The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-22
FARM AND
GARDEN ~
INTERESTS

Detroit Journal.

Down on Long island, which was once
largely owned In colonial estates Of from
ten to fifty thousand acres, granted to
faithful subjects by the English kings, the
question. to farm not to farm. has be-
come an acute one in recent years. Much
of the land is not tit for farming.
In wandering around the country be-
yond Greenport. and almost opposite the
fashionable hotels at Shelter island, 1 was
impressed one day this last summer with
the beautiful appearance of one particular
farm. Everything about it seemed so pros
porous that L took time TO make the
quaintance of the owner and to find out, If
possible, how IL was done.
1t is not large farm, scant eighty acres.
The land is not rich, according to Western
standards. and yet by common report
among neighbors who ought to know, the
owner counts it poor year when the net
protts from his eighty acres do not foot
up in the thousands.
The present owner, George w. Hallock,
bought the farm in 1872. partly because
of the natural beauty of the spot, partly
because he was tired OF paying a large
share of his profits to the railway COM
pany. With the fields sloping right down
to the waters edge, he believed that he
could do without the railway. He knew
that with eighty acres Of land he could
make a business that would give an active
man plenty to do and fair profit, pro-
vided the crops could be taken TO market
the average yield Of the farm, mostly used
for growing potatoes, was Us bushels TO
the acre-sometimes 15o-and the cost or
getting gfi the crop to market ate up half the
yielded at the rate of $50 bushels to the
acre, the gross returns would not much
exceed 5000.
The new owner believed that If ma
nured to its full capacity the land would
do three times we'll and perhaps more.
He was prepared to spend several thousand
dollars a year on manure TO begin with
His neighbors thought such an outlay
greatness and predicted that two years eX-
perience would satisfy the reckless new
manure, an amount of labor was expended
on the fields that made the neighbors stare
The theory was to make every part OF the
land raise vegetables and nothing elsa
practice which required constant cultivat-
ing, and which cost lots of money. Instead
| of employing one man to ten acres, the
average in those parts, the newcomer at
once employed three men to every ten acres,
then four; while to-day, in the busy season,
he has five men to ten acres, or from thirty
five to forty men for the eighty acres.
The results of the first three years seemed
to justify the most dismal predictions
there was an increase in the yield. but moth
| ing sufficient to warrant the extraordinary
outlay. Then the tide turned to degree
of productveness it had never known be-
| fore. began to yield. or, rather. the manure
began TO yield, crops that were the talk of
| the country.
| From far and near people came to look
| at the potato, cabbage and onion fields of
| the man who dared to spend what was
considered fortune every year in manure
and labor The earth. according to this
| theory of farming, serves merely to hold
the plant upright while it is fed and fat
| tened: its food has to be furnished by the
rs bushels TO 400 bushels to the acre. and
| sometimes more. while onions. carrots and
cabbages did even better IN proportion.
| Having proved that the land could be made
to produce great crops, the next step was
TO get these crops TO market. There was
deep water right within gunshot of the
a steamboat? SO dock was built. a steam
boat bought and daily trips were made,
from June to November, either to New
| York, to New London-vhence the Boston
| market is supDlied-or to Bridgeport, ac-
cordins to mal;et quotations
The wages paid vary from So a month
with board TO $50 a month without board.
! There are ten horses and enough stock to
| supply milk and butter. Every device
| known TO scientific farming is at least
| tried; for If ten carrots can be made TO
| grow where only eight grew before. that
means lot of money earned. The fields
are a JOY to look at--as regular as chess
boards. and every foot in use. Two crops
| on the same land are common: Tor instance.
onions and carrots are grown in alternate
rows. the onions being out of the way by
the time the carrots need all the space.
! w
| lasts until 8 at night, with an hours rest
at noon. Artificial fertilizers are brought
from New York by the steamboat; stable
| manure comes from New York by schooner
| 100 tons at a load. Each acre gets about
| $50 worth of manure in the course of the
year.
The wholesale value of this crop deliv-
| cred in New York or New London may
be set down at about $4,000. This year
owing to a lighter yield than usual and
| lower prices. the receipts may not exceed
$4,000. The value of the farm may be put
down at 800 an acre, the buildings. steam
boats. tools and stock al $4,000 The years
! bill for labor will come, probably, to 5000
and the manure 10 almost as much more
Taking these figures as basis. it will be
seen that farming. if carried on in this
way. need not fear comparison with any
other business, considering the capital In.
| volved.
The figures for 1902 are not yet compiled
but here Is the record of the crops raised
by G.. W. Hallock e. Son in 1901: Early cab
| bage. $40 barrels; early potatoes, 10. 00C
bushels; late potatoes. 80 bushels; onions
from sets $500 bushels; onions from seed
seed. go pounds; cucumbers. 500 barrels
! Hubbard squash. GOO barrels; carrots, a..
| 500 bushels: carrot seed. IS pounds. lima
| beans. $50 bags; corn on ear. 1,C00 bushels
cabbage plants Carried over. 10000 II
may be added that this was better than
| the