Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-03-01
AMERICAS GREATEST FARM.
A Description Of General Harding's 1000
Acre Farm in Tennessee.

~
Tennessee. 1t is owned by General
w. G. Harding. 1t contains 1000
acres of land in one body, in the high
est state of cultivation, without sin
gle rod of waste in the entire tract,
and cultivated in the most intelligent
manner. II is called Belle Mead. 1t is
six miles from Nashville. The turn
pike leading to it is lined with shade
trees and adorned with the well-kept
lawns and villas of merchants and pro-
fessional men. The land of Bell Mead
is gently rolling, all tillable, and with
grass growing on the highest points.
There are no stumps, although origin
ally covered with heavy growth of
timber, and there is no part of it on
which the most improved implements
cannot be used. Dish-shaped, it is sur
rounded by hills which gradually slope
inward to Richland creek, live and
most valuable stream running through
the farm. The Nashville and Chat
tanooga railroad also passes through
it from east to west.
The farm is well fenced with stone
wall on the outside, of which there are
some sixteen miles. costing eighty cents
to $40 per running yard. The inner
fences are post and plank and rail.
The farm is planted about as follows !:
Two hundred acres in wheat, 200 in
oats, $50 in corn, fifty in barley, 400 in
timothy, 200 in clover, 100 in orchard,
$50 in paddocks, the latter sown with
barley and blue grass for winter.
A deer park contains 425 acres. and
there are 1900 acres in woodland
pasture, in Enclosures Of 200 to 500
acres each, sown to blue and orchard
grass for beef cattle and sheep. All
of thewoodland on the place, including
the deer park, affords good pasture
land. The timber embraces almost
every species, including the shittim-
wood Of the Bible. 1t is all Of original
native growth.
Belle Mead farm is conducted by a
master mind. Method and system are
everywhere shown. Every fence rail
is in its place, every corner is clean,
every rood Of land shows the effect Of
intelligent cultivation, and every
animal presents an appearance denot-
ing intelligent breeding and proper
care. The tools and implements are
in their places, the yards are clean, the
stables very plain, but commodious and
comfortable, and the highest-bred, pur-
est-blooded, most spirited horses in the
land, one alone representing value of
100000, are as gentle and tractable as
any ordinary horse. -Four of these
noble animals are worth about $780,,
900 together. And yet the methods
employed are within the power of
every farmer, for everything is done
on the simplest plan and in the most
inexpensive way 1t is only common
farming done intelligently. The $780,
900 horse is not surrounded by any
more fancy conditions than the 5000
animals of foolish city people, but
they are attended with more common
sense.
While marketing some 5000 bushels
of corn. $500 bushels of wheat, and
200 to 300 tons of hay per annum, the
principal product of the farm is live
stock, and in one branch of that in
dustry it deserves to rank first in the
world. Three to four hundred head of
high-class grade Durham cattle of diff
ferent ages are kept. for beef, about
$50 head being marketed per year.
They are sold in Nashville and shipped
to Eastern markets, where they COM
mand top prices. They average in
weight about 1900 pounds, and are
sold off of grass without being fed any
grain OF hay that could be marketed.
A herd of forty or fifty & as fine
milch COWS as we ever. saw is also kept.
They are grade Jerseys.
One hundred head Of grade Leices-
ter and Southdown sheep are kept for
table use, and 200 head Of grade An
CORA goats for browsers, to keep the
pastures cleared of briers and weeds,
as the deer in the park keep the land
there clear of shrubs. The wool of
these goats bringsa good price. and the
young make good food. Sufficient hogs
are raised for home use, 100 to 125
being necessary. When killed they
average $50 to 800 pounds each.
The 425 acres devoted to the deer
park is covered with a natural growth
Of timber, in which the grass grows
and cattle run. The deer number
about $50, and may be seen at any
time, leaping and running over the
vast tract.
1t is connection with the thorough
bred horse that Belle Mead farm has a
reputation in all civilized lands, anl
ranks first in the world as a breeding
establishment. There is scarcely a
distinguished horse that has appeared
for number of years that cannot be
traced back to Tennessee, and many to
this farm. Bassetts dam was bred in
Maury county. A large number of tae
finest imported horses and mares have