The Wellington Jan. 10, 1980

F.O.Master Farmer, philanthropist , an innovation in soil iimprovement methods and a major Panhandlers-South Plains landowner, died in a Lubbock hospital at 4 p.m. Tuesday, January 8. He was 89.
Mr. Masten had been hosptalize since Oct. 16 and in ill health for about a year. Although his land holding eventually came to a quarter of a million acres, and he was recognized nationwide-for his farming and ranching achievements, he prefered to be known as "a plain dirt farmer." He got his start as a tenant farmer near Quanah. Born and reared at Illinois Bend in Montague County, he left there at the age of 19 to seek his fortune in the cotton fields to the west. He carried all possessions in a flour sack and had $5.35 in his pocket. He came to Hardeman county to pick cotton and recalled that at the end of the season he deposited $175 in a Quanah bank, the first money he ever deposited. He remained there two years, working as a hired man for $20 per month and board. At the end of that time, he had saved enough money to buy a team of mules and rented a quarter section of land. In 1918, he and his wife, the former Lily McCorkle, whom he married in 1913, moved to Collingsworth county and bought a farm on Buck Creek. Two years later, they bought and moved to the Masten home place East of Wellington. He once explained to the Wellington Leader how he bought this sandy land first farmers in the county to realize the need for adding humus to the soil, first on an experimental basis. He was astonished at the results and applied it to his entire farm. He added fertilizer. In this day before the use of chemical fertilizers in this region, he put back into his land anything he thought might enrich--cotton burs that he hauled, gin trash that he spead by had, working on after "all the lamps in the neighborhood were out". and barnyard refuse. On small plots he produced as much as two and one-half bales of cotton per acre, a yeald seldom reached again until the last few years.
Then he saw the possibility of building a plow that would go deep into the subsoil and bring it to the surface, turning the sandy surface to be buried beneath. this seem to make his soil take on new life. About 1933, he began deep plowing his land, working 7 mules to each plow, later he used a road tractor, plowing to even greater depth. In the late 1940's he helped to rig a driverless tractor, using a guide wheel to follow the furrow which alongside.This was demostrated on his home place and featured in Life Magazine. In 1937, he came to the South Plains and purchased 6,400 acres of virgin land along the western edge of the area. In 1948, he bought a 25,000 acre spread, Southwest of Morton, that was to become his ranch headquarters. He continued to expand his land holdings into Castro, Lamb, Bailey, Cochran, Collingsworth, Oldham and Harris counties. Although he spent more time on the South Plains, Collingsworth th County was publicized acquisitions was the Trujillo division of the famed Matador Ranch in Feb. 1960, for $2 Million. This 111 section ranch lies 60 miles west of Amarillo in Oldham County. It was part of the land patented to Abner Taylor in return for construction of the Texas Capitol Building in Austin. The Matador Ranch acquired it about 1902. This brought his land holdings to around a quarter million acres and made him one of the largest landowners in Texas. Masten, who was so colorful as a farmer and rancher, had many philathropies, seldom discussed and little known outside those most closely associated with him. Many years ago he summed up his philosophy of farming; "My belief is that no farmer or no nation is richer that his or its soil".

F.O. Masten is survived by a brother, Robert Masten of Lubbok; and two sisters; Mrs. Ola McClure of Dimmitt and Mrs. Dona doughty of Tyler. there are a number of nieces and nephews, and those living here are James Masten, Mrs. Donald Curry and Mrs. Pauline Masten.