Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 October 1900 — PRESIDENT M’KINLEY’S MODEL OHIO FARM [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PRESIDENT M’KINLEY’S MODEL OHIO FARM

Not a Political Farm, but Managed in an Able Manner, and the Place Is a Noted One in the Countryside.

President McKinley owns a farm. A great deal has been written about Mr. Bryan’s farm, but heretofore no description of Mr. MeKinley’s broad expanse of corn fields, meadows, cow pastures and orchards, which comprise 162% acres. His well-kept barns, oorn cribs and wagon sheds show care and thrift. Tbe wool on the backs of 200 sheep shines with cleanliness, for McKinley’s farm is a model one and a modern one. Unlike the famous Nebraska farm of the Democratic candidate for President, tbe public knows little about it. Two miles from' Minerva, one mile' from Bayard, Ohio, it stands on a sloping parcel of ground surmounted by the -orchards of Baldwin apples. The Cleveland and Pittsburg Railroad crosses a corner of the farm and the Big Sandy canal courses through the field at one side of the main road.

McKinleys farm is a profitable one. In any season when crops are good it yields richly. This year’s potato crop will probably aggregate 2,000 bushels. The corn fields have been known to produce as high as 3,500 bushels in a single year. Last year the meadows produced 100 tons of hay. The oats crop this year aggregates some 700 bushels. This is apple butter making time in this section of the country. Many of the apples on McKinley's farm, just at the present time, are being made into apple butter. The large orchard is an important part of McKinley's farm. One good year 1,700 bushels of Baldwins were gathered and as many more of other kinds kinds, making a total yield of nearly 3,500 bushels. Part of the produce of the farm has been shipped to Canton from time to time to the McKinley home, but none has ever been sent to Washington. Canton is about twenty miles from the farm. Selling milk is one of the industries of the farm. There are twenty-five head of cattle. There are nine milch cows. Some of them are blooded stock. Raising

calves is also an occupation. Ten fine horses are constantly employed. These are all draft horses. Two hundred sheep graze on the hillside. One season 175 sheep were sold from this place. This shows what a good market there is for the wool and mutton which comes from the President’s farm. The chickens number more than 200. - The man who has charge of Mr. McKinley’s farm is W. J. Adams, formerly of Canton, but who was raised in Pennsylvania. He is a farmer who understands his business, and it is said, in the vicinity, that there is not a more prosperous farm in all that section. He has a half interest in everything. The fences are all kept up and there is an appearance of neatness which marks his work. Mr. Adams has lived on this place for the past twenty years, and Mr. McKinley is delighted with him.

The residence is a two-story structure, built sixty years ago. It is now getting quite old in appearance. It shelters eleven rooms. The porch is about the size of McKinley’s famous front porch at Canton, and then on to the upright part there is a wing which is, a story and a half in height. The lawn is well kept, and morning glories grow upon the fences at oue side. , Besides the house, there are six buildings on the farm. There is the main barn, the sheep barn, the two large wagon sheds, the scale house and the pig pen. The accompanying picture shows the main barn to the right and the main wagon shed to the left. The McKinley farm is visited each year by people who, on passing through that section, hear of the President's farm and are curious to see what kind of a farmer he is. One visitor once asked for a fence rail for a souvenir of his visit. The Adams family has become used to kodak fiends and fully realize that to reside on the President’s farm is to be, in a sense, in the public eye.—W. Frank McClure.

THE MAIN BARNS ON PRESIDENT McKINLEY'S FARM.