The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-07-18
Pennsylvania's Great Farmer.

A representative vi iho Ao"Noo.oA
Neac Era has been on tour OF In
spection of the eleven contiguous
farms of Col. James Young, at Mid
dietown, Dauphin county. The Col
onel now owns 1446 acres OF land.
When these farms were purchased
by him they al! contained low,
swampy lands-some of them a
great deal of it-land on which no
grain would grow, and fit for pasture
only. To-day these wet, low lands
have disappeared and they are now
the most productive parts OF the
farm. Wheat, grass, oats and corn
are growing on them of which any
farmer in Christedom might feel
proud. How has this been done p?
When we say that twenty-five miles
of underdrains have been laid where
they were necessary and that the
water from these form small creeks,
one of them at least four feet wide
and hundreds ofrods long, the read
er will get an insight into Colonel
Youngs methods. These running
streams are walled on both sides,
preventing the caying in OF their
banks and requiring nothing further
in the way OF repairs. They have
been made at an expense of thou
sands of dollars, but the owner be-
lieves they are the best investment
be ever made.
There is high farming on Colonel
Young's place, but no fancy farming.
His aim is not to see how much
money he spend on his acres, but
how much money he can make out
of them. He does not farm for glory
but for gold. But liberality goes
hand in hand with economy. He
aims at big crops. and to get them he
manures most literally. Yet he
buys no manure, and seldom uses
fertilizers. Last winter he fed 294
steers the year before he fattened
.313. Thirteen hundred very large
loads of manure were the result.
There is also the large tank, mount
ed on wheels, by which hundreds OF
barrels ofliquid manure were carried
out to those fields and places that
seemed to require it most. Although
be had out $50 acres of corn not a
grain was sold. but large quantities
were bought and fed. Last year
more than 5000 bushels of wheat
were sold, but not one ounce OF
straw. He has far more than he
can use himself; the rest he gives to
others, and it is returned to him in
the shape ofmanure. The $50 acres
of grass he now has standing will
give him a surplus of at least 400
tons of hay above his own needs
last year he sold $50 tons. Every
ton of hay and every sheaf of wheat
was put into the barns, as was also
nearly all the corn fodder. No farm
er needs to be told what a saving oi
time and money and material this
is. All the work on these ! 40 acres
is done by thirty-six mules two OF
these do the dairy work besides the
land and barns lying close together
permit of a great economy in this
particular. Double this number
would be required if this land was
held by dozen owners. There Is
but a single driving horse on the
| farms. No money is wasted on elab-
crate and costly dwellings. They
are plain, neat, substantial and in
excellent repair, but there is nothing
spent for show. The contiguous
farms allow for great economy in the
matter Of fences. The fields are
very large. One grass field contain;
LOG acres there are wheat fields O
/ 20 acres one corn field is nearly Z
mile long ; it contains 1,077 hills o.
corn, three feet nine inches apart il
the row, makinga a total length of row
of 4,049 feet. That would have mad,
long "throughs in the days o
scythe and cradle. We observed
that the fields were cultivated within
few inches of the fences. Th,
usual strip of two or more feet o
vacant ground was absent along tin
rails. Every available inch wa
made to yield its tribute. A rougl
calculation showed US that at leas
five acres have been reclaimed il
this way. This is equal to one hun
dred and twenty-five bushels o
wheat or Its equivalent in SOM
other crop, as the case may be. NJ
feature struck the Duke of Suther
land more at his visit than this, VIII
was accustomed to the hedgegrow
and wide borders of England. Th
force of men employed Just now /
/. sixty-three this, however, is in an
ticipation OF hay-making and harveS
time, when labor is often hard +
get. The average number employe,
the year through is thirty-fve. Jus
, now the surplus hands are engages
in ditching, draining and leveling
Hills are scraped down and lo'
places filled. SO large a number G
. men and animals are a great adyan
tage. When occasion demands the
can all be concentrated at a give
, point and quick work made of
, field of grass or grain. Twenty-Five
big loads of hay hauled into on
barn in a forenoon is evidence {
this fact. OF course, machinery
. employed wherever it can be in tn
hay and harvest field. is not onl
, faster, but is cheaper than han
, labor. Tobacco is also grown; onl
: twenty acres this year the yielC
! owing to the high farming, has bee
invariably large hitherto. Col Youn
grows his tobacco crops in his tield
not in the newspapers, as the Don,
gal farmers do.