The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1882-09-23
Largest Farm i'm the world.


We have received a very interest
ing history and lengthy account of
the management of the Burr Oaks
farm" located mainly in Ford coun-
ty, Illinois, sixteen miles east of the
Chicago, Alton and St. Louis rail
road, which is said to be the largest
sarm in the world, and its owner, Mr..
Hiram Sibiey, OF Rochester, New
York, is, by virtue OF the proprietor
ship of it and several other exclu-
sive plantations, called the largest
farmer in the world. In CHANGING
over the sketch of the great landed
estate we gather the following points
concerning it, which may be Of inter
est to our many agricultural readers
This farm once belonged to M. L..
Sullivant, and was for time famous
as the ''Sullivant farm" devoted ex-
clusively 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 Snllivant. Three poor
crops in succession brought him to
ruin in 1877, and his magnificent
domain of 10000 acres passed into
the hands of Mr.. Sibley, who had
loaned nearly 100000 on it. He at
once began to change the character
nf tho 20 fha 20
Quoting it. Instead Of hiring all the
work done, he let out sections of it,
80 to 800 acres each, to tenants, and
gave them share of the crop raised.
He put up house and barn on each
tract, and there are now 124 farm
tenants located on the estate, all do
ing well. The whole domain is
eight miles long by as many wide,
and from one point of view forty farm
houses and barns, all belonging to it,
can be counted. The soil is black
loan, very fertile and adapted to all
kinds of grain, grass, fruits and roots.
This year there is 1900 acres planted
in corn, 2,400 in fax, 1860 in cats,
645 in rye, 800 in millet, % in pota-
toes, 40 in cucumbers, 1920 in mead
ow and 300 in pasture. There arc
ninety orchards on the place and 26
acres in garden vegetables. There
are 1929 horses and mules owned by
tenants, and go others employed by
Mr.. SiDley; l, 700 head of cattle, 1920
sheep, and 1,135 hogs. The cattle
and sheep are kept together in a
$500 acre pasture. Mr.. Sibley has
brought from the East 700 young
cows of good breads, and sold them
to his tenants at cost, for the pur-
pose Of assisting each one to start
milk herd. They have multi
piled till there are now 5000 on the
place, The products of the farm last
year were 225,000 bushels of corn,
10000 bushels of flaxsecd, $4,000
bushels of oats, 5000 bushels of hay,
800 head of cattle, and 800 hogs
sent TO market, and five carloads of
miscellaneous seeds. A large amount
of money has been expended in
equipping the place with agencies and
appliances for the economical con
duet of the business. There are IS
corn cribs with a capacity of 100000
bushels; an elevator of $4,000 ca
pacity. with a fifty horsepower steam
engine, in the centre of the domain
on the Wabash, st. Louis and Pacific
raiload; flax mill. feed mills, seed
warehouse, school houses, churches
and a good hotel Over 100000
worth of machinery and implements
have been placed on the farm by Mr.
Sibley himself, and all farm work is
done on the most approved and eff
cient methods. The farm is enclosed
with 220 miles of hedge, it has 400
miles of bitches, a system of good
roads, two beautiful lakes and groves
When Mr.. SHIRLEY took possession Of
the place in 1877, it was supposed to
be worth $15 to $25 an acre; it is
now estimated at $40 an acre, and
the proprietor has refused $50 all
acre for part of it. 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 ad-
vance in value Of the lands compos-
ing the domain has, therefore, made
the investment an advantageous one
to the proprietor, as it is worth now
more than it originally cost him with
the expenditures upon it added
| Reuister.