Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-02-02
THE LEIGH FARM.

| IHE LEIGH FARM.
About year ago Mr.. Leech came
here from Erie, where he had resided
for a generation, and was one of the
most enterprising and highly-esteemed
citizens, and purchased farm of 4, 200
acres near Fargo, and Is, 900 acres near
Tower City, a new town about forty
miles west on the line of the Northern
Pacific railroad. For this he paid the
railroad company So an acre, making a
total investment of Sill 900. He
came here again last spring, bringing
with him colony of workmen from
Erie, Pa, erected his houses and barns,
bought the necessary stock and ma
chinery, and broke 1000 acres Of land
which he seeded to wheat. His first
crop is a very fine one, perhaps the
finest in this valley, and will yield at
least thirty bushels to the acre on the
average, and in some sections it has
already threshed out as high as thirty
five.
The most accurate estimate of his
crop fixes the total yield on the 1000
acres at $4,000 bushels, which will be
sold at 81 bushel. It will thus be
seen that the first crop reaped from
1000 acres, or One-eleventh of Mr..
Leech's farm, gives him
DIVIDEND OF so PER CENT.
upon his enormous investment, and
the earth refunds to him more than
one-half the price of his land, by the
cultivation of very small fraction OF
it. and the profit does not stop here.
The land that has been broken can be
readily sold for $15 an acre, now that
its yielding qualities have been so
thoroughly demonstrated, so that 800
600 more should be added to the al
ready enormous profits of Mr.. Leech's
investment, being the increase in value
| of the 1000 acres he has cultivated.
These figures seem almost fabulous,
but they are nevertheless accurate. /
have known Mr.. Leech since my boy
hood, and the accuracy of any state
ments he may make will be vouched
for by any resident of Erie, where he
has resided for many years.
Mr.. Leech has two stalwart sons. He
will place the Fargo farm in charge of
one of them and the Tower City farm
in charge Of the other This fall he
will pillow the remainder of the former
farm and five or six thousand acres of
the latter, and will have next year
from 5000 to 10000 acres in wheat.
which, if the yield is as great as it has
been this year-and there have been
several better crops in this valley-he
will have all his money back and
clear title to farm of $4,000 acres.
But he proposes to sell q portion
about haIf-of his Tower City farm.
He believes in the future of the coun-
try, and bought for rise" The land
he paid s. an acre for can be sold to-
day for 81 or IS in its unimproved con-
dition, and as soon as he demonstrates
by single crop, Its value for wheat cul-
| tivatiOn-and there seems to be no
doubt about Tits price will double.
THE SMALL FARMS.
Twas talking with Mr.. RAYMOND the
other day about farming, and re-
marked that it seemed to me that the
rich men, the men with $25,OO0 and
$4,000, and $4,000, were monopo
lizing this wheat Eldorado, and asked
him if it would not result, some time,
to the disadvantage of the country
"You are laboring under very COM
mon and a very natural mistake" he
replied. "You think there are no
small farms here because you only hear
about the big ones. Dalrymple's farm
is known the world over because it has
been so extensively advertised as a
wonder in agriculture, and gentlemen
who come here to see the wheat farms
always go where the most can be seen,
and overlook the little ones altogether"
"Then there are little farms %
eyes, plenty of them. You know
every alternate section of this land be-
longs to the government and it is diff
cult to secure 1t in any quantity.
UNDER THE PRE- EdPIION LAW
any man Or single woman over 81 years
Of age can secure 100 acres, and some
times family consisting of a father
and three or four grown children get
rare. Under the homestead act a
soldier can get $50 acres, and under
the timber culture act anyone can get
100 acres by planting ten acres of trees;
and you will find that these wise and
generous laws have been taken advan-
tage of to larger extent than the pub
he supposes."
''Is there any show for man who
has no money to pre-empt claim?"
"Let man come here with team
next April. He can find employment
during seeding time" continued Mr..
Raymond, ''for twenty days, and re-
ceive s. day for himself and team,
and board. Then comes the breaking
and backsetting season, when he can
get $3.50 day and board for himself
and team; then he can get the same
pay during the harvest and threshing
season, which consumes the time from
the LIST of April to the 1st of November,
with
STEADY EMPLOYMENT,
and board. At this date he will find
himself, if he is prudent man, with
$500 or SO. Then he can go to the lum-