330 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEE. 



Nov. 



One of the Prairie Kings, and How He 

 does Some Things. 



Mr. Bragdon, late of the Prairie Farmer -wrUes 

 to the Rural New Yorker an account of his visit 

 to Isaac Funk, aa extensive farmer near Bloom- 

 ington, ills. Tbis Mr. Funk is a native of Ky., 

 now upwards of sixty years of age ; came with 

 his father to Fayette county, Ohio, in 1807 and 

 removed to Illinois in 1824, where he has accu- 

 mulated his vast property. As the practice of a 

 successful man is one of the best lessons for 

 those who desire to succeed, we draw upon Mr. 

 Bragdon's notes for what follows : 



HOW EE WISTERS CATTLE. 



Mr. Funk usually winters over from 700 to 

 1,000 hea 1 of cattle, and stall-feeds for early 

 spring market from 300 to 500 head. He markets 

 stall fed cattle about he first of April. He buys 

 cattle all the time, whenever he can do so profit- 

 ably, 'ihose he sells in the summer are gener- 

 ally three y. ars old. The class he stall-feed;' 

 are generally four yeors old. The Eastern reader 

 will think it a queer kind of stall-feeding, when 

 he is assured that not one of these nnimals go 

 ins'de a sttll or are tiel up during the winter. A 

 little further on we will give 1 aHe Funk's defini- 

 tion of stall-feeding. lie prefers to buy cattle 

 (st^e-s) the spring they are two year- old. They 

 usually cost then, if good ones, from $18 to $25 

 per head. Thf se are kept one summer, one w n 

 ter, and the half the next summer, when they are 

 in condition to market, and will average from $45 

 to $52 per head. He winters his cattle on shock 

 corn. The steers to be wintered through and 

 marketed in midsummer are " strong fed." — 

 Those that aie to go to market the last of March 

 or fir-t of April, are " stall fed." The difference 

 in the two modes of feeding is, that the bullock 

 that is being stall-fed gets all he can e't and a 

 good deal more, while the one th:>t is strons-fed, 

 gets enough to keep him thriving finely all winter 

 — gaining in flesh and growing too. The corn is 

 drawn from the field on wagons, to the pasture 

 or lot where the cattle are herded. One man 

 feeds from seventy-five to one hundred Lead, and 

 this care occupies him from early mori ing until 

 late at night. He rises and aats his breakfast by 

 candle light, aud draws corn with from two lo 

 four yoKe of oxen — the amount of team depend- 

 ing upon the condition of the soil — all dav, and 

 returns and eats his supper by candle light again. 

 Mr. Funk says the true way is to provide two 

 fields lor each connpany of cattle. Feed the cat- 

 tle in one field to day, and in the second to-mor- 

 row ; to-morrow turn one hog for every strong 

 fed, or two hogs for every stall fed animal into 

 the field in which the cattle were fed to-dny. He 

 says one acre of good corn will winter one bul- 

 lock if strorg fed ; if stall fed, it will require one 

 acre and a half per bullock. The cattle have no 

 other feed, and no protection, except timber, if 

 they h-ppen to be feeding near it. Salts his 

 Ft( ck with this feed about every third day, and 

 provides plenty of water. Beef, if fit to go to 



the New York market, sells here at $3 to $4 per 

 cwt , gross; packing cattle at $2 to $2 50 per 

 cwt., gross. 



8WINB — BHEKD3 ANB MANAGEMENT. 



I have indicated above the way the swine are 

 fed. They are mainly bred here on the place. 

 The present stock consists of a mixture of Irish 

 Grazier, Bedford, Byfield and Berkshire. Objec- 

 tion is made to the Berkshire because they do 

 not cross well with common hogs ; neither do 

 they dress as heavy as many other breeds. The 

 Byfield are liked better — a gooil deal better. The 

 leaf lard in the Byfield will weigh nearly or quite 

 double that of the Berk>hire. The Byfield will 

 not eat as much in proportion to their weight as 

 the Berkshires. He regards the Chester Whites 

 as excellent, but has had little or no experience 

 with them The average market price for pork 

 here has been from $4 to $4 50 per cwt., net. 

 Sheep are regirded more profitable than hogs. 



MULES. 



What does it cost to keep a mule until it is 

 three years old ? 



" Do not know ; never calculated. But it does 

 not cost as much as it does to raise a steer. The 

 past three years, a good fair average mule has 

 been worth $130. A part of the time he would 

 bring more. These figures are for an average 

 mule, when thirty or forty ars sold together. A 

 good one would bring more than that. Mr. Funk 

 feeds 'hem on shocked corn, hay "nd sheaf oats. 

 They are never stabled. If the winter is open, 

 they will live half the time on blue grass pasture 

 without other feed. When sheaf oats are fed, 

 they are cut, but it is not profitable to cut the 

 sheaf fine in a Cutting box. It is found that if it 

 is cut three or four times with a broad ax or 

 hatchet, the mule eats it with a better relish, 

 and eats it up cleaner than if cut finer. The 

 mares from which he breeds mules are never fed 

 on corn at all. He has his mares ten yeats old 

 that have never tasted corn. A good sized mule 

 is often fifteen hands high, if made propo-tii'nally. 

 Ml. F. thinks such an one is worth more than a 

 larger one. He finds them longer lived than 

 horses. P'ai-es ttieir average age at twenty-five to 

 thirty years in tbis country. A good jack here 

 costs from $500 to $800. 



HOG CHOLKEA. 



He has never had any cases of this disease on 

 his place, although cases have been reported 

 within six or eight miles of here. Thinks the 

 disease is easier prevented than cured. He 

 would not herd them in close pens. Would feed 

 sulphur copperas and «shes, and provide them 

 with fresh grass and good witer. Good sweet 

 grass and wide range are essential to good health. 

 If confined sn close damp place", with access to 

 the black soil of slough, they are sure to become 

 diseased. The black slough soil is poison to 

 swint ; fattening hogs do much better on a yellow 

 clay soil than upon the black soil of our prairies. 



BLOODY MURRAN. 



This disease has troubled his herds more than 



