The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-11-04
WHOLESALE FARMING,
Ihc Mammoth Operations of the
Bonanza Wheat Farms in the
Mort Invest

Bonanza Wheat Farms in tho
Northwest.
The recent furry about "dollar"
wheat and the good price which this
great staple crop has commanded this
year, because of political significance,
have given universal prominence to
the crop in tho newspapers. In view
ol TINS publicity an article in Serb.
ner's Magazine on "Thc business of q
Wheat Farm" by William Allen
White, is timely and interesting. 1t
is handsomely illustrated aud deals
with the wholesale farming operations
OF the bonanza wheat farms in the
valley OF the "Red River OF the North,"
where the stream lluws through North
Dakota. The writer of the article
takes issue with the customary classi-
tication OF business men and farm
ers, and declares that the great farm
cr OF the Northwest must combine
many talents and must bo business
man first and tlilcr OF tho soil after
wards.
| The land is rs HAT as floor and
wheat fields stretch way to The horl-
zon as far rs the eye can reach like IL
eca OF waving grain. The average size
Of one Of these big farms is 7, 900 acrcs.
| iiUcs are unknown. Tic SMALLEST lin
|
and these are operated twenty or thirty
IN u gang, each pulled by five horses,
and making two burrows at u time.
They travel an average Of tweLty
! miles 8 day, and IN nvcrsncr on horse
back or in Il buggy accompanies each
gang. Tho drilling, narrowing, and
nnrve, ting are all done in the same
wholesale way by the most improved
machinery. in which the operator has
little more to'do than to sit in his seat
and guido the horses, and operate
brakes, levers, etc, that contro! the
machinery. From the sowing OF the
seed to tho storing in the elevator
almost everything Is done by ma
chinery, and from the time the wheat
sheavcs are tumbed into the wagon
until tho Hour reaches the cooks no hu.
man hand touches it. Something OF
the size Of these farms may be gather.
ed from tho fact that distances across
them are 80 great that evon horseback
communication is impossible and tele
phone lines furnish communication be.
tween the general manager and tho
division Ovcrscera and the crows o
hands in one end OF the farm do not sec
the crows at the other end during al
entire planting or harvesting season
Scattered about over the farm are din
Ing halls fivo Or six miles apart, ii
| which the hands are served with tb eli
| meals, but sometimes at noon tho plOw
ing or reapng gang are two or thre,
miles from their dining hall. and /,
busy seasons it is found more profit
able to feed the hands in the field
rather than have them trudge to tn,
dining hall.
There is q regular stable gang tina
locks after the horses used on tn,
! hO l,.fx 4
plo"s or harvesters never have any
thing to do with their care. Ther
are usually 100 horses in each division
OF the farm. In addition to the dinin
hall there is a dormitory in each of tn
three divisions OF the farm where bed
are provided for the hands. On thes
farms q largo percentage of the labo
ls transient, employed for o few week
at o time during the planting seaso
and again during the harvesting ses
son. Usually about fifty mon are en-
Pioyed during. the ploughing season
They are paid by the month-abou
$zo, including board, lodging an
washing. They eat breakfast at
o'clock in the morning, have an hou
at noon and supper at $50 Abou
thirty cows furnish milk for tho work
mon. There are two ell vdtors, ono q
either end of the farm and situate
along the railroad track. Combine
they will hold 100, 900 bushels of W hea'
There Is 8 central Office wherein th
boookkeeper and general manage
direct the business Of the farm. Telc
phone lines run TO the division supel
intendents' homes and other importan
points on tho farm. There IL q com
plcte blacksmith and wheel-wrigh ht an
wood working outfit, and in stor
room Is kept % carload OF extra part
Of the different machines used on tn
farm, so that In case of breaking, tn
part can be promptly replaced wftho,
causing Injurious delays. The plan
, the land and the improvements on sue
$210,000. >.
: An idea Of the colossal operations
these farms Is conveyed by the writ,
: In this way. Averaging twenty bus
els to the acre we have 14O, ,OGO bushe
as the yield. Putting:5OO ,bushels in
u, T. car and allowing 'for5y feet to the CO
% 1T would require q train two miles lo
to haul the crop OF one farm. Or