Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-12

some insect which may be damaging the grain. Often he will walk into the field and talk with the hands at work on some detail of planting. In short, it is easy to see that nature has strong attractions for him. and the cultiva- tion of the soil has as much fascination as the buying and selling of stocks and bonds or the planning of railroad com binations. Naturally his interest in agriculture has attracted much atten- ton throughout this section. People who at first regarded his purchases of land and his plan with envious eyes now speak of him in the highest terms. They perceive how much benefit his experiment will be to agriculturistsI generally as well us to the lovers of good roads, since he has ample means to carry out these experiments on thel broadest and most comprehensive basis.
 The general name for the Vanderbilt estate is "Biltmore." A drive two miles on the main road leading south of Asheville brings the visitor to the boundary of the property, which is the Swannanoa river. Crossing the bridge you see a long dirty-looling shed of a building, with no sign to indicate that it is the general office of the estate where a dozen clerks are employed. Back of it is a large plant for making brick It is equipped with modern presses, dryers, etc.. and furnishes all the brick used in building the mansion, while millions are sold in Asheville and vicinity. All of the clay for the brick is dug at Biltmore and hauled to the works on steam tramway four miles long. This and standard guage rail way seven miles in length traverse the property, every foot of each being laid on lands owned by George w. Vanderbilt. Passing the brick works you come to the Biltmore farming district. At present fourteen hum dred acres are under cultiva- tion, divided into six farms, each in charge of foreman or farm boss with four or five negro hands. The land is selected from fertile parts of the estate and is in different sec tions, the parts nearest the approach to the estate being the largest The farm furthest lfrom this particular piece is eight miles distant. 1t is the intention to increase the farm acreage until it will comprise five thousand acres, making one of the largest agri- cultural properties in America, to feed the largest number of cattle, horses, etc.
 Special attention Is being given to fodder which is growing on twelve
 
 hundred acres. What is known as fod- der or ensilage plants are being plant ed extensively as an experiment. Su- perintendent d filings believes they can be grown successfully in place of timothy and other kinds of hay, which are a failure in this as well as many other parts of the south. The alfalfa, teosinta and lathyryus silvestris, the latter European production, are new kinds of fodder plants which have been raised successfully. They are used in ensilage of which seven hundred tons have already been made this season. Corn, rye, wheat md oats are the principal cereal crops, while on 8 twenty-acre garden patch are grown asparagus, peas, beets, lettuce, onions, berries and variety of other vegetables, all of which find ready sale in the Ashe- vile market, when not consumed at home. The most modern methods of agricultural are employed and the best utensils. Mules furnish most of the hauling power. Fertilizers are used abundantly, while all the dead leaves, etc., are mixed into compost, which also serves to manure the land. As a result the yield of corn to the acre last year was ffty-fve bushels, of rye, fif- teen; wheat was twenty-five to thirty | five, and oats, forty. ; Stock raising is to be feat''-