The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-24
MADE 81. 900, 900 FARMING.


reckoned sort of latter day miracle; al
the more if he lives in Missouri and
farms all around, and all the year
I round. Tarkio, Atchion county, Is his
local habitation. David Rankin is his
name. To be strictly accurate, the Hon
David Rankin: he has served more than
one term in the state legislature. He
owns and manages twenty-three thou
sand acres of land in Atchison county,
worth from fifty to one hundred dollars
per acre, and not in the market even at
those figures. He has bought every
acre of it since 1876, mostly from specu-
lative eastern holders, who were geeful
at getting six to ten dollars an acre for
their holdings, because the railway had
passed them by.
| 1t gives new idea of magnificent
western distances to know that the Ran
kin lands are scattered over an area of
forty odd miles, yet their owner visits
them all every little while. He lives in
handsome house just outside the town
of Tarkio. Five o'clock every fine
morning finds him in his buggy, whirl-
ing to his main office as fast as spank
irg span can carry him. He finds con-
fidential secretary awaiting him. A
brief interval of talk, clear and pointed
instructions few notes, mental and
written, and then he whips away for
round of maybe half dozen of his four
teen farms before he thinks of turning
his horses heads home.
The farms run from six hundred to
three thousand acres. To work thsm re-
qulres between one hundred and thirty
and one hundred and fifty hands, seven
hundred horses, more than hundred
wagons, ploughs, harroWs, planters, Gull
tivators and seeders innumGrable. Each
ranch Is in charge of a competent fore
man, who gets fifty dollars month and
board. Farm hands are paid twenty
dollars month and board. Usually the
foreman's family runs the farm board
ing house. Besides the various foremen
there is a farm superintendent at sal
airy many a bank official might envy.
1t is questionable, however, if his best
endeavors are worth as much as the eye
of the master.
All the land Is arabic, yet but little
more than half goes yearly under the
plough. Perhaps two thousand acres
are sown to wheat The remainder Is
planted in corn and yields in average
years eight hundred thousand bushels.
Not a grain Of it is sold until it has been
transformed into fat stock In addition
to his own crop, Mr.. Rankin buys what
ever corn his neighbors have to SELL He
buys also their stalk fields, after the
corn is gathered, and turns into them
herds of cattle to gather up their rich
ole 40 1fY q that he ,bIlVC
ton upon ton of cottonseed meal for
feeding. Small wonder that his lands
grow and increase in fertility under
continuous cropping.
All land not under plough is laid down
in clover timothy and blue grass pas
lures. After standing four years they
are fallowed and put in grain, the grass
fields meantime going back into grass.
This part of the soil, originally as rich
as any in the world, is always resting.
Once at least his ironcad rule against
the sale of corn led him into a funny |
1t is, of course, quite imposst-
BILE for man who owns so many teams |
and hires so many drivers to keep all of |
them accurately in mind. But there Is |
an infallible earmark-at least Mr.. Ran |
kin himself thought so for good while |
1t is the wagon harness. He uses the |
trace chains. as being |
both cheaper handler and more lasting
than the new-fangled outfits of straps
and leather So whenever he meets a |
team 50 accoutred he naturally sets it
down as part of his property. Some lit
lie time back he met a four-horse team,
brave in chain harness, drawing a big |
load of corn through Tarkio streets.
The sight Of it set him wild. Thou
shall not sell oorn!" was a sort of elev-
anth commandment with him.
A favorite expression with him, and
me that he uses to give vent to his feel
ngs, is "5et fire" repeated two or three
times quite rapidly. On this occasion
ne commenced with set fire! Set fire!
What are you doing here with that
corn ?" The driver calmly replied that
ne had brought it to town to sell. This
gave rise to renewed storm of "set
Tres but fortunately some one who
Snew the man came forward and ex-
blamed matters. He was a farmer who
1ad adopted Mr.. Rankin's style of har-
less, and it was his own corn that he
lad brought to town to sell.
MT. fdTtkil1 IdlltHlS lilOIt Cdlllc tldIl
my other man in the world Every
rear he buys and fattents eight or ten
thousand head The bulk of them come
rom Texas, though Kansas, Nebraska,
owa and Missouri are fair sources of
upply. He has been known to buy 5000
read in bunch, and pay on them a
reight bill of $500 He has just now
fought 5000 head of Texas cattle to be
next November paying for
hem $50 head. His shipments of fat
attic begin in June. From the first of
une to the first of September he ships
wo or three trainsloads each week.
He keeps 10000 to 10000 head of hogs
IL the time, and sells fat ones to the
alue of $4,000 yearly. All these he
aises. In fact, he never buys Il pig,
kept for the infusion of new blood
nto his breeding stock. Some years
ack, while there was money in horses,
e undertook the breeding of draught
casts, and built upon his home farm,
Ist outside Tarkio, a horse barn very
luch UP to date. 1t cost $4,000, and
an octagonal brick building, four
tories high. 1t is lighted throughout
18th electricity. Each stall has it's own
lamp and the cupola an
re light which turns midnight into day
II over the barnyard.
1T Is worth while to look a little into
he genesis of this man, and his fortune.