Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-07-21
TENTED INCOME OF 100 ACRES
With SevenEghhs Grass Cattle Grazing and Minimum of La
Dor Maxcy Nets ST. IS Per Acre.
(Reported by Arthur J. Bill for Illinois
Farmers Institute)

(Reported by Arthur J. Bill for Illinois
Farmers Institute)
To keep most of a rundown farm in
grass, with live stock upon it, and do
this economically when the place is
four miles from home. is the problem
Leigh +. Maxcy of Sangamon county
is working out successfully. Here are
his 1908 figures for such quarter
section:
The house. barn, lots. orchard and
garden, covering about five acres. are
rented to a tenant for SIS per year;
also 20 acres of pasture at S. per acre,
800; and 90 acres of corn at half the
crop. The rent corn, $50 bushels, at
20 cents, amounts to $455. Mr. Maxcy
sold to other parties the hay as it
stood in a 20-aere field at sc per acre,
Sl20. He put mp 40 acres of hay from
which he sold 80 tons at SIS, Is tons at
$40, and 10 tons lin the stack at 81.
total of $460. The last was fed to
cattle on the farm Forty-fiv acres is
in good blue grass and timothy past
ure where Maxcy cattle were grazed
The income from this pasture is the
only item about which he cannot give
the exact figures. In putting in and
taking out cattle, the number, date and
weight were not always recorded. So
he counts this pasture at IS per acre,
$275. Here is total income of ST.
4S5 to the owner of the farm.
s3Os of Expense, s1,I77 OF Profit.
Items in the account book show that
repairs of fences, buildings, and pump.
thing and cutting hedge amounted to
$1,000; permanent buggy shed. $S1.75:
meals for workmen. IS; cost of put
ting up 90 acres of hay, men. days,
at $1.50 per day, and dinners, SOS:
$30S.S5. Deducting this from the ST.
4S5 leaves net income of S1,176.65. or
$7.35 per acre. 1t is noticeable that
Sal of this expense is for permanent
improvements and the repairs that
make up depreciation in property, and
that the taxes are also included-a
must stricter account of cost than
farmers usually make.
Considering that this land was han
died at a distance and with the ex,
press object of building up the farm
instead of making the greatest amount
of money on it for the time being; that
Mr.. Maxcy had all but 90 acres of
the farm in grass (seven-eighths of iD
and considerable live stock on the
place, and that he had to provide very
little labor, these results are not so
bad. The tenant kept three horses and
seven or eight cows. fed his own corn
and bought part of Mr. Maxcy's. He
also brought 10 tons of clover hay
upon the place.
An open stream through the perma-
the season. Care has been taken to
thicken up the grass and keep good
thrifty stand. and the weeds are cut
out. Almost the entire growth of blue
grass remains for midsummer pasture,
the time of frequent shortage.
1t is worth remarking that Mr.. Maxcy
has the items of income and expense
set down accurately. He knows what
he is doing.
Getting Good Buildings.
The new permanent building seen
on this place by the writer deserves
mode detailed mention. 1t is 14x3SxS
feet, with room for two buggies in one
half, and coal and storage in the
other The heavy hardwood frame
came from an old two-room house 9TH
erwise worthless. Tearing down and
moving this house required three men
one day. $S.75; the labor and material
for the foundation of concrete piers.
S. new lumber for sills, $3.50; 600
feet of siding foot boards) at SIS.
1880; nails, s2.5e; hinges, $3.50; gal
vanized iron roofing, $4.25 per square.
$3.50; painting both sides of roof and