The Republican journal., 1873-09-25
Farm, Garden and Household d.
Reclaiming a Farm.

We had the pleasure recently of walk
ing over the premises of an individual
who has been at work some five wears Ell
deavoring to reclaim one of the Old run
OUT Wilmington homesteads, by legiti-
mate farming, and without the spare cap
ital SO convenient in all processes OF
multiplying the spears of grass on an eX-
hausted sod
Mr. John Owens purchased this farm in
1869. 1t comprises 45 acres, with tar
buildings. and is situated in the eastern
part of the town, and two miles from the
Village in the adjoining town OF Reading.
The bargain was made in the winter,
and largely on the representations of the
seller and the general reputation of the
place for having been in its day one of the
best farms in the noighborhood Posses
sion was taken i'll April, 1869 AS the
SHOW went Oft and the frost came out of
the ground, the farm presented much
less favorable aspect than the buyer had
hoped to- see. In the sterile appearance
ot the moving fields he was much dsap-
pointed, and Capt. Owens feared that
there might be better reasons than he had
supposed for the sympathy which he I'M
derstood some of his nei9hborS had ex-
pressed for his misfortune in having made
It mighty hard bargain when he agreed
J' pay 50 500 tor the farm, stock and
tools. including Il horse two COWS. one
heier, &c
So much for the farm and now 4 few
words by way OF Introducing the farmer
Captain Owens was in boyhood indentured
A. An apprentice to a farmer in England,
with whom he served five wears He then
turned sailor, and for thirty years followed
the saa, passing through the various
grades from '.green-hand0 to command
ant During the late war he enlisted in
the naval service, and m 1860 was dis
charged as acting ensign. He kept a
boarding house in Boston loug enough to
try city life to the satisfaction of himself
tud family After this he worked one
-eason on farm before making his Will
mington purchase.
A dairy and butter making were the
leading purposes had in view in the pur-
chase of this farm. But the first year the
amount Of English hay cut on the place
scarcely exceeded two tons,-not sutli-
cient to winter Il large lot of COWS Ger
tainly
The tirsl year Capt Owens commenced
the season with three COWS and a hired
man whom ne kept three months. But
there was something else on the farm,
which though not exactly an animal is
rather Il costly creature to keep,-a mort
rage of $500, which represented the eX-
rps, of the cost of the establishment over
thc amount OF the means in the hands of
he purchaser One ot the COWS purchas-
ed with the estate WAS ST spring poor
from bad keeping and abundance Of ver-
min, that she had to he helped up occa-
~ionally, and il WAS some three Years be-
fore the lict were entirely buiished from
the barn.
The second wear the Captain found it
aulisabit to take in :! few reefs IN his sail.
No hired man was engaged and one cow
was sold, but the general course Of the
slip was not changed The voyage might
be longer than was at first anticipated but
Port Dairy was its destination.
The third year an addition of one COW
was made: and the fourth wear a like adj
dition; making three and four as the
number of COWS kept these respective
wears
During these four Years considerable
hav and grain were purchased, and every
available source of manure carefully hus-
banded As much land was cultivated as
the manure would properly tertilize, and
at once laid down to grasS. bitches We're
cleaned ont bushes Ill pasture and NOW
ing grubbed up, and everything was done
that it was possible to do single handed,
for the improvement OF the land. No
money on labor has been expended on the
buildings, above what Is necessary to keep
them in order, and furnish suitable accom-
modationS for the dairy: nor has any et-
fort been made to raise the mortgage the
great object being the improvement of
thr land
During all this time the manufacture Of
.'gilt-edged" butter has been a study
Theoretically, eXperimentally and practi-
rAly-and husband, wife and daughter
appear to have an equal interest III the
discovery OF any fact or the development
1T amy process by which greater excel
lrnce can be secured in this leading pro-
duct and each seem equally well satisfied
with and proud of, the results OF their
labors as well they may be, when the
present condition Of the farm and the
iairv j. compared with what it was four
wears ago.
This is the fifth season of their occupan-
cl Of the farm. The crop of English hay
is estimated Al ten tons in place of two
la 1863 There are fair fields of corn,
potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, &c. Ali
vt which are clear of weeds and OF Vigor
ous growth This season "A hired man is
employed, and some hay has been cut on
shares, &c, and about eighteen tons Of
hay are housed, and some meadow hay
put III stack. From very small patches
Of ground in the garden $50 worth ofpeas
and S2G of early potatoes We're sold this
season.
This farm is now stocked with seven
milch cows,-Jersey grades on Ayrshire
Devon and Native stock; one Jersey and
Ayrshire heifer, - Il beautiful animal /;
three heifer calves; one horse, four swine
and flock Of Brahma hens; all in high
flesh and apparently sound health.
But first and foremost are the seven
COWS Besides the milk and butter used
IN a family of four persons, the butter
sold III the tour months OF May, June,
July and August amounted to S424.2S, or
an average of S106.01 per month. The
total amount made in that time was 7o4
lbs II OF. From the milk of three cows
IN the month of February, S5993 worth
of butter was sold But the secret of
these comparatively large sums is divulg-
ed, partly at least, by the fact that the
butter is sold by the wholesale at 65 cents
il pound to Messrs Hovey II Co.. Faneuil
Hall Market, who retail il at an advance
to their customers. 1t is delivered three
times a week
We do not propose to enter INTO details
Of the manufacture of this ''gilt-edged
butter at the present time. Neither Mr.
Owens nor his family had any experience
in dairy matters when they entered upon
this farm, nor do they now claim the pos
session of any exclusive knowledge or
patentable processes. They have acted
on the best information to be obtained
from books, papers and individual dairy
men, with hints from dealers, and their
own experiments. Healthy COWS, well
kept, daily carded and their sides and I'D
ders wiped with a cloth before milking :;
milk strained through cloths into clean
and sweet pans all injurious odors care
fully guarded against, although the hired
man may think it a little hard that he is
not allowed to smoke his pipe ''any where
around = milk skinned before it sours or