Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 246, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1915 — LAD MS BIG FARM [ARTICLE]

LAD MS BIG FARM

City Youth Makes Good as Manager of Ranch. Proves That Boy Born and Educated in Big City Can Take Charge of a Farm and Make Money at It. Ada, Okla. —Can a boy born and reared in a big city and educated in a fashionable school leave the rush of the crowds, go hundreds of/ miles away, take charge of a farm and make money? Kenneth Wickett has demonstrated that It can be done. Wickett, who is only nineteen years old and has been on a farm but one year of his life, is manager of one of the best farms in Pontotoc county. He is succeeding, if success on a farm is to be reckoned in dollars and cents. Wickett was born in Chicago and, save for a time he was in school in New York, has spent practically all of his time in Chicago. A year ago he came to visit on Blue Valley farm, a farm of 1,000 acres that his father had bought a few yearß before. Whilte he was down here the manager left. Knowing little.about farming, but having plenty of nerve and the determination to win, Wickett tackled the Job himself and has been with It ever since. The mixed breed of bogs that he found on the place were supplanted by purebred Poland Chinas. The scrub cattle that roamed over the hillside pastures in this short space of one year have given way to purebred Angus. A score of acres have been added to the alfalfa acreage, and dozens of other improvements have been made by this' youthful manager. H. F. Wickett, a banker of Chicago, bought Blue Valley farm some years ago, and until a year ago did not make very big dividends. But for the last year, in fact, ever since young Wickett took charge —the farm has paid wonderfully well. Much of the money has gone back to improve the place. v A mammoth barn, dozens of whitewashed hoghouses, big silos, shower baths for the workmen, a beautiful

residence for the manager, another for the housekeeper, waterworks with running water in eyery house and barn, scales by the silos to regulate the quantity of feed, electric lights—these and other things have been installed. The conveniences of the city and country both —that is what one finds on this farm. “Did you know anything about farming when you came down here?” he was asked. "Not much,’’ he replied modestly. "I have learned a great deal since I came." "You expect to stay here and make farming your future work?" “I didn’t intend to when I came down here. I am going to stay until I get things to going the way I want them to, however.” "Don’t you suppose you will get to liking the work so well you will not want to leave it?” “I can’t say about that. It Is mighty interesting."