Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-09-29

to each plow, and assigning two Mexican
plowmen to each team, because OF their In
experiences in handling the American plow.
The roots preventing the new land being
broken deeper than four inches and even
the older land, which had been in cultlva
ton for years, could only be broken to
depth of seven inches for the same reason
Mr.. G. planted his crop of corn about the
middle of March, and gathered it in Sep
tember. The regular time for planting the
Spring cropis in February. In May he be.
gan breaking up the ground for his Fall
crop of corn ; in July he planted it, and
gathered it in November, raising about
thirty-five or forty bushels to the acre. Al
ter harvesting his September corn, he pre-
pared the same land for wheat, which he
sowed in October. This wheat he plowed
under deep and narrowed afterw ards. In
September, be also planted $50 acres In
beans, which had yielded wheat in the pre-
vlous month of May. In preparing this
ground it was thoroughly broken up and
narrowed, and laid off in rows about eigh-
teen or twenty inches apart. The soil in
this section is black loan, mesquite, from
two to three feet in depth, very rich, and
has a clay foundation. Last year Mr..
Corrigan used the two-horse Avery plow
for breaking up the ground, and the Avery
double shovel and sweep in cultivating his
crops. He has about fifty American plows,
an eight-horse threshing machine, and as
large supply of agricultural implements
as can be found on an American farm Of
this size. He also has mills for grinding
wheat and corn, and cotton gin. He has
A PERMANENT FORCE OF EIGHTY MEXI
CANS
who were railway laborers and skilled
teamsters, and under his direction, they
have become expert farm hands. The only
Americans on the farm are two foremen
and a cook, and not a few of the Mexican
laborers have been deservedly promoted to
responsible positions, as foremen of the re-
spective divisions. There are 100 mules OF
the farm, and 5, 900 mixed sheep and goats,
which supplies all the meat and milk re
quired by the farm. No corn is sold. the
surplus is used to fatten hogs, as lard is al
ways worth 25 cents per pound, or consume
it in feeding beeves and preparing fat cattle
for market.
LAST YEARS CROP.
This farm produced last year 200 acres
of wheat, 20 BUSHELS per acre; 500 acres o.
corn, 45 bushels per acre; 300 acres of bar
lCy3 LOU dCi CS vi COtLOus odlO W UHC dCIC
$50 acres of oats; 100 acres of sugar cane
and in the Fall 1000 acres of corn, 30t
acres of BEANS and 200 acres of barley
This is cotton country and why that prod
uct is not more cultivated by the natives
is surprising. 1t is more easily raised thar
any other crop, requires less labor and care,
still it cannot be eaten, like corn, but now
that there seems to be demand for it since
tho f,uo i1roa do h NO nanatrataG tho oOun.
try, more of the natives are raising it, as
will be shown by the report of Senior One.
las to the Mexican government on the pro-
duction of native cotton: Vera Cruz heads
the list, Durango next, Coahuila third. and
Jalisco fourth, ,,and SO on, Nuevo Leon being
the last. The whole number of bales only
amounting to 57,319. number less than
some of our Texas counties produce yearly.
Mr.. G. is raising a much larger amount OF
cotton this year. Underlying the success of
Mr.. Corrigan's operations-and he has been
very fortunate-remain for consideration,
the facts of Mr. Milmo's wealth, long resi-
dence, citizenship, and influence in Mexico.
Subsidiary to these, and potent adjuncts,
too, we're his railway experiences in Mexico,
which made him to no small extent familiar
with Mexican manners and customs, and
familiarized him with the laborers of the
country and their language. Of course, his
early training as practical farmer consti-
tuted, with his natural ability and robust
physical form, the primary qualifications
for the enterprise. In this, as in all enter
prises, constant vigilance is necessary, and
close attention is always required to those
petty economies, which, if not practiced,
will sap the basis of fortune. A man S
heart must be in his work, and no matter
what calling he may follow, the greatest
success is success.
Respectfully, G. L. G.