The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1879-12-31
The Bonanza Farms OF the West.

A writer who spent some time last
summer in visiting some of the I" "bo-
nanza farms" of the Northwestern
States gives the result of his observa-
.ions in the current number of the
atlantic Monthly. One of the farms
visited contained 10000 acres, of which
there were under cultivation 6, 800 acres,
including .655 acres in wheat. 1t was
expected that the yield of wheat would
be at least twenty bushels to the acre,
and that some parts would produce
more than thirty bushels TO the acre.
The number of men employed on the
farm varied in different parts of the
year. During harvest il was $50. In
Kansas, Minnesota and Dakota there
are many farms ranging in size from
/ 600 to so, 900 acres. They are owned
and operated by wealthy capitalists,
who use the most improved machinery
and employ day laborers at low rates of
wages. The writer gives figures show
ing that when wheat is worth seventy
cents bushel on the farm, il may be
grown ut q good profit for less than forty
cents q bushel. The profit is from
forty to fifty cents bushel, which is be-
tween 81 and Se per acre cultivated,
and sometimes as high as fifJy-fye per
cent. of the capital invested. The re-
suit is that those who have gone into
wheat growing on large scale are max
ing colossal fortunes by virtue of their
capital, improved machinery and cheap
| labor, while small farmers, depending
mainly on their own labor, without the
| advantages of capital or improved ma
chinery, are not making a comfortable
subsistence. "but are running behind
and must go under" 1t is hopeless for
them to contend against the powerful
! combination of capital, machinery and
cheap labor. A direct effect OF the op
| erations Of the extensive land owners is
to prevent the country from being peo-
| pied and built up with towns, Churches,
| school-houses, etc, except what is ne
| cessary to provide for the ecanty wants
| OF the farm laborers and the stock. Not
| a dollar of the vast amount realized
| from the products of the soil Ia returned
| TO the land from which il ID taken. On
one farm OF 5, 800 cultivated acres there
was not one permanent family where
/ there should have been at lsast one ts
every fifty acres OF lane, or 100 families.
This would have given al least q popu-
lation OF 500, with about 100 dwellings,
! besides barns, other buildings, improve
meuts, etc. These facts are vitally sig
| niticsnt, and they become more sug-
gestive when il is considered that the
system referred TO is get in its infancy.
and gives signs OF extensive growth.
| The number OF farms in the Northwest
ern States having loo acres and no.
ward was, as reported by the Federal
census, about 900 in 1860, and about
1900 in 1870. During this decade the
number doubled. 1t is stated that the
increase during the last decade in the
number OF these extensive farms has
been alarming. and that the increase is
likely to be still more rapid in the future.
The development OF this large farm sys-
tenn, which is specially marked in Kan
sas, Minnesota and Dakota, is by GO
means confined TO the Northwest. The
same feature is seen in a striking de-
gree in Texas. California also is noted
| for its extensive farms, some of tht N
containing tens of thousands Of acres.