The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-07-13
BRAIN AS WELL AS
Drawn ON FARM
R. G. Bigelow of Skow-
negan Does Things
With His Old OK and the Rest of the
Family Helping Him He Makes a
RecOrd.-CUts 40 Tons of Hay in
About Week.-He Also Is the
Towns Record Corn Grower.

About a Week.-He Also Is the
Towns Record Corn Grower.
When 1t comes to working to the
advantage of al concerned. Roscoe
G. Bigelow stands at the head. Mr..
Bigelow is the first farmer in this
section TO complete his having. He
had about 40 tons TO cut and had been
at II about week. Since July up
TO Saturday night he hauled in %
double OK loads It can safely be
said that he hauled in three OK load.
for one Of these oxen Was the famous
old family OK that equals two or
dinalE oxen
VOW the Way Nr. Bigelow has car
ried on his ha2.lg deserves a great
deal of mention His crew has con-
sisted q the old big OK. Mr.. Bigelow,
Mrs. Bigelow and Lorenzo Palmer.
Mr.. Palmer IS now in his S0th year
md he Was fhe only hired man that
Mr. B.eelow had Mr.. Palmer has
beea r!ehr there with Mr.. Bigelow
Ia ne feld every day. He has laid
IL The loads with the assistance of
Miss Vivian Bigelow. the Young
daughter OF Mr.. Bigelow This party
made good working team. Mr..
Bieelow is strong rugged man who
not only let's his muscle work but his
brain also serves him to great ad-
vantage He plans out his work sys-
tenatically and in watching his crew
work one realizes that everything is
going with clock work regularity.
Mrs. Bigelow is always keeping her
end of the load up.
The writer called on Mr.. Bigelow
and wondered what peculiar
religion he had that would cause his
crops to look so we'll. Mr.. Bigelow
said that the best religion he knew Of
to make crops grow was work mixed
with brains. On going into his field
the writer noticed a piece of ground
Of about TWO acres. Mr.. Bigelow in
formed him that that piece of land
was a regular gold mine" Three
-ears ago this piece of land cut less
han ton of hay. 1t had all run out
by water and drainage. Mr.. Bigelow
rlowed it about inches deep and
narrowed ii in good shape. He sowed
oats and barley, using about 4e0
pounds of Coe-Mortimer fertilizer TO
the acre That fall he got 40 bushels
of oats and barley 10 the acre, and the
next summer he cut three tons OF hay
to the acre Last year he cut two
crops which gave him three tons to
the acre. This year il cut two tons 10
the acre. and in ell probability il Will
cut 112 tons to the acre next year.
He plans to plow it up every four
years. He reckcns that the cost Of
plowing il is 500 and it will cost
$3.50 per ton to cut the hay. and that
the grain raised pays the whole bill.
One would naturally suppose that
one piece of ground like that would
be the limit of mans specialties,
but not so with Mr. Bigelow. He has
A piece OF sweet corn that already
stands three feet high and is spindled
and he viii have sweet corn for the
able in about three weeks. He has
another piece OF corn which is of the
proved dent variety. This stands
about five feet high. He is raising
this for the Waterville fair and the
Corn show.
Mr.. Bigelow has heretofore shown
people in this section that he knows
how to raise corn and has proved it
by the many prizes that he has drawn
at the New England Corn show and
the various fairs throughout Maine.
lie planted this corn May Il His
land is of a slatv loan. He plowed 1t
about eight inches deep, narrowed it
seven times with spring tooth and
cutaway harrows He hoed and cul-
tiyated it three times. He used 400
pounds of Coe-Mortimer fertilizer per
acre. and planted his corn two inches
deep.
Mr.. Bigelow has other crops that
show the skilful management of their
owner and one is almost forced TO
believe, too, that considering the
prosperity that apparently exists on
the Bigelow farm. his living so high
up gives him a better chance to re-
ceiye direct aid from Heaven The
whole family appears 10 be happy.
Mrs. Bigelow, the mother of Mr..
Bigelow adds JOY to the family by her
ever radiant and kind smile
EIRn OF THANKS