The Northern Pacific farmer., 1882-09-28
A BIG ILLINOIS FARM.
Said to be the Largest Under Ono
Owner in the World

Said to be the Largest Under Ono
Owner in the World.
From the St. Louis Republican.
The "Burr Oaks farm" located mainly
in Ford county, Illinois, sixteen miles
east of the Chicago, Alton and St. Louis
railroad is said to be the largest farm in
the world, and its owner, Mr.. Hiram
Sib!ey of Rochester, New York, is, by
virtue Of the proprietorship Of it and
several other extensive plantations,
called the largest farmer in the
world. 1t once belonged to NJ. l..
Sullivant, and was for time
famous as the "Sullivant farm" devoted
exclusively to corn and yielding in the
year 1871. 100000 bushels Of that grain,
But big farmers are pretty sure to fail,
unless they manage their business with
minute system and very close economy
and this was the fate OF Sullivant. Three
poor crops in succession brought him to
ruin in 1877, and his magnificent domain
of 40, 600 acres passed into the hands OF
Mr.. Siblcy who had loaned nearly $780,
900 on it, He at once began to change
the character Of the farm and the meth
obs Of conducting it. Instead Of hiring
all the work done, he let out sections OF
it, 50 to 320 acres each, to tenants,
and gave them a share Of the crop raised.
lie put up a house and barn OH each
trace, and there are now l4G farm ten
ants located on the estate, all of them
doing we'll. The whole domain is eight
miles long by as many wide, and from
one point OF vie " forty farm houses and
l. Ill Hp11 e. r. In tnI
The soil is black loam, very fertile and
adapted to all kinds ofgrain, grass, fruits
and roots. This year there is $500 acres
PaR'eo '46o in IN oats, eH.n' 6i5 u9 in in rye, rye,
800 in millet, IS injpotatoes, 40 in cucum-
bcrs, $50 in meadow, and $3.50 i'll past
ure. There are ninety orchards on the
place and 26 acres in garden
vegetables. There are 1929 horses
and mules owned by tenants, and 60
others employed by Mr.. Sibley; 100
head Of cattle, 1920 sheep, and ! ,l35
hogs. The cattle and sheep are kept to-
gether in $500 acre pasture. MI. SlD-
lev has broug hit from the East 700 young
cows of good breeds, and sold them to
his tenants at cost, for the purpose of
assisting each one to start a milch herd.
They have multiplied till there are now
5000 on the place. The products on the
farm last year were $4,000 bushels of
corn, 20, 900 bushels of faxseed, $4,000
bushels of oats, 5000 tons Of hay, 800
head of cattle and 600 hogs sent to market,
and five carloads ofmiscellaneouss seeds.
A large amount of money has been ex-
pended in cquipping the place with
agencies and appliances for the cconomi-
cal conduct Of business. There are Is
corn-cribs with a capacity of $50 900
bushels; an elevator of $4,000 bushels
capacity with a tfty-llorse power steam
engine, in the center of the domain on
the Wabash, st. Louis and Pacific ra}i~
road; a flax mill, feed mills, a seed ware
house, school houses, churches and a
good hotel. Over 100000 worth Of
machinery and implements have been
placed on the farm Of Mr.. Sibley HIM
self, and all farm work is done
on the most aEEPro'ed and
efficient methods. The farm is
inclosed with 22O miles Of hedge, it has
400 miles of bitches, y system OF good
roads, two beautiful lakes and groves.
When Mr.. Sibley took possession of the
place in 1877 it wassupposcd to be WORTH
SIS to $25 an acre; 1t is now estimated at
$40 an acre, and the proprietor has re-
fused $50 an acre for a part OF 1t. An
illustration of the high value set upon
timber in that prairie region is the fact
that the limited areas covered with trees
are held at 500 an acre. The advance
in value of the lands composing the do
main has, therefore, made the invest
ment an advantageous one to the pro
prictor, as it is worth now more than 1t
originally cost him with the expendl-
f,,rnc 1,no,, If 1I1nI