Evening star., 1926-04-11
EX-COV. LOWDEN PROVES RIGHT
TO TITLE OF REAL DIRT FARMER
Tract of 4,5OO Acres His
Only Home for Last
Quarter of Century.
Farm Is Divided Into III
Units, 10 TILED by
''Share' Choppers.

| By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, April 10.-Frank o.
Lowden, former Governor OF Illinois.
! the man who overturned precedent by
declining the vice presidential nomina-
ton after he had been formally
| chosen by his party and who is lead
ing a movement for an export cor
poration for disposal OF crop surpluses,
actually Is a dirt farmer.
Sinissippi Farm, which spreads it's
broad expanse of $500 acres along the
Rock River near Oregon. ILL.,. SO miles
northwest Of Chicago, Is his only home
and has been for a quarter Of CEN
tury The farm is divided into II
units, 10 Of them titled by share crop
pers. or, as the former governor terms
them, partners. The eleventh unit, a
full section Of $40 acres. is the "home
place" and 1t is there that Mr.. Low
den actually puts into practice his
theories of practical farming. while
at the same time acting as general
overseer of the other 10 units.
Four Room Office on Home Place."
There is a. four-room office building
with two clerks on the home place"
but management of the property finds
the former governor most every day in
the open, usually astride a rather spir-
lieu tlOtSe as lie OlIeClS tn0 fldTVoSllIS,
planting, feeding and milking.
One-third the acreage is under Culti-
vation, a second 1900 acres is devoted
to pastures and the remainder is in
wooded upland.
Corn, oats, barley, rye and alfalfa
make up the Sinissippi crops. but be-
cause of development Of the farms
dairy herds little is left for marketing.
Distributed among the IL farm units
are 800 Holstein- -Friesian milch cows.
Six Of the units are stocked with full
blOoded, registered cows, while the
other five units operate with grade"
cattle, cross-breeds. although the per
Centage of pure blood is high. On the
home place." Mr.. Lowden has nearly
so pure-bred Holstein- Friesians. and
space is being provided for additions.
Boasts of Big Yield Per Acre.
Much of the land had been titled I'M
til virtually lifeleSs when 1t came into
possession of the former governor, and
he delights to tell Of producing 100
bushels of corn to an acre. where
previously not more than 20, to 80 had
been produced. The entire farm can
not boast Of that record production.
but several acres were pointed out as
having done so.
For several years he planted $4,000
seeding pines annually on the bare
spots and it is with more pleasure that
he points to trees he placed 20 years
ago. Tree diseases have appeared in
sections from which he formerly OBJ
tained his seeding pines. and next
Spring he viii establish his own nur-
Sery.
IAN Of Illinois does not produce
enough seeding pines 10 supply me-"
he said.
Tractors and horses both are used
on the farm. There is some work in
which each eXcels. although Mr.. Low
den limited that his personal prefer
ence ran toward horses. The farm
horses are all siZeable animals. Perch
erons. Belsians and Clydes in the ma
jority.
All 10 Of Mr. Lowden's partners are
practical farmers. some college-ored
and some sons of the soil. All of them
are American-born