Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-08-29
rods from the hospital buildings, from which

ago it would have proved great convenience
in the building operations. The special crop
OF the farm is hay, of which enough is raised
to keep the stock; indeed the amount of stock
to be wintered is graduated according to the
amount of hay in the barns. As elsewhere,
this staple crop has greatly fallen off this
year at the hospital, so tons being cut against
200 last year. 1t is all excellent English hay.
Next in Importance is the vegetable crop,
| which is generally large every year. Last
year there were raised 1000 bushels of beets,
the most of which were fed out to the stock.
They have planted twelve acres of potatoes
this year, with the prospect of fair crop,
with strong mixture of weeds, we should
say, in one particular field. The raising of
corn is not attempted on an extensive scale.
The kitchen garden is especially attractive,
and in most fourishing condition, the
drought apparently having little or no effect
upon the clayey loan kept in the best order
by the best fertilizers. Without doubt the
productive capacity of the farm can be more
than doubled, and it may yet be made a
source of revenue, bringing in from five to
six thousand dollars annually.
OUTBUILDINGs AND Stock.
The outbuildings consist Of two hay barns,
a straw barn, stable, piggery, blacksmith's
shop and carpenters shop, conveniently stu
ated in sort of semi-circle few rods south
of the main hospital building. Within two
years some of these have been removed from
the immediate rear of the hospital, and some
have been built anew. What is now the well
drained and graded yard of the stock barns
was then a useless swamp. The barns are
large, airy and clean, with spacious mows
and scaffolding for hay. AS worthy of special
mention we notice the cellars in the easements
of these two barns, the winter home of the
cattle. These are SO built as to give the stock
the full benefit of thorough ventilation, and
are yet so warm and comfortable that in the
coolest weather roots in an adjoining apart
ment never freeze. Cattle will never come
out of such places in the spring, lean, lank,
lousy and slabsided. We find the straw barn
filed with bright clean straw. Here the
farmers find sure and ready market for this
article as one hundred beds for patients are
filled daily. Six horses are kept for jobbing
purposes, Tor use on the farm, in the omnibus
and general riding, and five yoke of oxen.
1t is always the practice each spring to buy
the largest oxen in the market, and put them
in the beef barrel in the fall, this course being
han 70 fhar
through the winter and buy beef. There are
thirty mich cows, mostly grade Jerseys and
Durhams, no full bloods; two Jersey bulls OF
undoubted pedigree-one of which, the
Lancer" is as handsome an animal of the
breed as can be found in the State. The other
is younger, and is from the extensive stock
farm of the Me.srs Sprague, in Rhode Island,
procured for the hospital by Col. Dewitt
The fine new piggery, with adjoining yards,
contain 100 hogs kept on the waste of the
hospital. These hogs with the young SPRING
ing up rapidly around them, form most in
teresting exhibition. They are of the Chester
and Prince Albert breeds, the peculiar
characteristics ofwhich are fat, plump bodies,
SNAIL bones, sioTt ieSs anu Heaus, anu CiedI,
sweet meat They also live very economi.
cally. But after all this exhibition of swine,
we are told that no pork is eaten at the hos
pital; as the patients are under sanitary
treatment, the physicians do not consider it
prudent to feed them on pork. So the fat
hogs are exchanged for beef. People who
are not crazy sometimes squeal when pork is
mentioned.
CONTEMpLA TEp IMPROVEMENTS