VOL.  LI.  No.  2237. 
NEW  YORK,  DECEMBER  10,  1892. 
PRICE,  FIVE  CENTS. 
$2.00  PER  YEAR. 
A  MILLIONAIRE  FARMER. 
HOW  HE  HOUSES  AND  FEEDS  HIS  POULTRY. 
Comparatively  few  farmers  are  millionaires;  the 
reasons  are  obvious.  Most  millionaires  are  farmers, 
in  oneway  or  another.  The  natural  inclination  seems 
to  be  toward  the  soil.  But  while  the  average  farmer 
is  supposed  to  farm  for  the  money  there  is  in  it — but 
which  he  does  not  always  get  out — the  millionaire 
farmer,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  country  at  least,  is 
usually  a  farmer  for  the  fun  of  the  thing  ;  it  is  a  side 
issue,  a  sort  of  recreation  for  him.  He  may  be  a  high 
protectionist,  or  a  free  trader,  but  his  tariff  ideas  on 
farming  favor  an  incidental  revenue  only. 
It  was  my  privilege  a  lew  days  since  to  visit  the 
estate  of  one  of 
these  millionaire 
farmers,  Mr.  Wm. 
K.  Vanderbilt,  at 
Oakdale,  L.  I.  It 
consists  of  about 
900  acres,  extend¬ 
ing  for  some  dis¬ 
tance  along  the 
shore  of  Great 
South  Bay,  and  a 
large  part  of  it  is 
yet  in  its  original 
condition,  covered 
with  a  stunted 
growth  of  scrub 
oaks  and  other  low- 
growing  trees  and 
shrubs.  Several 
thousand  acres  in 
this  vicinity  are 
owned  by  wealthy 
New  Yorkers,  who 
hold  this  large  tract 
for  the  purpose  of 
having  exclusive 
country  residences. 
The  soil  is  poor, 
being  mostly  sand, 
the  surface  is  level 
and  in  no  part  is  it 
more  than  a  few 
feet  above  sea  level. 
I  was  unable  t  o 
learn  the  price  paid 
for  it  when  pur¬ 
chased  about  a 
dozen  years  ago, 
but  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  it  was  only  a 
few  dollars  per 
acre.  It  is  a  part 
of  the  Barrens 
which  embrace  a 
large  tract  throughout  this  part  of  the  island.  For 
practical  farming  these  lands  are  usually  considered 
of  little  value.  The  native  population  subsists  largely 
by  means  of  clam  digging  and  fishing,  for  which  the 
waters  of  the  bay  afford  a  fine  opportunity,  and  live 
mostly  in  the  villages  scattered  at  intervals  of  a  few 
miles  along  the  shore. 
A  High-Toned  Farm. 
My  objective  point  was  the  poultry  yards  on  the 
Vanderbilt  estate,  which  are  under  the  efficient  man¬ 
agement  of  Mr.  John  Heidtman.  No  visitors  are 
allowed  on  the  place,  but  Mr.  H.  has  the  privilege  of 
inviting  his  friends  of  the  poultry  fraternity  to  visit 
him,  for  mutual  benefit.  Some  people  find  fault  with 
what  they  are  pleased  to  call  this  exclusiveness,  but  the 
impertinence  and  boorishness  of  curious  visitors  ?vho 
formerly  were  admitted  have  rendered  it  necessary. 
The  farm  is  surrounded  by  a  high  iron  fence.  En¬ 
trance  is  through  two  gates,  each  flanked  by  a  porter’s 
lodge.  From  the  one  nearest  the  station,  a  wide  car¬ 
riage  road  made  of  crushed  granite,  runs  as  straight 
as  an  arrow  for  something  over  a  mile  through  the 
scrubby  growth  down  to  the  shore.  From  here  a  road 
is  being  constructed  along  the  shore  and  the  river, 
terminating  at  the  other  lodge  gate  making  a  drive 
over  four  miles  long,  entirely  wflhin  the  owner’s 
own  grounds.  This  road  will  probably  cost  upwards 
of  a  half  million  dollars.  A  steam  dredge,  with  a 
large  force  of  men,  has  been  constantly  at  work  for 
three  or  four  years,  dredging  out  an  inlet,  formerly 
shallow  and  marshy,  into  a  canal,  in  building  the 
road  mentioned,  etc.  The  mud,  etc.,  excavated  are 
used  for  filling  up  depressions,  for  building  up  the  road 
“John  The  Orangeman”  Feeding  IIis  Pets.  Fig.  307. 
along  the  shore,  and,  mixed  with  manure,  for  making 
more  fertile  soil.  Perhaps  a  hundred  or  more  acres 
of  the  estate  are  cleared,  and  are  occupied  by  the 
mansion,  coach  stables,  farm-house,  stables,  green¬ 
houses  and  gardens,  both  flower  and  vegetable,  exten¬ 
sive  lawns,  cattle  barns,  wagon  sheds  and  farms,  hog 
houses,  poultry  yards  and  houses,  dwellings  for  em¬ 
ployees,  a  hotel  for  boarding  unmarried  help,  and 
various  other  buildings.  Some  land  is  devoted  to  farm 
crops,  paddocks  and  yards  for  exercising  animals,  etc. 
Arrangement  of  the  Poultry  Yards. 
The  poultry  yards,  an  outline  of  which  is  shown  at 
Fig.  312  (see  page  817),  comprise  three  acres,  and  are  in 
the  form  of  a  square  :  a  is  a  poultry  house  extending 
entirely  across  the  plot,  and  divided  into  compartments 
to  correspond  with  the  yards,  I,  extending  from  the 
building  on  the  south  side.  This  building,  as  well  as 
all  of  the  farm  buildings,  is  built  of  brick.  A  narrow 
alley  extends  the  whole  length,  from  which  access  is 
had  to  each  pen,  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  the  fowls, 
cleaning  out  the  droppings,  etc.  The  nests  are 
reached  from  the  alley  by  dropping  a  door.  A  large 
window  furnishes  light  to  each  compartment.  The 
roosts  are  round,  several  of  them  set  in  a  frame  and 
hinged  to  the  wall,  so  that  they  may  be  raised  and 
fastened  out  of  the  way.  The  nests  and  dropping- 
boards  are  all  movable,  and  can  be  taken  out  for 
cleaning,  whitewashing,  etc.  The  compartments,  b,  c, 
should  extend  the  entire  width  of  the  building ;  b,  is 
the  brooder  house,  and  c  the  cook  room;  D  is  a  brooder 
40  feet  long,  and  should  be  near  the  center  of  the 
building  instead  of  on  one  side.  It  is  heated  by  over¬ 
head  hot-water  pipes,  and  has  a  very  ingenious  and 
original  arrange¬ 
ment  for  bringing 
in  and  heating  the 
pure  air  from  out¬ 
side  the  building, 
and  supplying  it  to 
the  chicks  in  such 
a  way  as  to  keep 
up  the  circulation, 
and  furnish  a  con¬ 
stant  supply  of  ab¬ 
solutely  pure  air. 
The  brooders  are 
zinc-bottoined,  the 
floors  covered  with 
clean  sea  sand, 
which  has  been 
washed  to  free  it 
from  the  salt.  The 
water  in  the  pipes 
is  heated  by  a  large 
kerosene  lamp. 
From  the  brooders, 
the  chicks  run  out 
into  the  sunny 
house,  and  when 
large  enough  and 
the  weather  is 
favorable,  into  the 
yards,  f,  outside;  k, 
is  a  small  brooder 
into  which  the 
chicks  are  put  when 
first  hatched  until 
they  learn  to  eat 
readily.  The  back 
pipe  in  this  brooder 
is  lowest,  each  suc¬ 
cessive  one  being 
higher.  Mr.  H. 
would  arrange  all 
in  this  way  if 
building  another 
brooder.  From  this 
brooder  they  are  transferred  to  the  large  brooder  at 
the  end,  f,  and  as  they  grow  are  moved  along  into  the 
other  compartments  successively.  From  the  last  the 
yards  open  into  a  larger  yard,  G;  h,  is  an  eagle  house, 
containing  an  eagle  which  frightens  away  the  hawks. 
The  remainder  of  the  house  A  and  the  accompanying 
yards  are  for  laying  stock,  fowls  and  roasters  waiting 
to  be  killed,  or  any  others  for  which  it  is  needed. 
The  Food  and  Its  Cooking. 
The  cook-room,  c,  contains  a  cooker  made  after  Mr. 
H.’s  own  idea,  and  certainly  possesses  many  advan¬ 
tages  over  the  round  or  square  ones  in  common  use. 
It  is  made  of  boiler  iron,  is  the  shape  of  half  a  stove 
pipe  with  the  rounded  side  down,  and  is  set  in  anarch. 
It  presents  a  large  heating  surface,  has  no  square  cor¬ 
ners  to  increase  the  difficulty  of  cleaning,  and,  being 
long  and  narrow,  one  can  get  close  to  his  work  in 
stirring  and  mixing  feed,  etc.  Old  barrel  staves,  or 
