Connecticut western news., 1871-09-29
Farming in the West.

Our readers have heard so much of the great farm of MT. Sullivant, at Burr Oak, in Illinois. about 100 miles from Chicago, that they will be pleased to know something of the way MT. s. farms farm we copy as follows: on Burr Oak with 1000 acres of corn. He bought the land from the Government at $l, ,25 per acre. In the following year 5000 were put in in 1870, 5000 acres. At the present writing he has upward of 11,OOO acres of corn, which promise an average of fully forty five bushels to the | acre. Besides this there are quite 5000 acres of other crops under cultivation.
 But this is comparatively small part of the work done at Burr Oak during the exactly sixty-fve square miles-over 40, ,0O0 acres. The land, which is rolling, in some places quite broken, is in the form of square, and has been crossed and recrossed by wide avenues hedged on either side with the Osage orange. Three hundred miles of hedge have been set out, six miles of board fence built for cattle and stock, and 15O miles of ditch
 
 average nearly two feet in depth) have been done to drain the wet places nu- merous corn cribs, farm building, shops for various work and Q vast amount of work of all descriptions, in which new place abounds.
 Burr Oak is beehive, with no drones about it. MT. s. being practical man his farm-work is perfectly systematized. Us -1~ Iz-- work has been done, whether it is by man or beast. His purchases are invari- ably made in large quantities. For in stance, fifty blows, fifty cultivators, etc. This enables him to make terms of the most favorable character. The hands, mostly Swedes and Germans, are engaged about the 1st of April, and are expected to stay until the list of January. Two hundred and fifty men are required at present to work the farm. These, with the exception of a few who bring their own teams and work by contract, are assigned to the differentfarms and gangs. MT. Sullivant is the commander-in-c chief, MT. J. M. Miner his brigadier next twelve captains, each with three ieuten- ants, each lieutenant having charge of squad of men, and immediately respon- sible to the captain or head of the farm for their work.
 Besides the organized farm gangs, there is a considerable force constantly employed in carpenter and mason work j; a regular blacksmith's shop, with its four or five smiths men constantly busy in the repair of machinery the harness shop, wagon-shop, painters. In the fall of the year MT. Sullivant finds it neces- sary to detail a certain number of men as gunners to kill or drive away the in numerable focks of wild geese and ducks which would otherwise destroy thousands of bushels of grain. In speaking of this, he says ''I tried at first to equalize the thing by planting few hundred more acres, but my feathered boarders forced me to drain some of the lakes and ponds before could get them to come in more reasonable force"
 Each evening reports of the days work are made to the proprietor. Ten hours work is required from each man, and at noon each day two hours rest is given to man and beast
 The regular farm-work of Burr Oak, which IS essentially corn farm, is the breaking of raw prairie, planting, culti- vatlng, and harvesting. Oxen are prin- clpally used in breaking, and with the breaking-plow 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 during spring, summer, and fall, and the land, if plowed sufficiently early (any time before the 10th of June), may be at once planted with corn, which is not cultivated o1 worked in any way until it is harvested. The yield will average twenty bushels to the acre, breaking is rated at $2,75 pel acre and planting twenty-five cents. A bushel of corn will fully plant eight acres of land. A man and team will plant twelve and half acres, and run the fur. rows to a guiding stake. This is sum. mer or fall work. In the spring follow. ing this land is narrowed, planted, and cultivated in the same manner as old land. The crop abundantly repays the outlay. Old ground is plowed from the 1st of April until the 10th of June With steel plow and horses or mules two and quarter acres is a fair days work. A man and four yoke of oxe1 will harrow, with gang-harrows, from . twenty-five to thirty acres per diem
 
 :, machinery, and very completely, thu number of times the crop is gone ove, depending on the condition of the ground
 generally ly from three to four. Som, idea of this cultivation of corn by ma chlnery may be gathered from the men tlon that in one single field the write , saw no less than 123 cultivators, eacl l worked by one man and two mules O
 
 a points were boys with low trucks o . wagons, on which were casks filled wit e water, to be used for drinking purpose ,, by the workers. Burr Oak is temper f ance farm-whisky being only used fo j. snake bites even then its owner is doubt : full whether the whisky will not injur if the man more. than the snake bite. Tn V work of cultivation finished, the cro z is said to be laid up, and breaking q dltchlng, and other fa1m-work is in orde n until the harvest, at which time the me 1T are told off in squads composed of tw
 gangs of six to gang. A boss, tw f wagons, and four horses are allotted t 7, /, each squad. A gang takes five rows C a corn, and an average of fifty bushels ( . . corn is cribbed for every mans day . work The cribs are long wooden shed I 17 of sixty four feet length, twelve fee n width, and twelve feet height, with tn :, roof slooping four feet. They are set i couples at favorable points, and cri e three thousand bushels each. When e shipment of grain is to be made, powe a shelters are set to work between tn T cribs. Trains are contracted for throug to New York, thus avoiding two or thre 7- commissions, as well as elevator risks an
 charges-in all saving of nearly th
 cost of producing the grain. The corn
 bright yellow, and brings in the markt Il Il good price.
 u The machinery in use at Burr ca !.e would handsomely stock two or thre l. 1+1,,.o1 o4o~oo 7En o4o