the work and profit besides. This
estimate is made after fair inves-
tigation, and rating the breaking at
1915 per acre, which is full price,
and the planting and seed at TWEEN
ty-ive cents per acre. A bushel OF
corn will fully plant eight acres OF
land. \ man and team will plant
twelve and u half acres and run the
burrows to a guiding stake. \
heavier crop may be taken from
land on which the breaking pillow is
followed by stirring pillow, and a
furrow four inches deep is cut, the
earth being thrown over the sod
blowing. This is summer or fall
work. In the spring following, this
land is narrowed, planted slid ca!:l-
waited in the same manner as Old
land. The crop abundantly repays
the outlay. Old ground is plo"cd
from the 1st of April until the 10th
of June. With a steel pillow and
horses or mules, two and quarter
acres is fair days work. A man
and four yoke of oxen will harrow
with gang harrows, from twenty five
to thirty acres per diem. The cul
tiva,ion is done entirely by ma
chiucry, and very completely, the
number Of times the crop is gone
over depending Oh the condition OF
ground; generally from three to four
Some idea of this cultivation OF
corn by machinery may be gathered
from the mention that i'll one single
field the writer saw no less than II:
cultivators, each worked by ono
man and two mules or horses. Seat
tered about at convenient points
were boys with low trucks or Wa
CONS, Oh which were casks filled
with water, to be used for drinking
purposes by the workers. Burr
Oak is a temperance farm-whisk!
being used only for snake bites
even then its owner is doubtful
whether the whisky will not injure
the man more than the snake bite
The work Of cultivation finished
the crop is said to be laid up, ano
breaking, ditching and other farm
work is in order until the harvest
at which time the men are told of
in squads composed of two gangs Of
six to gang. A boss, two wagons
and four horses are allotted to each
squad. A gang takes five rows OF
corn, and an average OF fifty bushels
Of corn is cribbed for every mans
days work. The cribs are long
wooden sheds of sixtyfour feet
Length, twelve feet width and twelve
feet height, with the roof sloping
four feet. They are set in couples
at favorable points, and crib three
thousand bushels each. When a
shipment of grain is to be made.
power shelters are set to work be
tween the cribs. Trains are con
tracted for through to New York.
thus avoiding two or three commits.
sions as well as elevator risks and
charges-in ali a saving Of nearly
the cost of producing the grain
The corn is bright yellow, and
brings in the market a good price.
The machinery in use at Burr
Oak would handsomely stock two
or three agricultural implement
stores: $50 steel plows, Of different
styles; Is breaking plows; l42 cul
tivators,, Of several descriptions, As
corn planters; 25 gang harrows, etc.
The ditching pillow, a huge affair OF
eighteen feet i'll length, with a share
of seven feet by two feet ten inches,
is worked by sixty weight oxen and
eight men. These finish from three
to three and half miles OF excel
lent ditch each day Of work. The
The oldest hedges Dosage orange)
are but three years growth, but
now stand full seven feet high, and