Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-09-09
THE BIGGEST FARM IN WORLD.
Contains 100000 Acres and Has
100000 Head of Cattle.
(Boston Herald.)

can be called-is that owned by Don
Luis Terranzaas, in the State Of Chi
huahua, Mexico, which measures
from north to south $50 miles and
from east to west 200 miles, or s.
100000 acres in all. On its praries
and mountains roam 100000 head
of cattle, 100000 sheep and 100000
horses. The farm house" is proba-
bly, the most magnificent in the world,
for 1t cost almost s1,600,00O TO build
and is more richly furnished than
many royal palace. On the home
stead alone are employed 100 male
servants. The gardens are superbiy
laid out, the stables more magnificent
than those Of the German emperor,
and there Is accommodation for 500
guests If necessary
Scattered over the vast ranch are
100 outlying stations, each one of
which has charge of certain portion
Of the estate. The horsemen, cow
punchers, line-riders, shepherds, and
hunters number 1000, and the Ter
razaas ranch Is the only one in the
world which maintains it's own
slaughtering and packing plant. Each
year 100000 head of cattle are
slaughtered, dressed and packed, and
100000 sheep. Don Luis personally
superintends the different industries
on his ranch, covering many thou
sands Of miles on horseback during q
twelve-month. Don Luis was at one
time Governor Of chihuahua, but
public life did not suit him; it was
too quiet, and he preferred to spend
his life riding over the plains and
looking after his own enterprises. He
is three times as rich as any other
man in Mexico, and has the name of
being liberal and generous toward
his work-people.
Don Luis is very handsome man,
married to beautiful wife. He is
the father of twelve children-seven
sons and five daughters. The sons
are all associated with Don Luis in
looking after the ranch, while the
daughters-saidt to be the most beau
tiful women in Mexico---remain quiet
ly at the homestead. All the chill
dren were educated in the United
States, are highly accomplished, have
travelled through Europe, and speak
several languages.
Don Luis founded his cattle ranch
about fourteen years ago, and four
years later he sought to import the
finest cattle from Scotland and Eng
land. But there was a considerable
difficulty in the way. The import
duty on foreign cattle was so heavy
that it was impossible to bring over
the animals in quantities sufficient
for his purpose, SO Don Luis appealed
to the Mexican government, pointing
out the absurdity Of restricting i'm
portation Of good stock into the coun-
try, and succeeded in getting the i'm
port tax repealed. Since that time
Terrazaas has increased bis stock by
importation Of something like 5000
bulls Of the best breeds from the
famous studs of Europe.
Five years ago Tarrazaas installed
on his ranch four big reservoirs, cost
ing $500, 900 besides which there are
800 wells scattered over the huge
farm, some of them going down to a
depth Of 500 feet. These wells, the
water from which is raised by means
Of wind mills, cost another $500,000.
Every kind of grain is grown, and
Don Luis is constantly experimenting
in the raising Of different "foous" FOR
supplying the wants Of mis- immense
herds during the rainless season.
An enemy which has to be sternly
fought on this great ranch is fire, and
scarcely summer passes without
great tracts of prairie being laid
waste by its destroying advance.
Throughout the torrid months there
is man stationed on the lookout"
at every station each hour Of the
twenty-four, and directly he sees in
dications which tell him that a fire
has started, he rings the massive
alarm bell, and in an incredibly short
time, men come riding in ready to
A.ght the danger, with their lives If
necessary.
The frightened cattle are driven
sideways from the line Of the incom-
ing fire, and then the enemy Is at
tackled from the rear. 1t is no good
attempting to stop a prairie fire from
the front, for its progress is too rapid