The Washington herald., 1909-05-23

Union, s. c, May 22-Occas.onaIlv ma
reads II the magazines and daily paperz
Of large farming operations IN Oklahoma
and Texas and the Dakotas. The stories
/ told therein relate mostly 70 vast arai.
fields and the methods employed IN pre-
pairing the prairie ground and IN reapiag
the crops. TIE figures given are 50 Isrgs
as 10 be Astonishing But, right here in
/ the Palmetto State. there are some agri-
cultural operations conducted OF a scale
that causes astonishment
Out here in the northern suburbs. Of
Columbia l. T Wilds Is doing something
IN the way Of farming and land clearing
that Is worthy OF notice in which he is
conducting operations on a scale meas
uTed IN hundreds OF acres. But 8Ir. WiIds
has hardly got well started yet and the
tale Of his land improvements WIZ keep
FOR another day
Hundred Acres of watermeIona.
Down az Blackville, Bsrnwel County
burg. situate some fifty miles to the south
Of this city, there IS a man who does
farming business on a scale n which
.
experiment on a small scale 70 see II
watermelon raising VIII pay him 70 20
into the business A few years ago he
I experimented in a similar way with can
taloupes. and, finding that the venture
might pay. next year. IN 1861. he cleared
! $500 on his cantal0upe crop. He shipped
an average OF twelve carloads a DAY.
Last year the crop did not prove quite
50 profitable, so this year he put out only
40 acres He also planted a small ex-
/ perimental patch OF twenty-eight acres
/ OF cucumbers- II this patch" paws. next
year he viii plaAt some cucumbers.
This farmer IS Mr. D. S WhittIe. He
owns 2.S00 acres. and the yard" about
his house has 800 acres. About half OF
i is n town. the other half extends
I mile or Two out into the country.
Mr. WhittIe has 40 acres planted in
oats. from which Re expects a yield OF
- TO 100 bushels 10 the acre He also
/ has 400 acres IN corn He gathers some
/ thing Ike 30 tons OF hay per year. ard
uses over half Of il 20 feed the farm
/ stock The hay IS made from the hay
I pea. and comes OF Of about s00 acres.
After the cantaloupe season IS over. lie
uses the land or which tire cantaloUpes
(
Mr. White -Uns eighty pioWs on his
place. and the live stock he keeps IS
higf-class. He buys and sells about $780,
K co worth o. horses that he gets IL train
I loads from the West. annually. as a side
issue. This year. however. his live stock
/ operations wiIl not run much over Ss5.oeo.
Main Crop Is Cotton
! The main crop on his place is cotton.
+ OF this, this year. he has out I513 acres.
and from Il he expects 20 get about 100
bales The land is rather low. or clay and
I loan In al he has about 2.2O acres
under cultivation Last year he sold is
acres For It he received S7.0aa
He bought this land about eight years
! ago. paying for II 50 an acre. Every
body round about guyed him but II proved
another case Of he who laughs last
/ laughs best" To-day he is offered 500
sn acre for Il, and laughs at those who
want 70 buy il az this price. His plan
+ tatiOn. ranch. OF farm is said 70 be one
/ OF the prettieSt places in South Carolina
9ir. Whittle oversees every acre Of his
/ place himself. covering the whole place
I once every two days. he has three ex-
/ ceptionaIly good horses that he keeps
Tor no ot1er purpose than driving over
+ his farm The grade OF stock ne keeps
may be Indicated by the fact that there
/ isn't a pair Of mules on the place that
he viii take $40 for. and he sold pair
! the other day 10 a neighbor for $50
! The owner Of the South Carolina plan
tation. which u the West would De q
ranch" Is a unassuming elderly gen
tIeman cf much vitality and tremendous
/ energy He thinks large thoughts and
/ does things II large way re has IN
/ business thoroughly organized. aud -
( watches every detail OF IL Incidentally,
I II may be mentioned that 8Ir. Whittle
/ carries S79olo OF insurance.
B F ARTHUR