The Anderson intelligencer. (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, March 29, 1899, Page 3, Image 3
FARMING ONA
A. 6,000 Acre Corn ]
Over S505000~D;
ISTets ISTear
The following special article was
prepared by Mr. Frank Spearman for
the Review of Reviews :
We know what the railroads did last
year; we know what the manufactur
ers did; we know what the merchants
did. In a year, then, like 1898, when
records in so many branches of Amer
ican industry were smashed, what did
the American farmer do?
Balance sheets are unhappily scarce
among farmers; the few which are
taken ?-e hard to get at; for these
reasooo the one here presented is of
especial interest. It is not from a
paper farm; it is not a paper balance;
nor is it a paper farmer who makes
this showing. It is what no American
review has ever before presented to
its readers-an actual glimpse at the
books and workings of a model Ameri
can farm. This farm? located in the
State of Iowa, contains 6,000 aeres
and its business is to produce corn.
Look first at the investment and
note that the land was not bought in
an early day for a song, but within
three years and at the market price.
INVESTMENT-IOWA COEN FARM.
Land-6,000 acres at $30
an acre.$180,000.00
Buildings. 43,021.64
Stock. 17,701.21
Machinery... 17,773.98
Total.$258,496.83
The operation of this farm for 1898
shows a net profit of over $50,000.
Putting out of the comparison patents
and good-will, neither of which con
tributed to this result, what other I
line of business on an equal capitali
zation can make a better showing?
EXPENSE ACCOUNT OP THE IOWA
FARM FOR THE YEAR 1898.
Labor.$13,912.96
House supplies.. 4,368.81
Beef. 1,384.10
Taxes... 1,551.06
Sundries. 760.00
Freight.y:.. 500.00
Twine.. 437.25
Hay. 339.19
Insurance. 200.00
Oil. 169.62
Repairs. 112.80
Legal expense.... 40.05
Fuel. 7,20
Total.$23,794.04
Credit by discount. .$106.00
Less road tax...... 43.26
- 149.26
Net expense of Iowa farm
for the 12 months of 1898.$23,644.78
GROSS RETURNS Ftt03l THE IOWA
* CORN FARM.
.215,000 bushels of corn at
30 cents. .?64.500.00
20,000 bushels of wheat at
50cents. 10,000.00
28,000 bushels of oats re
served for feed. -
Total. ....?74,500.00
Deduct the expenses. 23,644.78
Net profit.. $50,644.78
A particularly valuable* comparison
of the expense difference between run
ning a corn farm and a wheat farm of
equal size is afforded by the fact that
the owner of the Iowa corn farm also
owns and operates a six-thousand-acre
wheat farm in the Ked River Valley
of Vorth Dakota.
THE DAKOTA WHEAT FARM EXPENSE
ACCOUNT.
Labor....,..$12,632.39
House supplies. 1,718 31
Taxes. 1,202.90
Repairs. . .. A.-.. 1,084.78
.Machines. 3,062.00
Twine. 987.25
Fuel. 495.90
Beef. .. 402.80
Sundries... 649.10
Personal. 254.38
Freight. 20?'?. 69
Oil. 135.82
Seed. S3.81
Hay. 22.50
Net expense.$20,993.08
GROSS RETURNS FROM THE DAKOTA
WHEAT FARM.
Credits by wheat shipments.$40,050.00
Less expense. 20,998:63
Net profits in 1898.$19,051.37
For the wheat farm ISMS was an
average year, the yield being IS bush
els per acre and the price an average
price. It has produced for its owner
seventeen successive crops, one di
which alone netted him ""$72,000.
The two expense accounts show
curious differences. In Iowa men afc
hired for the entire crop season oi
sight months at'"$18 and board pei
month. In Dakota they arc hired fo;
thc actual seeding in'the spring adc
the harvesting in the fall at from $1:5(
:o $3 per day. In thc end the labor
or money-wage account, is about tin
same thing, "as will be seen; but tin
house supply account is much hcavic
on the corn farm.
On the com farm the item of re
pairs was nominal, the plant unde
present ownership being new, wini
the items of repairs and machines oi
LARGE SCALE.
ET?rm !N"ets a IProfLt of
=tkota Wheat Farm
ly S20,000.
the wheat farm represent the average
annual expenditure for replacing and
keeping up the machinery. Twine is
naturally the larger item on the wheat
farm. The Iowa farm supplies its own
fuel. On the Dakota farm coal is re
quired.
Here, too, note that the corn farm
is planted with 6(10 bushels of corn,
costing $180, while to seed the wheat
farm requires 8,000 bushels of wheat,
worth in 1898 $8,000. Again in Da
kota five hundred acres of oats barely
feeds the 160 head of mules, while in
Iowa 250 acres of corn feeds the same
number easily. These differences,
together with the seed difference and
the twine difference, sometimes handi
cap the profit account of the wheat
farm $10,000 a year to start with.
HOW IT WAS DONE.
The essentials of a profitable farm
are good land, well drained, but not
too rolling, and accessibility to lea
sonable transportation. Six thousand
acres being about three miles square,
makes the largest farm which can be
operated to advantage from a single
central station; a larger acreage sim
ply means two or more farms.
About April 1 men and mules move
OD the fields ia battalions. Four
horse seeders, four-foot harrows, and
six-horse gang-plows maneuver for six
weeks like an army, sowing small
grain, plowing and planting oom.
The minute the small grain is sown 31
corn planters are thrown behind the
plows, and in this work lies largely
the success or failure of the crop.
Note, for instance, the pains taken in
selecting the seed corn.
A perfect stand of corn is the first
requisite of a large yield. From a j
choice piece of land previously plant
ed with selected seed about 2,000 j
bushels of the finest ears are taken. (
From these an expert selects 600 j
bushels. These ears are placed on
racks in a building arranged especially
for a seed house. Whatever the ther
mometer registers in Iowa, the tem- ^
perature in that seed-house never falls (
below freezing. All this insures the .
highest germinating power in the
seed, and that alone might, in case of
a cold, wet spring, save the entire
profit of the season by producing a
good stand.
The planting must of necessity be
done by machinery, and to secure the
maximum yield three seed kernels
must be dropped in each hill. If five
drop in, that hill is lost to the profit
account. If only one, it is partially
lost.
But perfect as American farming
machinery is, it does not leave the
factory perfect enough to insure
against irregular planting. Patiently
and by a series of exhaustive tests the
planter plates are so adjusted to the
size of the seed kernels for each year
that they will deposit an average of
sixty-five kernels to every twenty
hills, and not more than four nor less
than two in any one. So great are
the precautions that before the seed
is shelled the tips and buts of the seed
ears are cut off to secure kernels of an
even size.
Even after this delicate adjustment
of the best machinery in the worlds
foremen follow thc 31 planters and at
intervals open hills to count the seed
deposits and make sure that each ma
chine is doing its work. In addition,
a purse of $100 is split in eight prizes
between the eight men who do the
best work and whose teams mark the
straightest rows. With such method
is it any wonder that the crop on this
farm averaged '60 bushels per acre,
against the average of 32 bushels as
given Iowa by the government report
for 1898?
After the seeding, the harrowing;
and it is done with extraordinary
energy and concentration. One hun
dred and forty sections of four-foot
harrows sweep the fields like a charge
of cavalry, lavery time they move a
mile 62 acres are covered.
When the 3,800 acres of corn arc up
and ready 76 two-horse cultivators are
put into it. The point in the first
cultivation one way and in the second
the other way, is to get as close as
possible to the corn-; but after the
pains to place it there no plant must
be left covered by a clod of earth.
The field hand must uncover it, and a
foreman on horseback behind each
twenty men is held responsible for his
crew's work. In the third and final
cultivation the earth is thrown up
against the plant, the small weeds in
the hill being smothered and the large
ones being pulled by hand, lt will be
of interest to merchants and to theo
logical professors to learn that it is
not the weed in thc row, but thc one
in the hill, that mars the beauty of
thc balance sheet.
The corn being now three feet high,
thc stalks prevent further cultivation.
Into this field, approximating one
mile in width and six miles in length,
are sent in October 75 wagons and men
for the husking. This takes till days,
and a row of cribs li> feet wide and 1'!
feet high, half a mile long, are requir
ed to hold thc crop.
In harvesting thc small grain it is
threshed directly from thc shock, sav
ing the cost of stacking and chand
ling. Elevators provide against heat
ing. A farther saving of 5 to S per
cent over the operations of the small
farmer is effected in shipping to ter
minal points instead of selling to local
grain-buyers. Future options may
also be sold against the growing crop
on market bulges at a season when
the small farmer could not ordinarily
deliver his crop.
The soil is kept in a high state of
fertility by a rotation of crops so ar
ranged that each piece of land bears
three crops of corn, next of wheat, in
which clover is sown, next one of
clover plowed under; then follow again
the three crops of corn.
The clover is simply a fertilizer, a
portion only of the first crop being cut
for hay, and the remainder plowed
under to maintain the vitality of the
soil. The large roots act as a subsoil
er and the deposing vegetable matter
restores thc nitrogen taken by the
grain.
In order that the maximum amount
af field work may be obtained, no
"chores" are required of the men
3ther than the cleaning of their teams
These are fed, bedded, and the barns
ileaned by barn men. The results on
this farm arc therefore secured by
painstaking care and thorough meth
xis.
The question is often asked, what
loes it cost to produce a bushel of
?orn? On this farm, the size of 35
ordinary farms, with a 60-bushel crop
me cost was 9 cents per bushel to the
jrib. For shelling, shipping and com
nissions add another cent, making 10
jents in all. It is evident, however,
?hat had this farm been divided into
35 farms, with 35 cooks and 35 fami
lies, 35 dooryards and waste lands,
the expense of raising a bushel of corn
would have been nearer 16 to 18 cents.
In any event, the cost varies from
pear to year with the yield. The ODly
?xed estimate which the farmer can
jive is the cost per acre for producing
the crop. This remains always prac
Mcally the same and is, roughly speak
ing, $4.50 for' small grain and $5 for
?orn.
The 1898 acreage of the corn farm
was approximately as shown in the
Following brief table:
Dorn.3,700
Wheat.1,200
Oats.:. 700
Roads and trees. 400
Some interest naturally attaches to
the man behind the gun-the man
who, in this instance, has demonstra
ted that nothing pays better than
farming. While the element of for
eign birth and of foreign descent which
has done so much to develop the
northwest is admirable, it will still be
a gratification to learn that this sue
cessful farmer is not of that element,
but that he is purely and distinctly
American. He comes from the
straightest Xew England stock and
bears the name of ODO of it> most
famous families. His ancestral kin
dred were among the molders of the
republic and represented their country
at the courts of England, llussia and
France; sat in presidential cabinets,
in Congress, and more than once in
the white house. The record almost
spells the name.
Less than 40 years of age, he never
saw a day's work on a farm until he
bought one after he was 21. His suc
cess rather indicates that there still
are farmers born, and that the capital
and energy put into manufacturing
and merchandising, if applied to-day
to farming, will yield equally good re
turns.
For the Housewife.
To clean a spice mill, grind a hand
ful of raw rice.
A whisk broom is just the thing to
clean the horseradish grater.
Corsets with the whalebones removed
make good cieaninp: cloths.
Wood ashes put in a wooden bag and
placed in the water will make hard
water soft.
Pickles or vinegar will not keep in
a jar that has ever had any kind of
grease kept iu it.
Clam shells are more convenient for
scraping pots and kettles than a knife,
requiring less time.
Ceilings that have become smoked
by a kerosene lamp should bc washed
oft' with a weak soda water.
Put a little household ammonia on
a rag and clean off the rolls of the
wringer before putting it away.
Drain pipes that are sour or impure
may be cleaned with lime water or
carbolic acid or chloride of lime.
When you drive a nail into a wall,
clothespress or closet to hang things
on drive it through a spool up to the
head.
A small box filled with lime and
placed on a shelf in thc pantry or
closet will absorb dampness and keep
the air dry and sweet.
To brighten thc inside ol' a eolfec or
teapot lill it with water, add a small
piece of soap, and let it boil about I")
minutes.
Where can you invest money more
profitably than by buying a buttle ul'
ifrie/kly Ash Bitters? You get four
for one, a kidney medicine, a liver
tonie, stomach strengthener and bowel
cleanser. I'our medicines for one dol
lar. Sold.by Ivans Pharmacy.
DISPENSARY TAM HATS.
Citizen .Tosh Ashley Sticks to His As
? sertion About the State Liquor.
(t')rrnrMo J\'cir.n. JtUirnh 2.1.
Representative Joshua W. Ashley,
of Anderson, was here yesterday. He
says he is receiving constant enquiries
about thc bushel or two of dead rats
and other vermin he saw taken out of
the liquor tank at the State Dispen
sary. He says among the other natu
ral curiosities io the collection of of
ficial flavoring of the chemically pure
sold to the people under the Palmetto
brand and guarantee were a few hun
dred large electric bugs which had
been soaked in the liquor so long that
they had turned white and burst.
Since the publication of these dis
coveries many patrons of the dispen
sary have been undecided whether or
not to be sick at their stomachs.
Mr. Ashley requested publication
of the following from the State, of Co
lumbia, which tells all he cares to say
on the subject:
There has been goiog the rounds a
story related by "Citizen Josh" Ash
ley to the effect that he had seen two
bushels of rats and mice removed from
one of the big tanks at the State dis
pensary and that Col. S. W. Vance,
commissioner, had ordered this done.
Seme were inclined to think it one of
Josh's'jokes but others thought that
there might have been some founda
tion for the story.
Colonel Vance was asked if the re
port was true. He said that imme
diately npon reading the statement he
addressed the following letter to Mr.
Ashley :
Hon. Joshua W. Ashley, Honea Path,
S. C.:
Dear Sir-Enclosed you will find a
clipping from the Sumter Freeman
purporting to be an interview with
you. The statement made in reference
to dead rats and mice being taken out
of one of the tanks by me is absolutely
false. You will oblige by writing me
by return mail what you have to say
about the slander.
Very respectfully,
S. W. VANCE,
Commissioner.
Mr. Ashley's reply was not received
for several days. It reads :.
Col. S. W. Vance, Columbia. S. C.:
Dear Sir-Your favor of the 4th inst.,
just received. Will say in reply that
what I said about the rats and mice
was that I saw myself in 1894 at the
old State dispensary when it was located
in the agricultural hall. I saw them
clean out the filter and take out about
a half a bushel of rats, mice and bugs,
and if you don't think that is so, you
can write to John Hooper, an employee
that worked in that department at that
time. But, of course, you were not
commissioner at that time, but I have
not seen anything since thc dispen
sary has been moved to the new place,
fori haven't been there, but I have
asked some of the employees about it,
and one of them told me that he didn't
know whether they got in the tank or
not, but they did get in the water
bucket.
Now if there is any other informa
tion that I can give you I will do so
with pleasure. I don't want to get
into any newspaper controversy, but
if I have to, I am able to prove every
thing that 1 have ever said.
Yours as ever,
JOSHUA W. ASHLEY.
"Now," continued Colonel Vance,
"I have been told that in 1894 Mr.
Traxler had a water filter for the pur
pose of filtering the water used. After
j being in use a short time it was dis
j carded, as it proved unsatisfactory. I
have never seen it, but have been told
! that it was a very small filter that
would hold possibly ten gallons.
"It is utterly impossible fora rat or
mouse to get into the tanks, con
I structed as they were, with close fit
ting taps that are never taken off.
There is a small opening in the top of
the corner which is always closed ex
cept when the whiskey is being dump
ed into the tank from barrels. Then
the opening is entirely covered with a
bag made of all-wool blankets, four
ply. All of thc liquor is strained
through this into the tank. Immedi
ately after thc tank is filled with whis
key the blanket strainer is removed
and thc opening closed up tightly and
?jcurely fastened. The tanks arc
cleaned out frequently and there is no
possible way for even one rat to get
into the tank, much less/or two bush
els of the vermin to collect there.''
Rev. ?. Edwards, pastor of thc
English Baptist Church at Mincrs
ville, Pa., when suffering with rheu
matism, was advised to try Chamber
lain's Pain Balm. He says: ;tA few
applications of this liniment proved of
great service to me. It subdued the
inflammation and relieved thc pain.
Should any sufferer profit by giving
Pain Balm a trial it will please me."
For sale by Hill-Orr Drug Co.
- Thc original home of leprosy is
Asia, and it flourishes there more than
on any other part of thc globe. China
is a hot lied of leprosy; in Japan it
prevails extensively, while in India it
is known that there are at least sume
Kill.ODO lepers.
Prickly Asli Ritters cures diseases
Ol' thc kidneys, cleanses and strength
ens til?.' liver, stomach and bawds,
I-'or sale by Evans Pharmacy.
Pointed Paragraphs.
The fool and his flannels are soon
parted.
The poetical hen will soon begin her
annual Easter lay.
If a friend borrows your umbrella it
will probably keep Lent.
Occasionally we meet a man whose
mind is so weak that it can't even
wander.
A competent judge of music says
some vocalists ought to get life sen
tences.
Some men are silent because of their
wisdom and some because of their
ignorance.
Lots of men who never think of mak
ing wives of their cooks make cooks
of their wives.
Love makes the world go 'round
and the attraction of gravity worries a
lot of people.
There is more power ia kindness
than there is in dynamite, but it takes
longer to find it out.
A cynical bachelor who has evident
ly loved and lost says the Boston girl's
affinity is a snow man.
In Berlin sheet music is sold by
weight. In this country the autocrat
of the bass drum supplies it by the
pound.
An Ohio girl recently took the gold
cure for love. She broke her engage
ment with a poor young man and mar
ried a wealthy old one.-Chicano
Xe n's.
- There may be no foundation for
the report that the Mikado has already
decided to make Christianity the es
tablished religion of his empire, giv
ing it the place which Buddhism oc
cupied under the Shogunate, and which
the traditional Shintoism nov, nomi
nally, holds. There is no doubt, how
ever, that the expediency of placing
Japan among the Christian powers has
been for some time the subject of ear
nest discussion in the native press,
and that it has been seriously consid
ered by eminent public men.
- Poetry may be a drug on the |
market, but poets wouldn't care if they
could get drug store prices for it.
ttwm
.mm
? ALL WOMEN
JsJlNE-TENTHS of
all the pain
iJid sickness from
which women
suffer is caused
by weakness or
derangement In
the organs of
menstruation.
Near i y always
when a woman Is not well these
organs are affected. But when
they are strong and healthy a
woman ls very seldom sick.
tuarn
gjj Is nature's provision for the regu*
Bj lation of the menstrual function.
? It cures all "female troubles." It
ij Is equally effective for the girl In
p her teens, the young wife with do
? mestic and maternal cares, and
I the woman approaching the period
m known as the "Change of Life.'"
1 They all need it. They are all
I tenefitted by lt.
o~
For advice in cises requiring: special
directions, address, giving- symptoms,
the "Ladles- Advisory Department,''
The Chattanooga Medicine Co.. Chatta
nooga. Tenn.
THOS. J. COOPER, Tupelo, Min., iayi:
4 My sitter suffered from very Irregular
and palntul menstruation and doctors
coula not relieve her. Wine of Cardul
entletty cured her ?nd also helped my
mother through tho Chanfle of Ult."
um
mm
Valuable Lands Cheap.
PARTIES desiring to purchase good
Land near Abbeville at prices rang
ing from $6.00 to ?16.00 per acre will do
well to consult tbe undersigned.
Localities healthy and water tine.
WYATT AIKEN & CO.
Feb 22, 189i> 35
Drs. Strickland & King
DENTISTS.
OFFICE IN MASONIC TEMPLE.
jjW" Gas and Cocaine used for Extract
hg Teeth
Notice Final Settlement.
ryillE undersigned, Administrators c.
X tho EstHtq of William Uil:?y, deceas
ed, hereby Rive notice, that, they will
ou r Ii o sill day April. 1S?MI; apply to
tho .1 udyn of Probate for Anderson Coun
ty lorn Final Settlement of said Instate,
and a discharge from their n Iii oe no Kx Pe
titors: -r. (i lill.ro .
W. M. Ul I,KY,
Administrators.
.Mareil S; IS?KS |>7 5
::F^ CLEANSES THE LIVER AND BOWELS <[
< ? AHD FORTIFIES THF SYSTEM TO RESIST PREVAILING DISEASES. ? >
EV AITS PHARMACY, Special Agents.
A FIRST-CLASS COOK
Can't do first-class work with second-class
materials. But you ean hold the girl
accountable if you buy your : : : :
GROCERIES FROM US I
We have the right kinds of everything and at the right prices. Where
qualities are equal no dealer can sell for less than we do. We guarantee to
give honest quantity at the very LOWEST PRICES.
Come and see us. We have numerous articless in stock that will help
you get up a square meal for a little money. Our Stock of
Confections, Tobacco, Cigars, Etc.,
Are always complete.
Yours to please,
Free City Delivery. Q-. F1. BIGKBY.
For the Prevention and Cure
o? the Prevalent Troubles . . .
GRIPPE,
COLDS)
And their accompaniments.
Neuralgic Pains,
Headache,
Pain in the Limbs,
OUR GRIP CAPSULES
Are almost a Specific. This remedy
should be in every household.
EVANS PHARMACY.
D. S. V ANDI VER.E. P. VANDIVER.
H
Ul
We want to figure with ycu on FLOUR, COFFEE, MOLASSES,
TOBACCO, and all kinds of GROCERIES and STAPLE DRY GOODS
and SHOES.
Don't rail to see us on GUANO, ACID, GERMAN KAINIT, NURI
ATE OF POTASH, or anything in the Fertilizer line. We can save you
money on high grade goods.
If you want to settle what you owe Brownlee & Vandivers you will
have to do so quick, as we expect to place the Accounts in the hands of an
Attorney for collection March 1st by suit, if necessary.
Yours truly,
VANDIVER BROS.
STOVES, STOVES!
IF you have a Stove to buy
SAVE MONEY by setting
the latest improved, the largest
oven for the least money. I
will take your old Stove in part,
payment on a new one.
Crockery/Tinware and Glassware, Lamp Goods,
A full and complete Stock.
t&- Bring me your HIDES and RAGS.
JOHN T. BURRISS.
N. B.-Prompt attention to all Repair Work, Roof Painting, Plumbing, &c.
Over Post Office. Thone No. 115.
M. M. MATTISON - AGENT,
LIFE,
FIRE,
?CCIDENT1I
Call for nice Calendar.
Office always open.
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SIT ON THE FENCE
AND SLEEP! . . .
W HILE the procession passes if you want to. Nobody will disturb you. But ii
you are alive to your own interests arouse yourself, shake oft* slumber, climb into
the band-wagon and wend vour wav with the crowd to
THE JEWELRY PALACE
OF WILL. R. HUBBARD!
Thov that want the best and prettiest to be obtained in Diamonds, Jewelry, Silver
amfl'lated "Ware, Watches and Clocks that will keep time and are backed with a
jmarantee, Fine China aud Glassware and beautiful Novelties, know that to TV ill. H.
11 ubbard's is tho place to fro. Thev that want honest treatment know that this is the
place to find it. All Goods arc just as represented, and are fully covered by guar
antee.
The young man who has a girl and wants to keep her sroes theie. Hubbard will
help you keep her. The young married couple goes there to beautify their little
borne. Hubbard beautifies it for you. The rich people go there because they can
alford it, and tho poor go there, also, because they can afford it.
XSf EvervtbingNKVV and I T M DATE.
'fB?~ ENGRAVI NG Kl IEE.
WILL. R. HUBBARD,
Jewel rv Palace, next to Fanners aud Merchants Jhmk,