The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-08-30
BIG WHEAT FARM
In okIahoma-5,oOo Acres Planted
In the CereaI-Twenty-four Binders
Used When Harvest Begins.


Used When Harvest BeRins.
Kansas city Star: ol1lahoma's larg-
est wheat field lies a few miles west Of
the small railway station of Bliss, in
Kay county. It contains 5000 acres Of
land, and belongs to the noted ranch
'1ol" which controls 5000 acres of land
leased from the Ponca Indians, Two
hundred men, more than 800 mules and
horses and twenty-four big Irvine bind
ers were employed in cutting and
shocking the grain grown on this mag
nIficent field this year. 1t was not until
Sunday, with an army Of laborers
working night and day for ten days,
that the last acre was harvested.
Every principle of good farming was
observed In cultlvatlng this big field,
with the result that the total output
will not be less than 10000 bushels of
as good wheat as can be found in Okla
homa. 1t is estimated that the aver
age acre yield will be from 20 to rs
bushels. There are many acres mat
will run from 40 to 80 bushels. Buyers
have already offered 90 cents buShel
for the entire crop. 1t is probable that
the owners will get from 60 to 70 cents,
q gross sum of $4,000 or $4,000. The
cost Of producing this wheat and put
ting It on board cars will be Is cents q
bushel, leaving a net PROFIT OF about
A reporter for the Star spent one day
on ranch 101 during last week, when
the wheat harvest was at It's full. No
where else in Oklahoma can such q
comprehensive Idea Of the possibility OF
Oklahoma as an agricultural country
be obtained as on ranch 1ol, and In the
country surrounding It, where there are
many wheat fields running from 800 to
1000 acres each. Ranch l0l Is an IN
corporated company, and Is owned and
controlled by 6. W. Miller, president;
W. T. Miller, vice president; Mrs. Alma
Miller, Just graduated from Vassar coll
lege, secretary; "zack' Miller, as he Ia
best known, superintendent OF live
stock; George Miller, bOokkeepeF, and
Joseph Miller, general superintendent.
G, W. Miller, the president, lives at
Winfield, Kas., and has been for many
years a cattleman known throughout
the southwest. Notwithstanding the
large interests involved the system OF
operating the ranch 10 go perfect that
the work IL done with less friction than
Is found on an ordinary 160-acre farm.
Each department Is directed by COM
petent foreman. who Is given full au-
thority to employ or discharge his men
and Is held personally responsible for
the success OF the department assigned
to him. The best Of everything needed
IN operating the kanch Is purchased.
This Is especially true OF seed grains,
machinery and blooded live stock for
breeding purposes,
"Our only reason for this" said JOS
eph Miller, us that 1t piles up bigger
profits for US"
The air was stlll cold with the breath
OF the early morning when the reporter
started in an open buggy with Super
intendent Miller on the latterB daily
rounds Of inspection. The harvest moon,
big and siIVery, was shining In the
east before the wheels Of the buggy had
stopped turning. The sun bllZed from
n clear sky all day long. From Bliss to
''iOl ranch house the road winds across
undulatinB pralries, knee deep in lux
urlant grasses and dotted with 1000
head OF cattle, many Of which came
from Texas last year 80 poor that they
staggered as they walked, but now so
fat that they are ready for market.
All this fat came from the wonderfully
nutritious grass. The Strip pastures
this year were never better. The nat
ural reservoirs are stIll full from the
abundant rains.
But wheat was king In the Strip last
week, and its Importance ecllpses every
thing else on ranch "10l." Numerically,
n &, 0OO-acre wheat field Is not very i'm
pressIVe. To ride over, however, In
blazing sunshine is 10 give rise to the
feeling that II covers the face or the
earth, The 5000 acres Of what on the
ranch are divided into two fields OF
almost equal size by the Salt Fork
river, a stream that pours down large
volume OF water at this time OF the
year, Great yellow fluctuations OF grain
SWept alongside the river and then
away toward the distant hills I'M
III they seemed to reach the sly. 1t
was SO far across the fields that the
shocks seemed to look like solid wall
OF wheat. In the field on the south
side Of the river the first circuit with
a binder was made by Superintendent
There was not man who could
guess how long 1t would take me to
make the round" said he. Il piled q
supply OF Irvine on my binder ana start
ed. 1t was almost dinner time when !
got back. was gone four hours and
travelled six miles"
The distances are so great on the
ranch that II Is impossible for the men
TO turn In Mt one place for their meals
The loss OF time would almost be hun
dreds OF dollars in season. Accord
inRly camps are established at different
places, generally close to stream,
where the men live In tents and the
meals are prepared by ranch cooks.
The Oklahoma farmer who owns half
n dozen binders Is well equipped, This
ranch owns "a, 10 Of them being pur.
chased this year. The reporter saw all
these binders at work. IL In one bunch
and 6 In another. with every olhder
in line q swath over $50 feet deep can
be cut. The acres OF grain go down as
II by magic. The whlrr OF the many
wheels swell into n constant roar. The
drivers shout at their horses, from three
10 Ave being driven to each binder,
while the shOckerB follow In the wake
shocking the bundles as they are
thrown from the binders, Everything
moves like ClockwOrk. Two expert ma
chlnists on horseback keep close to the
binders to make any needed repairs:
One man does nothing except hhul
Irvine 10 the binders.
The ngitatOr In IL man who Is always
Kicking and trying to lnclte the other
laborers to rebellion. He sometimes
succeeds In bringing on n strike. n
strike in harvest field is dlsagreen-
BILE affair as the proprietor must allow
himself to be- held IN or run the chance
OF having his grain blown down by
storms. The agitator. accordingly N
turned on the ranch MS soon as he Is
discovered.
Fair wages are paid. A man with n
Inntn rnIa frnm g 10 81 20 dnY. In