The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-08-17
JOHN N. MckEE,s
Experimental Farm and Vegetable Gar.
den Kinball d. T. Thirty.four Kin.
DIS Of Grain and Nearly Four
Hundred varieties Of Yege.
tables to be Seen Grow.
ing on One Farm.
ing on One Farm.

were to be seen OH this farm a
GRAPHIC reporter, a few days since,
accepted Of an invitation from the
proprietor, Mr.. Mckee, to visit it.
The following description of what
is to be seen there, although in many
respects may seem improbable as, in
fact, it would to us, had we not seen
with our own eyes, is true in every
particular and can be relied upon.
MI. Mckee came here from Butler
Co.. Iowa, in the spring of 'so, filing
on his two claims of $50 acres in
May Of that year. Ills farm lies four
miles southeast of Kimball and is in
the midst of as fine a country as the
sun eve shone upon At an early
age he developed a love for horticul-
ture, it amounting to almost a
passion with l:lm, and in his school
boy days was noted as always having
the best garden for miles around.
He has therefore been in his present
business over 25 years and has sent
his grains and vegetable to fairs and
expositions all over the United States
and Canada for which he has received
many prizes. Hearing and reading
80 much about the wonderful soil of
Southern Dakota he sold out his bust
ness and came here and is more than
pleased with the change. He says
the soil is of the very best quality, in
fact the best he ever saw. This is
his experimental year, hence the rails
ing of SO many varieties of grains and
vegetables. Another year he will
raise only the varieties best adapted
for this soil and climate. None of
his land as yet has been sufficiently
subdued to admit of the very best re-
suits as it vas broken last year and
"back-sct" the follow ng spring. He
has not, however, manured it Or ferti-
lied it in any way, not dccming it
necessary, but there is 10 question
but what when the land has been
properly cultivated it will show a
marked Improvement over this season.
Nevertheless, Nh. Mckee says he
will show people, this year, some veg
etablcs and grains that will astonish
them, and he will. He has now
growing OH his farm IL var etlcs If
oats, I of wheat, IL of corn, 4 of bar
ley and l of flax, makinga total of
"a varieties of grains. Mr.. McKee''s
favoritc wheat is the "Peerles, Black
Chaff" which produces about a. bush
els to the acre when sown with one
bushell to the acre. 1t is a late wheat.
When we saw 1t the stalks were
standing over 4 feet high and with
heads so heavy they bent completely
over. We saw some wheat growing
of the "Golden Grains" variety that
was the handsomest looking grain we
ever saw and will average over 60
bushels to the acre. Mr. Mckee had
a few ounces of wheat sown of the
"Black Bearded Centennial" kind
frop, 1x,b;nh u-n .h,,r+,J o- -.,ll,,
from one kernel Of wheat. Standing
near by was a small patch of Canada
Wonder oats one stool Of which con-
tanned 81 stalks, by actual count, all
from one grain. We next passed on
to a small patch of oats Of the "White
Belgium variety, the stalks of which
grow to the height of 81 feet. These
oats when properly cultivated yield
sometimes as high as 1875 legal bush
els to the acre. The heads of the
stalks resembled small trees, they
were SO heavy and bushy. Another
variety of oats he has growing is the
"Burbees," the grains Of which APP
pear like large plump kernels of
white wheat. These oats weigh
about SO pounds to the level bushel
and average over 100 bushels to the
acre. We only mention a few varie-
ties of oats and wheat not having
space to devote to a further descrip-
ton. In our office can be seen sam
pie heads Of the grains mentioned
which will convince the most skeptic-
al that we have not over estimated
the yield. Among the IL varieties
of corn to be seen growing on the
farm we will only mention II the
"Mammoth White Surprise" The
ears of this corn grow to the length
Of ~ and IA inches and yields from
rs to l25 bushels shelled to the acre.
Mr.. Mckee was unable to say just
what he expected from it as it had
not yet sufficiently advanced. The
same may be said of all the other va
%rieties, and so will have to leave the
report Of them until some future time.
After leaving the grain fields
we walked owe to the vegetable gar
den. Here was a sight indeed. No
peu Of ours can give an adequate de-