Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-10-06
AGRICULTURE IN THE WEST.
a Forty Thousand Acre Farm.

aCIco 10 iaISc, nave very lllllc COll-
ception of the magnificent scale on
which farming operations are car
ried on in the regions of the prairie
country. For their enlightenment
we give in this number of the
Weekly series of sketches, some
OF which will be found on pages 900
and 9ol, of Burr Oak, the great
farm Of Illinois, and probably with
out Il rival in the world. Located
in Ford and Livingston counties, it
lies, in q direct line to St. Louis, a
distance of one hundred miles from
Chicago.
Twenty years since, its owner, NJ.
l.. Su!livant, entered this and other
lands from government at an aver
age price of $l.25 per acre. His
determination seemed to be to keep
himself Gland poor" as the Western
phrase is, until the disposal Of sur
plus acres at great and natural
profit should give him the necessa-
~ funds to operate successfully a
large farm.
IN 1868, just previous to his loca
ton. on Burr Oak, Mr.. Sullivant
visited his native place, in the Vi
entity Of Columbus, Ohio. In re-
Spouse to inquiry after his welfare
and prospects, he said that he had
run down from nearly 100000 to
10000, mentioning in n joking way,
as one Of his losses, the Broadlands
farm of 1000 acres, which he sold
TO Mr.. Alexander for a quarter of
million dollars. (Broadlands is to-
day valued at more than $6oo,o0o)
In 1863 Mr.. Sullivant commenced
work on Burr Oak with 1000 acres
of corn. In the following year
5000 more were put in; in 1870,
5000. At the present writing he
has upwards of IL 900 acres of corn,
which promises an average Of fully
forty-fve bushels to the acre. Be
sides this there are quite 5000 acres
OF other crops under cultivation.
These statements in figures gives
but vague idea of the vast green
oceans of growing grain under the
bright prairie skies; but fancy a
continuous crib of twelve feet in
width, filed with ears Of corn to the
Height Of eight feet, nearly if not
quite five miles in length, and you
will then have the dimensions of
Mr.. Sulliyant's corn crop for the
present year.
But this is comparatively small |
part Of the work done at Burr Oak
during the past four years. The es-
tate embraces exactly sixty-tive
square miles-over 10000 acres
The land, which is rolling, in some
places quite broken, is in the form
Of q square, and has been crossed
and re crossed by wide avenues
hedgel 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
ditohing (the bitches are seven feet
wide and average nearly two feet
in dcpth) has been done to drain
the-wet places; numerous corn cribs,
farm buildings, shops for various
work, and vast amount Of work of
all descriptions in which a new
place abounds.
Besides this, Mr.. Sullivant has
been an earnest worker for the adj
yancement of Illinois, in which he
takes considerable pride. Numer
Gus railroad enterprises have been
advanced by means Of his sturdy
support, and 10 actual settler has
been refused counsel and advice in
the selection OF land, and ottentmes
aid Of different desert ption has
been extended. In his great knowl-
edge Of !and-hoth as to its lay and
the quality Of the earth for the
growth of different crops-Mr. Sui
!iy@It has it iii his power to render
positive and needed aid to the
farmer, who may be almost ruined
hy ihe loss CT single crop. He
believes persistent labor, directed
by fair Judgment, will enable any
man to follow oui Horace Greeley's
advice. C., move West and pros
Per.
His farm work is perfectly syste-
matted. Burr Oak is bee hive,
with no droncs, and the accounts
slo1e' Where each days work has
nee" done, whether it is by man or
beast. His purchases are invarla-
h.y made in large quantities. For
instance, fifty blows, fifty cultiva-
Tors, etc. This enables him to make
terms Of the most favorable charac-
ter. The hands, mostly Swcdcs and
Germans, are engaged about the lst
Of April, and are expected to stay
untll1he LIST of January. Two hun
drcd ana 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 differ
ent farms and gangs. Mr.. Sulll
want is the COMMUNICATIVE chief, Mr..
J. NJ. Miner his brigadier; next
twelve captains, each with three
ieutenants, each lieutenant having
charge Of squad of men, and i'm
mediately responsible to the captain
or head Of the farm for their work.
Besides the organized farm gangs
there IS a considerable force con-
stantly employed in carpenter and
mason work; 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 Mr.. Sulliyant finds it
accessory to detail q certain num-
Der OF men rs gunners to Kill or
drive away the innumerable t1ocks
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
c4ualjze tie thing by planting a few
hundred more acres, bit my teath-
cred boarlers forced me to drain
some OF the lakes and ponds before
could get them to come in more
reasonable force" TO return to the
,..,ri- / -ia for,,