Litchfield enquirer., 1880-01-29
lFram the Atlantic Monthly.l THE BONANZA FARMS OF THE s.- issa'7s g'T WEST. 3t

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 s.-- @-'7a a-fl WEST. @ @
 .il-i E a. /, Within the past year or twola new develop
 ment in agriculture, in the, great Northwest, l has forced itself upon the public attention, l that would seem destined. to exercise most
 potent influence on the production of all food l products, and work revolution in the great
 economics of the farm. But not enough was
 know of this new movement to enable one to | form any just estimate of either it's force or
 extent. Forsthe purpose of obtaining the date 1 necessary to more correct understanding of 1 the operations of what are known as the
 ''bonaza farllis," and their present and proba- I ble future effects, the writer went upon the
 ground to make them study.
 l On reaching St. Paul visited the land of flee of the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad 1 to gather some facts in regard to Southern Minnesota. The land commissioner, James H. Drake Esq, learning the purpose of my
 tour in the Northwest, expressed strong tie-
 sire that should go over their road, visit some
 of the great farms in it's neighborhood, and see 1 the country for myself. He spoke enthusias- l tIcalIy of the country, and particularly of the
 rare opportunities there presented for the in-
 vestment of capital in agriculture as a first
 class financial operation; also of the general
 and particular attention that great capitalists
 
 | line of that road, and mentioned large num-
 Der who had already embarked in the business,
 and others who had purchased lands with that 1 object. 1 desired him to give me a list of 1 some of the names, to which he at once re-
 sponded with the following memorandum:
 Thompson and Kendall farm, about 1000
 acres the Rock County farm, near Luverne,
 Thompson and Warner, 50 900 acres, of which
 about 5000 acres are under cultivation Presi-
 dent Drake, of St. Paul and Sioux City Rail- road has numerous farms with tenants work
 Ing on shares; General Bishop, manager of
 railroad has 3200 acres under cultivation :: l George T. SIney, president Metropolitan l Bank, New York, has 2000 acres under culti- vation, near Sheldon, Iowa; A. E. Orr, of
 David Dows 6 Co.,, New York, has large | farm on the line, and Goldsmidt, the great | German banker, Frankfort Main, has
 several large farms; President Drake's son and l Horace Thompson's son are each managing | large farms. and every director in the organi-
 zation has his large farms, with tenants culti- vating the soil"
 The commissioner also placed In my hands
 a circular. in which he endeavors to prove to
 capitalists that investments made in the lands
 of that road at current prices, and cultivated
 in wheat and other crops, will pay twenty per l. cent upon the whole investment the first year,
 and fifty-fve per cent. the second.
 gladly accepted his invitation, and travel
 ed upon that road to the points he designated,
 and some others. After running about seven-
 ty-five miles upon the borders of well-wood-
 ed stream we emerged upon an open, treeless,
 rolling prairie, not unlike the prairies of Kan
 sas; thence to Windom, seventy-two miles
 further, was succession of prairie pillows,
 with an occasional lakelet and some dozen ap-
 parently flourishing towns.% s.s.
 The morning after my arrival visited the
 farm of Richard Barden Esq, about six miles | to the eastward of Windom. Mr.. Barden,
 whom had the good fortune to meet on the
 place, is well-known and prominent grain
 dealer, residing in St. Paul. He has 2100
 acres of land, 1900 of which is in wheat, with
 a small amount in oats and corn. The work of
 the farm is done by monthly labor, under the
 direction of a superintendent. On the place is
 a small. neat one-story house. the residence of
 the superintendent, with two large barns and
 long shed. The farm is stocked with a small
 herd of about twenty y-6ve very fine short-horn-
 ed COWS and two bulls, and stud of about l twenty high-bred mares and horses. There is
 but smail amount of fencing on the place;
 the law in Minnesota, as in most of Kansas,
 allowing the fence question to be decided by
 the various districts. B, Sa a5a a...s
 | About three miles to the south of MT. Bar
 den's place is the farm of Messrs. Thompson 1
 in wheat. On the place is fine two story
 double house of wood occupied by the propri-
 etors They are young men without families, | and sons of well-known capitalists in St. Paul. l The place is we'll stocked and has a small
 number of sheep. A good part of the work is
 done by the owners assisted by other labor in l the busier seasons.
 We next visited the farm of Thompson and | Kendall, about eight miles west of Windom, | where we were received by MT. Kendall, who l is practical farmer and directs the opera 1 tions. The farm contains 4400 acres. of which 1900 are in wheat, 245 in oats, 265 in barley, 2S5 in flax, 150 in buckwheat, 40 in turnips, | and 40 in sundries; total 2575 acres
 On the place is neat one story white cot | tage house, the residence of MT. Kendall and | family; also, a large two story wooden house, for boarding the farm hands, offices, etc. ; two | large barns; an ice: house with ninety tons of ice; four tenement houses of one story on por- | tions of the farm that had been leased on | shares; corn crib, twenty by one hundred feet, with piggery underpeath; two vegetable l large barns, smaller buildings, sheds, and sheep pens in process of construction The l farm is stocked with 84 head of cattle, a part | being good shot-horns; 62 horses. mostly
 mares 14o hogs, and 240 sheep, to be increas ed before winter to 2OO0, and about 1000 fowls. " Atthe time of our visit, July 9th, fifteen l men were employed; during harvest it was ex- pected that the number would be increased to
 about eighty. The average number employed during the year is some thirty five, at cost of about $17 per month, their board costing l $4 50 per month. .s.....a ---.f s-..H : The yield of wheat, in good seasons, is gen. erally not less than. twenty bushels to the | acre; thls year twelve bushels only are expec- l ted. Last year the number one wheat was worth, on the farm. seventy cents number
 four. forty cents. lowing to heavy and un- reasonable rains, alternating with sbot days, much of the wheat was blasted in Southern Minnesota, and graded as number four. The l oats and barley promised well. Some of the fields Ot oats were estimated as high as seven-, ty bushels, and barley fifty bushels, to the acre. All but the wheat looked remarkably
 well. The large amount of flax here growing, as well as Tn other places, was solely for the oil from the seed. The fibre, which appeared to be long and excellent, was put to no use. 3.
 In harvesting the grain fourteen self-binders are used, cutting each a swath of six and a
 quarter feet, and fifteen acres per day.
 Mr. Kendall gave me the following copy of carefully made up detail statement of the cost per acre of wheat growing:- -.s EsTIMArE FOR RAISING WHEAT, FURNISHING EVERY. 5.;.,....e :. cts. m. wages. 77 cents per day. Per acre S1
 Interest on team $S75, harness S25. blow st,s s $0,-$l5o. Per acre ~ o2 q Wear and tear, 25 per cent. on outfit. Per
 acre Il Board, man per day, 20 cents; team, 45
 cents. Per acre 7
 Stable mems labor and board. Per acre 20 Stable men, wear and tear and interest on a I I-.. team and harness for one year included)
 Sewing 35 acres per day. wages S20 per
 month. 77 cents per day. Per acre ssse O2 2
 Per acre. m .
 Per acre Os ! Interest at 10 per cent Per acre