The National tribune., 1881-10-08
THE LARGEST FARM IN THE WORLD.

>t'NAA
bearing a cluster of yellow heads, bowling and
nodding as if in acknowledgment of admlring
chances. If you cannot fancy such picture, you
perhaps will admit that it must be one of the
most sublime scenes the human eye can witness.
/ stood this morning at the centre of the larg-
est piece of territory ever cultivated under the
direction of single man. As far as the eye
could reach, north south, east or west, there was
nothing visible but the bluest of blue sky, the
Teddest of red barns, the great awkward-lookin
threShers. with their smOke-begrimed engines
beside them, the Whirring haryesters and miles
after miles of wheat If this farm were stretched
ont like ribbon, half mile wide, it would reach
rs far as from Chicago to Milwaukee. If II were
in a single rectangular piece, mile III Wldth' II
would be fOrty-five miles from end to END; anu
there is not a fence not tree, not bush ohly
an occasional strip of green across the golden 'I'
marks a road or section line
Near us was little white house where the
storekeeper Iived-the commissary OF great
army it is-and we inquired OF the gentlemanIy
Mr. MandeIl how we could get across to the office
of Mr.. Dalrymple. He impressed mule team
that happened to drive up for supplies, ana sent
us to headquarters.
There was cluster of great red barns, an acre
or two of cabbages, beets, onions, and waving
corn: a Iazy-lOoking windmill that swung around
as indifferently as if a regiment of thirsty men
were not working in the field, and a coy cottage
nlain. but comfortable We raped at the door
and were shown into the parlOr. The room was
handsomely furnished, with some evidences Of
luxury but no more than are found in the houses
of " handed" farmers all over the West.
We asked for Mr. Dalrymple, and he came
down from some room above; a slender, quiet
looking man with pen behind his ear, whom
you would Judge to be schoolmaster or clergy
man at sight. His hands were soft and white
more accustomed to the book or pen than the
plow-and his face, were it not covered with
beard was not so much burned as mine. He met
us cordially invited US to spend the day and dine,
and suggested that he would have a team hitched
up to drive us over "the place" noticed he
always called it " the place"
In the meantime | asked him few questions.
The first one was as to the yield this year.
1t was a late spring said Mr.. Dalrymple.
AT the time when we were usually putting in a
crop the place for miles around us here was COW
cred with water from the melted snow, and you
could have sailed boat over field where now
there is wheat that will yield. / feared at one
time that the crop would be failure, but am
very positive now that the average per acre will
not be below twenty bushels
Have you sold your wheat?"
"Ourplan is different from the ordinary method.
We are sending about three train-loads day to
Duluth"
How many bushels is that?
about 10000 bushels We load d vessel at
Duluth every two days, and send it to Buffalo,
where it is sold on arrival at the market price"
What is that?
"The price to-day" said Mr. Dalrymple, con-
sulting a dispatch, "is one dollar and twenty
seven cents at Buffalo Freights are about twen-
ty-seven cents, so it nets about one dollar a
bushel"
What viii your crop amount to?
u am expecting about 100000 bushels. Be-
sides this have about 10000 bushels of oats.
which we keep for our stock"
"Do you keep stock enough to eat up 10000
bushels of oats?
Mr.. Dalrymple smiled pleasantly, and remarked
that 800 horses and mules eat mp great many
oats.
How much does your crop cost you?
4" 1t costs us about six dollars an acre to pro-
duce crop when we use our own stock and paw
our men by the month, but when we hire men
and teams by the day it costs us about eight dol
lars an acre"
What do you pay your men?"
We pay thirty dollars a month for regular
hands, and two dollars per day for extra hands
during harvest"
What machinery have you going today"
Two hundred self-binding harvesters and
thirty steam threshers. These 200 harvesters
cut an average Of $500 acres a day and the
threshers turn out about 10000 bushels a dav
AS fast as 1t Is threshed we bag the wheat cart
1t over there to the cars, empty the sacks, and
send away three car loads daily"
Where do you keep your men,"
If you had been here at five o'clock this
morning you could have seen 800 men at break
fast We keep forty cooks"
Mr.. Dalrymple explained at length how this
enormous business is conducted The 10000
acres under cultivation are divided into five
divisions of 5000 acres each, under superintend-
ents, who are responsible directly to Mr. Dalrvm-
pie, the cOmmander-in-chief. Each of these regi-
ments is divided again into battalions. with a
foreman or major, who has charge of 1000 acres
Under him are three companies, each having
captain and cultivating section, which is $40
acres of land. Each superintendent plants his
crop and harvests it, reporting from time to time
to Mr.. Dalrympe, who directs and oversees the
lll. - l.