Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-10-05
Fnrming In The West.

YIN, III llllDlS, UDOuu lOO ilil'b rum
Chicago, that they will be pleased to
know something of the way Mr.. S. farms
it, From lengthy description of the
farm we copy rs follows
In 1868 Mr.. Sullivant commenced work
on Burr Oak with 1000 acres of corn. He
bought the land from the Government at
$751;, 25 per aero. In the following year
5000 were put in ; in 1870, 5000 acres.
At the present writing he has upward of
1000 acres of corn, which promise an
average of fully forty-iive bushels to the
acre, Besides this there are quite 5000
acres of other crops under cultivation.
But this is q comparatively small part
of the work done at Burr Oak during the
past four years. The estate embraces
exactly sixty-fve square miles-ovcr
10000 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 Usage orange
Three hundred miles Of hedge have been
set out, six miles of board fence built for
cattle and stock, and $50 miles of ditch
ing (the bitches are seven feet wide, and
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 vast amount of
work of all descriptions, in which new
place abounds.
Burr Oak is beehive, with no drones
about it. Mr.. S. being practical man
his teamwork is perfectly systematized.
The accounts show where each days
work has been done, whether it is by
man or beast. His purchases are invari-
ably made in large quantities. For in
stance, fifty plows, fifty cultivators, etc.
This enables him to make terms of the
most favorable character. The hands,
mostly Swedcs and Germans, are engaged
about the LIST 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 few who bring their
own teams and work by contract, are
assigned to the different farms and gangs
Mr., Sullivanti is the commander-in-chief,
Mr., j. M. Miner his brigadier next
twelve captains, each with three lieuten-
ants, each lieutenant having charge of u
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 considerable force constantly
employed in carpenter and mason work :;
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 Mr.. Sulliyant finds it neces-
sary to detail certain number of men
as gunners to kill or drive away the in
Vulnerable hocks of Wild geese and ducks
which would otherwise destroy thousands
of bushels of grain. In speaking of this
he says 81 tried at first to equalize the
thing by planting a few hundred more
acres, but my feathercd boardcrs 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 teamwork of Burr Oak.
which is essentially a corn farm, is the
breaking of raw prairie, planting, cult
waiting, and harvesting. Oxen are prin-
cipally used in breaking, and with the
brcaliing-plow a furrow twenty inches in
width is cat. This appears to be merely
a turning of the sod, for the furrow is
but two and Il 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
Doth 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 bushels to
the acre, breaking is rated at 50, rs per
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-
mcr or fall work. In the spring follow
ing this land is narrowed, planted and
cultivated in the same manner as old
land. The crop abunduntly repays the
outlay. Old ground is plowed from the
LIST OF April until the 10th of June.
With a steel pillow and horses or mules,
two and quarter acres is fair day S
work. a man and four yoke of oxen
will harrow, with gang-harrows, from
twenty-five to thirty acres per diem.
The cultivation is done entirely by
machinery, and very completely, the
number of times the crop is gone over
depending on the condition of the ground
generally from three to four. Some
idea of this cultivation of corn by ma
chlncry may be gathered from the men,
ton that i'll one single field the writer
saw no less than 1913 cultiyators, each
worked by one man and two mules or
horses. Scattered about at convenient
points were boys with low trucks or
wagons, or which were casks filled with
water, TO be used for drinking purposes
by the workers. Burr Oak is a temper
ance fmm-whisky being only used for
snake bites even then its owner is doubt
full 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, and breaking,
ditching, and other teamwork is in order
until the harvest, at which time the men
are told off in squads composed of two
gangs of six to a 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 siXty-four feet length, twelve feet
width, and twelve feet height, with the
roof shopping four feet They are set in
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