1863.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Q63 
A Visit to tlie Largest Farm in Our 
Country. 
The latter part of July we visited, near Bloom¬ 
ington, Illinois, our friend Albert Todd, who 
was formerly connected with the N. Y. Daily 
Times, but who has partially laid aside the pen, 
and is now knowing from actual experience 
what it is to be an independent western farmer. 
(We almost envy him his beautiful prairie home, 
his great corn fields, and his sleek corn-con¬ 
sumers that grow in flesh and money value, 
while the proprietor sleeps, as well as when he 
is awake.)-Among other things planned by 
friend Todd, for our pleasure and profit, was a 
visit to the great farm of Isaac Funk, a few 
miles southwest of Bloomington. Everybody 
knows Isaac Funk, the plain farmer, whose soul¬ 
stirring, impromptu eloquence, so electrified 
the Illinois Senate last winter. That speech 
has since been printed in hundreds of newspa¬ 
pers, and tens of thousands of copies, on cards 
and handbills, have been circulated all over the 
country, and are yet posted up in thousands of 
shops East as well as West. It did us good to 
grasp the hand of the Kentucky-born farmer, 
who, like President Lincoln, wandered in early 
life to the wild prairies of Illinois, there built 
up a fortune, and in these latter days has 
gained a wide reputation by his noble stand 
for the preservation and perpetuity of our 
glorious Union. — Fortunately, as we set out on 
the day’s trip, we met Mr. Funk, in Blooming¬ 
ton, bound homeward, and had the pleasure of 
riding with him in his plain farm wagon. In 
the familiar conversation on the way, we learned 
from him the history of his early life, his strug¬ 
gles with poverty, and his gradual success, from 
the time he emigrated to Illinois nearly forty 
years ago, with but a few dollars in his pocket, 
until now, when his landed estate covers an 
area of full forty square miles (25,650 acres !) 
We have space but for a few of the more inter¬ 
esting items. Mr. Funk arrived in Illinois, and 
commenced work in 1824. In 1826, he gathered 
up 110 head of cattle, and started with them for 
a market in Ohio, about 450 miles distant, much 
of the route through the woods of Indiana, and 
Western Ohio. They were 31 to 32 days on the 
road. The drivers rode on horseback, carrying 
their provisions, and camping out with the drove. 
The first price realized for the cattle was $9i per 
head, and afterward it gradually rose to $12 i, 
and then to $15, and the droves were increased 
to from 200 to 250 head. To make up these 
droves, several settlers turned in their cattle and 
received an agreed price, or a proportion of the 
sales, on the return of the drover. 
As fast as the results of these enterprises, 
and of raising and feeding cattle, furnished 
the means, Mr. Funk purchased land at the 
government price of $1.25 per acre, and about 
one-third of his present estate was secured on 
these terms. The other two-thirds have been 
purchased of others, at prices ranging from $2|, 
up to $30 per acre. Mr. F. has paid the Illinois 
Central B. R. Company alone, some $80,000 for 
portions of their land lying adjacent to his origi¬ 
nal purchases. We entered upon the main farm 
some six or seven miles southwest of Blooming¬ 
ton. This consists of 20,500 acres, in one tract, 
longest from East to West, with farms owned 
by others jutting into it at several points. (The 
balance, about 5000 acres, is located a few miles 
east and northeast of Bloomington.) The general 
character of the main farm is prairie, but there 
is abundant timber along Sugar Creek, which 
runs through the estate in a southwest direction, 
and which, with its branches, furnishes an abund¬ 
ant supply of living water for the stock, through¬ 
out the dryest seasons. The surface is rolling, 
and the slSughs (pronounced sloos), are so loca¬ 
ted that nearly the whole can be drained ; indeed 
they are so inclined that nearly the whole sur¬ 
face is naturally drained. This feature, together 
with the woodland, the running water, and the 
general fertility, render the whole tract one of 
the best in the State. 
About 3000 acres are devoted to corn, and a 
small portion to other crops, including improved 
grasses; the great bulk is in natural grass pas¬ 
ture. The corn land is mostly let out on 
shares. The cultivators usually return two-fifths 
of the crop for the use of the land, including 
certain other privileges, and Mr. Funk then 
buys their three-fifths. This is generally taken 
in the field, unhusked. A few average shocks 
are selected by the two parties, and husked, and 
the whole number of shocks are then counted, 
and reckoned in bushels by the product of the 
husked ones. The price is fixed by the average 
price of corn in the country, for 8 or 10 miles 
around, or at 2 to 3 cents per bushel below the 
value of shelled corn, at the nearest market town. 
The main business of the farm is the pastur¬ 
age and feeding of cattle for beef. These are 
purchased from the surrounding country, pas¬ 
tured for a season, fed with corn in the winter, 
and the next season sold to dealers to go to dis¬ 
tant markets—usually N. Y. City. Mr. Funk 
says he finds it most profitable to buy only 
the best cattle. Generally, however, he is 
obliged to take them in lots. In this case the 
best are fitted for market first, and the smaller 
and poorer animals are kept a year longer. A 
few cattle are raised on the farm. We noticed 
one “little bunch ” of 150 cows with their calves. 
The calves run with their dams, and have all the 
milk. Only good cows are used for this pur¬ 
pose ; the sires used are £ or f Durhams (Short 
Horn). Generally, Mr. F. buys cattle to use up 
most of his pasturage, but sometimes, when cat¬ 
tle are high, and the future price of beef quite 
uncertain, he takes in a few hundred or thou¬ 
sand cattle to pasture, at 30 to 50 cents each per 
month. He keeps four to five hundred hogs, ox- 
just enough to eat up the waste corn left by the 
cattle, to wliiclx the corn is fed on the stalks. 
He has only eight or ten hundred sheep at 
present, and some 300 horses and mules. About 
60 mule colts are raised each year. The breed¬ 
ing mares are not put into harness at all. 
The cattle are sorted into droves of similar 
ages, about 200 in each drove. The pasture 
fields are so arranged as to have running water 
in each. The animals are salted twice a week ; 
the salter taking two or three barrels upon a 
wagon, drives out to the herds, and scatters the 
salt upon the ground, spreading it so much that 
the weaker animals shall have free access to it. 
Though we are accustomed to see three or four 
thousand head of cattle in the yards on market 
days, we were much interested in observing a 
herd of two or three hundred come scampering 
across a field at the familiar call of “ po-o-o, 
po-o-o,” to receive their expected salt rations. 
And such fields ! 500 acres in one ; 1000 acres 
in another; 1500 acres in another; and 2560 
acres (2 miles square, or 4 square miles,) in 
another single field ! That is certainly farming 
on a large scale. As a rule, we believe in small 
farms’ — 50 to 100 acres is as much .as most men 
will or can cultivate with the highest profit — 
but it is gratifying to, once in a man’s life, see 
a farm like Isaac Funk’s. If an agriculturist 
himself, one feels that lie belongs to a class which 
numbers its princes and magnates. Mr. Funk 
says he has done buying land—feels that he has 
enough ! He has eight sons and one daughter to 
share his possessions, and will be able to give 
each one a “ right smart” farm. Two or three 
of these are erecting dwellings on the estate. 
The father retains his simple habits and dress, 
is social and familiar in conversation, and still 
occupies the plain frame dwelling which has 
been his homestead for twenty four years past. 
He is enthusiastic in the belief that our great 
country is to be restored to its former Unity. 
We shall not soon forget the pleasant day 
passed on the great prairie farm. 
Free Homes—Who may get Them, Under 
the Homestead Law—How to Do it. 
An article in the July Agriculturist upon the 
working of the Homestead Law, having called 
out a great many written and personal inquiries, 
we requested a friend in the Department at 
Washington, to make us a plain and brief 
statement of the provisions of the Law, which 
we publish for the benefit of those who wish to 
take up homesteads upon the public lands. 
I. The persons entitled to free homes, on 
unappropriated public lands, are : Any person 
who is the head of a family, or who lias arrived 
at the age of twenty-one years, and is a citizen 
of the United States, or who shall have filed his 
declaration of intention to become such, as re¬ 
quired bj r the naturalization laws of the United 
States, if he has never borne arms against 
tlie United States Government or given aid and 
comfort to its enemies; and any loyal person, 
of ivhatever age , who has rendered not less than 
14 days’ service, during actual war, in the Army 
or Navy of tlie United States. 
Proof of these conditions to be made by affi¬ 
davit before the Receiver or Register of public 
lands, in the section where it is desired to make 
the location. The names of these officers can 
be readily learned in any desired locality. 
II. Any such person may take up, for the 
actual occupancy by self or" family as a home¬ 
stead, not more than 160 acres of public lands 
valued at $1.25 per acre, (or 80 acres valued at 
$2.50 per acre,) located in one body, and the 
boundaries agreeing with the usual subdivisions 
of public surveys—as follows: 
1st, Select the land that is regularly surveyed, 
and present the following application, with $10 
to pay survey, and usual fees (about $1), to the 
Receiver, who will administer the proper affi¬ 
davit and receipt the money. — On presenting 
these, the Register will enter the application 
and file the affidavit. 
Form of Application .—“ I, [A. B., of town, 
County, and State,] do hereby apply to enter, 
under the provisions of the Act of Congress, 
approved May 20, 1862, entitled “An Act to se¬ 
cure homesteads to actual settlers on the public 
domain,” the -of section-in township 
-of range-, containing-acres.” 
These blank forms, and necessary information, 
are furnished by Receivers and Registers. 
2d, Not less than 5, nor more than 7 years 
after entry of application, tlie applicant' will 
make proof by affidavit and two witnesses, of 
residence on or cultivation of such homestead 
for five successive years after the application — 
that no portion has been sold or otherwise part¬ 
ed with—and that the applicant remains loyal — 
when a certificate for a full ownership deed (or 
patent) will be granted by the Register, on pay¬ 
ment of the usual fee'(about $1); the deed 
may then be procured from Washington, D. C. 
3d, In case of the claimant’s death, the widow 
or lawful heirs arc entitled to the homestead by 
completing the conditions. If the heirs are in¬ 
fant children, it may be sold for their benefit. 
But it can not be sold at any time for any debt 
contracted before the patent (or certificate) was 
granted. Any abandonment of the homestead 
by the applicant, for more than six months at a 
time, forfeits the claim for the patent. 
