The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-05-04


for himself most rational plan Of life
lie keeps a house in the city and resides
in it during the winter, but he regards it
as only an appendage to his country seat.
where, with his amia5le and accomplished
lady, he will spend the pleasantcst part
Of the year. lie is devoted to agricul-
ture and horticulture, and has attached
to Woodvale" a fine farm of over 200
acres. His barns alone are worth q Wis
it. One of them-the one at "Wood-
vale"-is 60 feet by so, with an L of
full height so feet by 40, a cow-house,
cow-barn, and very extensive yard, hav-
ing in it living spring, the whole sur
rounded and half screened from view
by natural shrubbcry. The form of the
roof is peculiar, the projection Of the
caves being about 5 feet, and the gables
truncated, with a good ventilation at
the top. There is cellar l6 feet deep
under the whole barn, where men are
employed in winter in mixing and pre-.
pairing post-manures. 80 cows, 8
horses. 2 Jokes of oxen, are kept on this
farm. and it is intended another year.
to increase the number of COWS to 40
and perhaps so. At present the gross
income from the milk alone is about So
600 per annum. 1t is all marketed at
a good price, at large manufacturing
village, only miles distant.
The able superintendent and gardener,
John Mullen, who resides on the place,
and is entirely devoted to the interests
of his employer, is man of rare capac
ity for the post he occupies. He inform
ed me that the farm is one of the best
in Middlesex County, naturally, and the
high system of cultivation intended to
be pursued here must soon make it one
of the model farms OF New Eng
land. Ten men are employed in
summer, and five in winter, and every
thing is so systematized, and such rules
and regulations adopted, that the whole
establishment is like well adjusted ma
chine. There is no confusion. Every
man seems to know his duty and does
it quietly and promptly, and is ready at
all times to obey orders without ques-
ton or comment, like the crew of
ship Of war The rules are very rigid
No man is allowed to smoke, or drink
any kind of intoxicating drinks They
seem to eat and sleep and work by rule,
and yet, happier and more contentcd
set of men | have never seen. A regu-
lar system of punishments, in the shape
of small fines, is adopted for minor Of
fences, arising from carelessness, to be
be deducted from the mans wages, and
this is understood to be a part of the
contract when they are hired. 1t is
found that fine is seldom paid twice for
the same offence All the men are Irish.
They arc paid liberal wages, have com
Portable quarters and coed fare; and, l
am satisfied, are much happier, and vast
ly more efficient, than they would be I'M
der less strict discipline.
Another part of Mr. Thompsons
system of farming is to have regular
journal kept, of everything that trans
pires on the place from day to day, through
the whole year, and thus, if he is at
any time absent from Woodvalc," for
month or more, he can know where eve.
ny man and team was employed, and
everything that transpired on any given
day A record is kept of every individ-
ual acre of plough land on the farm, the
number of each acre being placed on a
stake, to designate it, so tina The cost of
seed, tillage and harvesting, as we'll as
the quality and quantity of manure u.s.
ed, can be duly accounted for, and bal
ance struck between the debt and credit
1t also enables the proprietor, or super
intendent, to estimate from year to year
the Improvement of the land, and ties.
the relative value of different manures,
on particular soil This system, which
would seem to us so difficult and compl-
Gated, is found in practice to be perfect
ly easy, and to work extremely well.
l have super added to my description of
" Woodvalc," this account of the farm
and its management, believing it may be
interesting to many of your readers.
Non est J,rGS6ntunt. S. b. K.
Cornw all, April, 1853.