The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-20
AN INDIANA PLANTATION.
MIR. ID. #. Clifford Owns $4,000 Acres Of
Land in Jasper County.

Wabash Gnd.) Plain Dealer.
A man in Wabash county, or in most any
part OF the great State of Indiana for that
matter, who owns from three to four hun
dred acres of land is considered q nabob
And 1t is forgOne conclusion that so long
as the farm is Well stocked and worked
there Is no danger of the proprietor becon-
ing charge on the county.
But how does a three hundred or four
nEundred-acre farm compare with that of
Mr.. B. f. Clifford, of Kankakee, III, who
owns and farms over $4,000 acres of land
IN Jasper county, this State? One can
hardly realize that there is in Indiana a
single farm containing fifty-two sections
acres.
Some time ago Captain Tbad Hoke had
occasion 70 visit the great Indiana planta-
tlon,' as Mr.. Gifford's farm might be called
lie had never been in that immediate vicin-
ity before, but he knew about where the
headquarters of the farm was located, and
meeung man on the road he asked to be
directed to Mr.. Giffords farm. The man
looked little puzzled and said: (Which
farm do you mean? You commenced travel
ing through Mr.. Giffords land six miles
back yonder."
Captain Hoke replied that he wanted to
go to the headquarters of the plantation
ana was directed to the office in the center
OF the farm, where the proprietor transacts
all his business. Mr.. Chords Indiana land
Is nearly all reclaimed swamp land. He
owns the largest landed estate in the State
owner in the world.
Besides the $1,000 acres in Jasper county
he owns $500 acres-in itself quite a truck
patch-near Kankakee, ILL., He owns large
steam dredge, which has beh operated day
ana night for five years, and has completed
over seventy-dve miles of bitches These
Gltches are from six to twelve feet deep and
from fifteen to twenty feet wide The dirt
thrown out along all OF these bitches ex-
cept one, is washed away from the bank
and scattered by hydraulic pressure. the
apparatus being rugged up on a boat the
water from the bitches, which at places
are bank full, being used for that PURPOSE
MI. Gl1ord IS now engaged in the con-
Strucuon or a railroad for his own use
and 1t is now graded as far as the Indiana
llhnols q Iowa Railroad. 1t is his inten-
The grade for the road was made from the
dirt taken from one of the big bitches The
railroad runs along the bank of the ditch.
EVERY acre of the vast tract of land is
his farm and all are very comfortably sit
uated. Each tenant is provided with a
nice, two-story frame house and a good
big barn. The buildings are exactly alike
Mr.. Clifford has spent hundreds of thou
sands of dollars in retaining Indiana
swamp land, and he continues to purchase
and ditch swamps.
should gather and market 1900 to 1900 bush,
els of corn in one season he could be very
proud of his work and it would probably
be the topic for discussion at the next
farmers institute. Yet last year Mr. Off
ford sold over million bushels Of corn
besides hundreds Of thousands of bushels
of onions and other products and nothing
has been said about it, He will continue
to dredge more swamps to raise more corn
and onions.
Mr.. Gifford'is a very plain transformations
man. lie visits his Indiana estate frequently
and Keeps a strict account of everything
He claims that large fortunes will never be
made in America again except in legitimate
speculation