Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-11-24
LONG ISLANDS GREAT FARM
[From the New York Sun ]


That part of the Stewart property
on Long Island called the Stewart
farm contains $500 acres. 1t forms
the broad suburbs Of Garden City. 1t
is part OF u tract OF 1900 acres that A.
I. Stewart bought on September 18Th,
1869. lie had no idea Of making the
purchase two hours before the bargain
was consummated Henry Hilton had
been in negotiation for it, for himsli,
and expected to buy it, but an associa
tion which had been formed unexpect.
edy put in bid of $40 an acre and
agreed to pay $4,000 of the purchase
money in cash. Those were higher
figures than Mr.. Hilton at that time
lelt able to bid against lie talked the
matter over with Mr., Stewart, and the
latter surprised him with the remark,
Suppose / take the land Z" Mr. Hill
ton described the advantages Of the
purchase and advised Mr.. Stewart to
make it. The result was that Mr..
Stewart got the land, although he had
to pay $50 an acre for it. He drew
his check for s49i, $50.
The soil, which Is OF the same gen
eral character as that OF the rest OF
Hampstead Plains, was long regarded
as worthless. 1t is true prairie, and
before the praries Of the West were
discovered il used to be visited as a
curiosity. The entire area of the pluiu
is GO, 900 acres, The farm is about 100
feet above the sea level. 1t is n table
land with a southern aspect. The sur.
face is gently undulating from west to
east. Some Of the depressions have
the appearance of dried up streams,
In fact, on the southern borders OF the
plains streams of pure water are found
in the dcpressions. The surface soil is
dark loan from fifteen inches to two
feet deep. The turf on this soil is so
thick and strong that il ls necessary
to use q team of three horses 10 turn u
iurrow through it. Beneath the dark
loan is q layer of yellow loan OF
equal thickness. Sometimes clay re.
places it. Beneath the yellow loan
and clay, at depth Of from two and
a-half to three feet, is compact sand
and gravel. At Garden City dense
crust of hRrdpan was found by boring
through the gravel seventy feet below
the surface. The gravel and sand
above the hardpan Tor an inexhaustble
reservoir of water. Garden City is
now supplied with water by the Holly
system of pumps and pipes out of one
well, and the water in this well stands
only twenty five feet below the general
level of the plains. The well is u cav
ernous cylinder of brick work fifty
feet in diameter.
Mrs. Stewart shows great interest
in Garden City and the farm, and MI
Hilton, as Executor of her husbands
estate, frequently visits them The
farmer is W. II. Hinsdale, general man
ager of the Stewart property on Long
Island. He has forty horses and four
teen steam engines to help him, al
though all OF these steam engine are
not used for farm work. Four ofthem
pump water from the well described
above. Two of them are used in q
brickyard, and three arc used in u
cathedral to supply wind to the four
organs that have just been put up in
diflerents parts of the building, aud to
produce the mechanical electricity
which will enable one organist to play
all of them at tho same time, as
well as to strike the chimes IN the
stceple. When Farmer Hinsdale wants
to turn up his land he can hitch
twelve-horsc power traction engine to
gang of ploughs. When bis crops
are ripe he unloads his wagons with
tho aid of steam power. Ears Of corn
are shot from an aperture In the bot.
tom OF wagon by means of a broad,
endless baud, crossed with bucket.
boards, up into tho top of the long
cribs. Grain is threshed and the straw
is stored away in the barns by steam.
A load Of hay is hauled TO the stack,
barbed harpoon is thrust down
through the middle Of the load, and it
is lifted bodily from the wagon and
swung up on tho stack. There is a
grain warehouse, in which grain may
be sent up to any part Of the building