Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-06-20
A LARGE FARM.
Logan County Boasts of l,443 Acre Farm
Which Was Once a Mammoth
Blackberry Patch.
BlnCkberryinE by the wh"lesale-NeGr"
Squattcr> Whose Only Active I'm
pIoymrnt Came in the Berry Seas
on-A Globe, Republic Report
er who Knows How 1t
l. Himself

Onr neighhornC county Of Logan boasts
of farm of l .44S acres, of which $50 are
in high state of cultivation, the balance
being mostly good pasture land. The farm
has, already 5000 rods of tile ditch to drain
it, of which nearly half has been put in
within the past year, and it will tax" fully
aS much more to drain the whole tract.
There is expended on this farm $500 per
annum for labor alone. The stock on the
farm comprises some l15 head of cattle, Of
which number are thoroughbred short
horns, and there are thirty seven head
of horses. The farm i the property of
X. IIngSctt, of Fayette county, Penmsy Iva
mia. where he is a large manufacturer OF
pig iron. fire brick and coke, and owns some
4 900 acres of land. His Logan county
tract is farned under the direction of Su-
perintendent. and is visited and inspected
semi-annualIy. Mr. Hogsett began life
poor. having only six hundred dollars when
tweuty-SIN years old.
He bought the Logan county farm fifteen
years ago. al which time it was one
vast broadening" and, probably. the
largest blackberry patch in the state. Peo-
pie were in the habit OF going ten to twenty
miles to pick berries in the deadening, and
make the occasion a regular annual picnic.
often taking the whole family along. pom
''Clearings" and and on the edges of the
tract were scores of negro ''SquattcrS, and
probably some poor white trash" who
lived or rather existed in small log houses
and did but little the year round, except
pick and sell blackherrieS while they lasted.
Then the whole family. mau, woman and
curly-headed kids, struck out Tor the best
spots and picked berries by the bushels.
This was always a very fortunate CirCum-
stance for some parties, who, while they liked
Ia gain a big reputation for berry picking,
either were too lazy or unsuccessful To
gather a large lot themselves. All that was
necessary was to buy up the gatherings of
some aunty or uncle, or of several for that
matter. and 10 and behold one could 90
home with wonderful stories of the bushels
of berries picked, the snake bites escaped
and the number and size snakes killed. In
deed it was very easy to make up as inter
e>ting narration a. a modern fishing
Story-and just as truthful one.
The GLuBE-KEPU BLIC representative,
when a Logan county farmers boy, knew
how it was himself. and considered il rare
sport tn make the annual excursions, with
Schoolmates and friends. Many are the
bushels of berries he picked-out of some
SQuatIers basket, for money conSidera-
ti0n. But it was not all pleasure. The
water was most vile and about equal to that
taken from a good duck-pOnd in harvest
time both in taste and warmth. Then the
people, habitatiOns, if they should he thus
digniiied. and the very country itself gave
one an idea OF having arrived at the
''junping-of place" Again the dead
ening was SO vast and bound
less and the underground in
places so thick that it required some care
not TO be separated from ones companions,
which, of course, brought up no very
pleasant memories.
Now, it is ali changed. and the bowling
wilderness is changed into smiling. fruitful
fields With the advent of cultivated
tields no doubt came corresponding civil
iZing influence upon the SquatterS, who now
help till the land and live more like hu-
mans. But, as blackberry patch, its glory
has departed.