THE BIGGEST FARM ON EARTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 187, 11 September 1909, Page 3

THE BIGGEST FARM ON EARTH.

One million sterling is the estimated value of the farm of -Mr. David R-ankin, of Tarkio, in the United States. Forcy yoars ugu there seemed little likelihood of a .railway coming .near that place. In fact, 'he was told that ,110 railroad l would ever go near the Missouri lands. Nevertheless, lie sold his 'farm at Illinois and bought all the land he could at Tarkio, which- was going ict os an acre. Altogether he 'bought nearly 20,000 acres, which be cultivated and farmed, and when a railway was built through Tarkio the price of hind went up l.y leaps and hounds. A means of transit being thus placed at his disposal, Mr. Rankiu went in for farming on a large scale, and a .recent inventory showed that he possessed I'J.OUO fattening hogs, 9000 cows nud bulls. SOU horses, and more than a hund:-':! collages, in which the employees '■■ ' : - big farm arc housed. ' Tiicy say I'm .the 'biggest fanner in the world," Rankin says, "and I guess itV, true. Lots of men have more land than 1. but they use it for cattle janges only. 'Mine is a farm." Itaukin .never raises cattle. He buvs the raw steers from .the plains «nil fattens, them until worth twite wliat he, pays 'for the "feeders," as t'hey arc called, lie never sells corn, because by feeding it to cattle, according to a. minute calculation of his own, he gets more ample returns. Mr. Eankin is Scotch-Irish, lie -wis i:orn in Indiana in rural poverty, and made his start trading tl colt for'ealves and raising the latter into steers. Today lie owns an implement factory, ai municipal water system, a telcphoar company, a bank, and other enterprise* S] in addition to his farm. When a natv l>n ' takes him he adds £IO,OOO or so to 'the endowment of Tarkio College, a Pre soy-tcr-inn school in, his homo town, V /inch has known his generosity to -the; * .vtent of £50,000.