The Democratic advocate., 1883-07-21
Glre @armtr.
hartford COUNTY.
The Canning InteresGs-Mr. WOOIsey's
Splendid Estate.


In agriculture and kindred matters
Hartford has made more improvements
in the last twenty years than any county
in the State. More corn is produced than
in any other county, and the canning in
terest is greater than in any county in the
United States or in the world. 1t is
claimed by some that the pack of the coun-
ty last year was worth $7,000,000, but
this is an exaggeration, the pack was prob
ably worth something more than half that
amount. There are between 400 and 500
canning establishments, and additional ones
are being established. Besides the labor
furnished by county residents from 10000
to $4,000 hands are brought from distant
points annually to work in the factories in
the busy season Mr.. George w. Baker
was one of the pioneers in the canning
business. 1t is said that he commenced
canning operations on an ordinary stove,
and finding it very profitable increased his
facilities from time to time. This season
he has over 200 acres in sugar corn alone.
Farmers who could not get along at anything
some years since went into canning, and In
a short time were buying farms. The I'M
preston is now that only big farmers can
carry the business on successfully, so much
have the profits been reduced by competi-
ton. This, however, has been said an
nually for several years, and yet all en-
gagged in the industry seem to thrive.
Men with farms worth 81, 800 have not
hesitated to engage in canning, and pur
chase an outfit costing about $4,000.
Heretofore all have been able to get all
they wanted on credit, and so far there has
been but one failure, and that, it is said,
through extravaganza. This year, how
ever, the canmakers and others are requir-
ing collateral security for goods advanced
The pride of Hartford is cattle grazing
This is followed in all parts of the county,
but more particularly along Deer Greek
valley The cattle for grazing are bought
in Virginia and at the Baltimore cattle
yards. When fattcd they are sold in Bal
timore and Philadelphia, and a number
shipped to Europe. Fine herds of short
horns and Jerseys are also raised in the
county.
Machine shops and manufactures are
wanted in Belair. The county has plenty
of suitable timber, iron ore, mineral paint
and everything needed to make fine agri-
cultural implements. People come here
from Ohio, prepare the stuff, take it there,
manufacture the farming requisites, and
send them back to Hartford. Farmers in
need of castings have to send out of the
county for them.
The exponent of farming in this section
is Mr.. VIM. Woolsey. He is said to be
the best farmer in Maryland, and second
to none in the United States. His beauti-
full and fertile place is about Z miles from
Belair. Mr.. Woolsey is not theorist who
has INDUCED his fancy and spent his money
in theoretical farming, but practical, ear
nest worker, who has made fortune from
small beginning by the judicious culture
of barren land. There are certain axioms
in farming which Mr. Woolsey states with
an emphasis that will admit of no mistake
His favorite fertilizer, outside of barn-yard
manure, is raw bone. He says "a rich
man may use 100 or 200 pounds of bone
to the acre if he chooses, because it is not
material for him to raise crop, but poor
man must use from 200 to l POO pounds
to the acre or he will be ruined" Mr..
WOolsey's grand farm is in strong contrast
to its former condition 35 years ago, when
he took charge of it, as described by him
self and neighbors For the 312 acres
constituting the home place he gave less
than $4,000. 1t was then dead poor, and
would not grow crop to pay the cost of
cultivating the land. Lime did not act on
the place, and he has improved with bone.
After two years experimenting with guanO
he gave it up, because he saw he was pay
ing too much for ammonia and was not
getting enough phosphate. He has always
farmed for money, and has always made
it. A number Of persons interested in ag-
riculture visit the scene of Mr.. Woolsey's
operations, and all 90 away impressed with
his mode of farming. Mr.. Woolsey plants
his corn in rows 81 feet apart, with II to
II inches between the stalks His average
crop is 100 bushels to the acre on all the
land cultivated, and in the last eighteen
years he has only gone as low as 80 bush
els to the acre on one occasion. He never
uses any kind of manure on corn, but
turns under good sod.
Mr. Woolsey, though over 20 years of
age, is hale and hearty and as active as a
man of 40 He seeds his wheat on corn
stub5le, i-sing ton Of raw bone per acre
or if he seeds wheat on fallow, which he
does rarely, he puts J ton of bone on each
acre. Timothy is seeded with the wheat
and clover in the spring. Mr.. Woolsey
said 80 bushels of corn per acre would
have done % years ago, but it won't dc
now. Agricultural implements and fertil-
izers have forced farmers along. The
speaker continued, pointing to luxuriant
fields of grass, that they would do for beds
for any person in winter time, so cOntinu,
Gus was the growth. These fields stay in
grass from to years, and cut tons OF
hay to the acre. As they grow older the
growth is not so heavy, but the hay is
finer. His permanent pasture has been in
grass 25 years. Cattle are on it all the
time from early spring until late in the
fall 1t was in many places over waist
high, and would have cut fine crop OF
hay. The wheat average on corn stubble
is about 30 bushels; last year it was 33
On fallow the average has been 10. The
oat yield is so to go bushels per acre, and
as high as 20 bushels have been made
Mr. Woolsey said he tried to get rich rails
ing potatoes. The first year he got 81 %
per bushel, and was we'll satisfied; the next
year he got but 25 cents per bushel, and
stopped raising in quantities. He plants the
middleof June, and thinks the Burbank the
best variety. He farms, in all, between
700 and 800 acres.
Cattle-grazing he regards as the most
profitable branch of farming, and he fat
tens from 125 to $50 head annually
Drovers bring two-year-old steers to his
barn from West Virginia Hebuys the feed
ing stock at his barn and sells the fatted cat
tie there. He has large scales there, and
buys and sells by weight. Last year a
l.o,,o- oo,,oo 49, a. . I,o,-o 20 1n1 III