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The State Hospital Farm
The
guiding philosophy of state institutions when Cherokee State Hospital
was built was to make all such institutions as self supporting as
possible. Everything that could be produced at the institution was one
more thing that did not have to be purchased and thus reduced the cost
of running the institution.
Originally the site included 840
acres and later this was expanded to over 1000 acres. Except for an
area around the buildings themselves and a large lawn the land was used
as a farm.
The farm produced truck garden produce, hay, animal
feed, forage, meat products and even such exotic products as broom corn
and tobacco.
The original dairy herd was started in 1902 with 35
cows purchased locally for $50 each. Eventually this dairy herd grew
into one of the champion pure bred Holstein herds in the country. For
many years the dairy at the hospital produced all of the milk, butter,
cream, ice cream, and cottage cheese used at the institution. The dairy
herd was the pride of the state farm winning many honors for milk and
butter fat production. When the dairy was discontinued in 1966 the herd
was sold at auction and breeders came from many states to purchase cows
and bulls to improve the bloodlines of their own herds. At its peak the
herd consisted of 180 cows producing many gallons of milk per day.
Other areas of the farm were equally important. The truck gardens produced fresh vegetables for table use and preserving.
The first planting of potatoes at the institution was 60 acres and was planted in April of 1902.
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The Farm Truck Garden Yields
By 1913 the truck gardens were producing the
following volume of produce:
Asparagus - lbs - 3,560
Green Beans - lbs - 12,755
Beets - tons - 902 3/4
Cabbage - lbs - 118,167
Carrots - lbs - 58,435
Cauliflower - lbs - 660
Celery - lbs - 2,506
Sweet Corn - lbs - 24,600
Cucumbers - lbs - 18,580
Dill - lbs - 25
Horseradish - lbs - 1,738
Kolirabi - bushels - 55
Lettuce - lbs - 5,449
Melons - 80
| Onions - bushels - 620 1/4
Green onions - lbs - 10,212
Parsnips - lbs - 35,310
Green peas - lbs - 750
Peppers - lbs - 135
Pieplant - lbs - 20,093
Popcorn - lbs - 2,590
Sweet potato - lbs - 170
Pumpkins - 8,528
Radishes - lbs - 7,165
Sage - lbs - 225
Salsify - lbs - 200
Spinach - lbs - 7,810
Squash - lbs - 1,294
Strawberries - qt - 2,608
Tobacco - lbs - 100
Tomatoes - bushel - 1,236 3/4
Turnips - bushel - 801 3/4
Seed Beans - bushel - 12
Seed corn sweet - 4 | |
Andres
T. Rae was the first head farmer at the Cherokee Institution. His title
was more familiarly known as the farm boss. Mr. Rae started work in
1902 and remained as farm boss and steward until March 1, 1916, though
he handed in his resignation on November 24, 1915. He was replaced as
steward by J. E. Wirth who had been storekeeper at the hospital. The
last farm boss was Walter Evans who started work in 1932, became farm
boss in 1936, and remained until the farm was closed in 1966.
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HAY
The
farm produced 300 tons of hay, 7,000 bushels of corn, 4440 bushels of
oats, 2000 lbs of broom corn, 500 tons of silage, 125 tons fodder, 600
bushels of barley, 30 tons of straw and 54 bushels of timothy seed. The
bulk of this production was raised to feed the livestock kept on the
farm including the horses and mules, which were used as work animals.
The
farm also had in addition to 23 head of horses and mules, 135 head of
cattle, 840 head of hogs, 239 sheep and 2,000 chickens.
It
produced most of the eggs used at the institution and most of the
chickens eaten. In later years the livestock numbers were greatly
increased and the hospital farm raised hundreds of turkeys for the
table each year.
Farming methods changed and the institute farm
became increasingly mechanized. The 1955 report indicated that there
were 135 acres in corn, and 114 acres in oats, 3 acres in asparagus,
eight in cabbage, four in carrots, 3 in rhubarb and 5 1/2 in tomatoes.
During
World War II a sorghum mill was obtained and sorghum can was raised and
crushed for its juices, then cooked down to sorghum for use at the
hospital.
The farm produced nearly 1,000 hogs per year and at one
time fifteen hogs were slaughtered each week for consumption at the
hospital.
The farm equipment was sold in late 1965 and all except 240 acres of the land was put up for auction and sold.
From
the beginning in 1902 to the mid 1930's the state hospital farm was an
important adjunct to the institution, producing much of the food eaten
by staff and patients. In addition to the food and fiber produced the
farm usually produced a profit that went into the operating budget of
the hospital. Patient help was a big factor in the farm operations.
Volden the "Farm cottage" housed workers on the farm and some other
areas of the hospital.
(Source: Cherokee
County Historical Society Newsletter, Special August - September Issue, Vol. 12, No. 7, 1977, pg. 12)
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