I stumbled across three New York Times articles describing the farm operations in and around what is now Broadlands. One describes the vast amount of hedge – more than one hundred miles of it – planted along the roads in the 1860s. Unfortunately, not much of that precious shade remains today. The area around Broadlands was at one time an enormous farm, owned by a single person. This article describes it as being “the largest farm in the world.” Another article praises the (eventual) breakup of this vast estate, stating that smaller farms are of greater benefit to the community. It’s interesting to see the modern trend of the conglomeration of smaller farms into larger farming operations.
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