Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-10-06
Farming I'm the West,

'Aaht w. WV W."
Our readers have heard 40 much Of
the great farm of Mr.. Sulhvant, ut Burr
Oak, in Illinois. about 100 miles from
Chicago, that they viii be pleased 10
know something Of the way Mr.. y. farms
t. 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 nj
Sl,25 per acre, In the following year
5000 were put in ; in 1870. 1000 acres,
AZ the present writing he has upward OF
ll,o00 acres of corn, which promise an
average of fully forty-fivo bushels to the
acre. Besides this there are quite 5000
acres of ether crops under cultivation,
But this is u comparatively small part
OF the work done al Burr Oak during the
past four years. The estate embraces
exactly siNty-fve square miles-over
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 aud 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 a vast amount of
work Of all descriptions, in which new
place ahounds,
Burr Oak is beehive, with no drones
about it, Mr., 5. being practical man
his iarm-work is perfectly systematized
The accounts show where each day =
work has been done, whether il is by
man or beast. His purchases are invari-
ably made in large quantities. For in
stance, fifty ploNs, fifty eultivators, etc.
This enables him TO make terms Of the
most favorable character, The hands,
mostly Swedes end Germans. are engaged
about the LIST Of April, aud are expected
10 stay until the lst OF January Two
hundred and tifty 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 20 the different farms and gangs.
MIR, j, NJ. Miner his brigadier next
twelve captains, each with three heuten-
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
e mployed in carpenter and mason work
a regular bAcksmiths shop, with its
four or five smiths men constantly busy
in the repair of machinery the harness
shop, wagoI-Shop, painters. In the fall
of the year Mr.. Sulliyant finds il neces-
sary TO detail certain number of men
as gunnes to kill or drive away the in.
focks of Wild geese and ducks
which would otherwise destroy thousands
of bushels Of grain. In speaking of this,
he says u tried at first to eQualize the
thing 10y planting few hundred more
acres, but my feathercd boarlers forced
me 10 drain some Of the lakes and ponds
before / could get them TO come in more
force.
Each evening reports of the days work
are made TO the proprietor Ten hours
work is required from each man, and at
neon each day two hours rest is given 10
man and beast.
The regular farm-work of Burr Oak,
which is essentially a corn farm, is the
breaking OF nav prairie, planting. culti-
waiting, and harvesting. Oxen are prin-
cipally used IN breaking, and with the
breaking plow furrow twenty inches in
width is cat This appears TO be merely
a turning of the sod, for the furrow Is
but two and half 10 three inches in
depth. This work is done during spring.
summer, and fall, and the land, II plowed
sufficiently early lany time before the
goth OF June, may be at once planted
with corn, which is not cultivated or
worked in any way until il is harvested.
The yield viii average twenty bushels 10
the acre, breaking IS rated at 81, rs per
acre and planting twenty-five cents. 4
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 10 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 rs old
land. The crop abundantly repays the
outlay. Old ground is plowed from the
lst of April until the 10th of June.
With steel plow and horses or mules,
two aud quarter acres is fair days
work. 4 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
on the condition Of the ground
from three 10 four. Some
idea OF tins cultivation Of corn bJ ma
chlnery may be gathered from the men
hon that IN one single field the writer
saw no less than l23 cultivators, each
worked by one man and two mules or
horses. Scattered about Mt convenient
points were boys with low trucks or
wagons, on which were casks filed with
water, TO be used for drinking purposes
by the workers Burr Oak is temper
ance iarm-whisky being only used for
snake bites even then its owner in doubt
full whether the whisky viii lot 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 faim-work is in order
until the harvest, at which time the men
are told off in squads composed Of two
gangs Of six TO n 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
couples at favorable points, and crib
three thousand bushels each When q
shipment of grain is TO be made, power
shelters are set to work between the
cribs. Trains are contracted for through
10 New York, thus avoiding two or three
as well as elevator risks and
al saving Of nearly the
cost OF producing the grain. The corn is
bright yellow, and brings in the market
4 good price.
The machinery in use at Burr Oak
would handsomely stock two or three |
agricultural implement stores : $50 steel
blows, Of different styles; rs breaking |
blows; 142 cultivators, of several de-
criptions 45 corn-planters 25 gang |
larrows, etc. The ditching-plow, huge |
flair Of eighteen feet in length, with |
hare Of eleven feet by two feet ten |