Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1874-10-09
agricultural Column.
DAIRY NOTES ON MARYLAND.
From Moore's Rural New

DR.. Thomas is very intelligent gentleman
and has real love for farming. He was edu-
Gated for the profession of medicine, but hav-
ing taste for agricultural pursuits he aban-
doned medicine for the farm. he commenced
upon his land when it mostly covered
with timber clearing 100 acres, grubbing out
the stumps and leveling The surface. All the
buildings and Improvements on the place have
been made under his own supervision. He is
an active worker, and is not afraid to take
part in any farm operation. He is still young
man, but in looking over his beautiful farm
his ample and substantial residence of brick
the tasteful lawn and the surrounding farm
buildings, il seemed TO us that his abors had
been almost ''Bcrcuean." And it must be
remarked here that the cost Of all the changes
and improvements that have been made on
this farm from the time it was covered by the
original forests to the present, has been paid
from the farm, aud by judicious system Of
farming
The example Of such man in this age of
luxury and ideness, is worth vast deal to the
youth of the surrounding country. His work
shows what can be accomplished in few
years by industry and perseverance, guided
by intelligence and high mental culture AND
no farmer can look upon this elegant home,
transformed SO recently from the wilderness,
without feeling pronnd Of the achievement
made in the cause of agriculture.
THE scoFIELD PLACE.
W. j. Scoleld has hi:e farm of i03 acres
lying in the vicinity of Sandy Spring. The
farm is divided as follows 20 acres wood
land, 2 acres meadow, Is in orcharding-l0
of which are devoted to apples and TO pears
and peaches. There is also one acre in goose
berries, which are the Ioughton variety, bring
So per bushel. The rest of the land is cult
waited and in pasture.
Mr.. Scoield has six fields of nine acres each,
which he cultiyates in regular rotation The
field which has laid longest in sod is turned in
the fall and in the spring one-half ton of
crushed bones sowed to the acre The
land is narrowed three or four times and plant
ed TO corn. All manure made from the poul-
try yards is saved and a compost made by
mingling it with that from the prvy adding
bone and ashes and other divisors. About
handful of this compost is placed Oh two hills
of corn. The yield is so bushels to the acre
and sometimes more. After the corn there
follows two crops Of wheat, or one crop Of
wheat followed by some Other small grain
when the land is seeded TO grass.
THE COWS AND THEIR FEED.
We found on this farm a herd of very choice
COWS, four of which were very pure Jerseys
also some Durham crosses. Mr.. S. has tried
thoroughbred Ayshres, but is not pleased
with the breed for butter darying. The cows
are wintered on fodder, hay and corn
meal. Each COW gets two quarts of meal
night and morning aud as much hay as she
will eat The meal is fed dry The dry
cows get only half the quantity of meal named
above. During June July and August
meal is fed, but at other times when the ami
mails are al pasture, they get their rations.
Eight cows were in milk at the time of our
visit aud were yielding 80 pounds Of butter
per week, and two OF the cows s'came in milk"
last fall. The Oldest of The Jerseys averaged
] pounds 10 onces of butter per week There
were two heiers in the herd, but the quantity
OF butter yielded per week from them had not
been tested. Last year the product from eight
head of cows, good and bad, was 2,05l
pounds.
THE MILK VAULT.
is llxl7 feet and I feet from floor to top of
the arch. The vault is eight feet under ground
There is u ventlator at the end and there is Il
tube running to the ice-house which, in this
ease, extends below the surface, dry well
being sunk TO carry off the water as it forms
from the melting of the ice. The soil in this
section is underlaid with gravel and is of
such porous nature that the water is carried
off froM the dry well without any further
construction of drains. There is a tube run
ming from the milk vault TO the dry we'll
which serves for ventilation and the admission
OF water. The well is l6 feet deep and extends
four feet below the bottom of the ice
The milk can be keptin this vault at tenn
perature not above $50 Fahr. during the hot
test weather
CHURN ROOM.
The churn room is on higher level than
the milk vault and wide stairway leads down
from it to the vault. The churn room is
l2xl2 feet and feet high, and is provided
with windows and other means Of ventilation.
The lower part of the room is below the SUR
face of the ground only. Here are the churns
and the other utensils for butter making
The milk is set in deep pans and is skinned
in summer when sc hours old. The cream is
allowed TO get slightly acid and is churned
at a temperature of $50 in summer and GAO in
winter. The butter is put in prints weighing
one-half pound each, neatly stamped, and
goes TO the Washington market, bringing SOC.
per pound.
Mr. Scofeld has tried number of churns
but he finds nothing that suits him so well as
the one he now has in use. 1t is of peculiar
construction aud differs from any we have
heretofore seen. 1t may be described as
cedar tub farlng at top, something in form Of
the old Welsh butter tub flattened a little, so
as TO be oval instead of circular 1t is 20
inches high and is in diameter at the top. 1t
is provided with paddles which are propelled
by crank
JOSEPH t MooREs FARM.
This farm is located in Montgomery county.
20 miles north of Washington and rs miles
west from Baltimore. 1t contains 1856 acres
and was purchased few years ago for S32,-
600. Land, however, has deprecated in
value through this section of Maryland, and
the farm. which has fine buildings and i'm
provements, would probably not now bring
$40 per acre.
The crops this year consist of 80 acres of
wheat, 40 acres of corn, l5 acres of oats, As
acres in meadow and so in pasture The sys-
TEN Of culture here is to grow four crops of
grass, then pillow and put to corn. This is
followed by two crops of wheat, when the
land is again seeded to grass. Wheat aver
ages about 20 bushels TO the acre, and the crop
last year grown amounted to 81. 200 bushels
The raising of hay for market is made some
what of speciality on this farm hundred
tons per year having not unfrequeniy been
sold. The price per ton has usually averaged
SIS in Washington, where il is hauled-the
cost of delivery being about 81 rs per ton.
EXPENSES AND PROFITS
Mr.. Moore turned TO his hooks and gave us
some items showing the expenditures and net
profits from bis farming. The annual cost of
labor is $500; manures 81 BOG; depreciation
of stock, $3.50; blacksmithing, SIS; wheel
wright, S33. The net profits some years have
been ST. 700. The farm cleared that sum
in 1870. In 1871 the net profits were 81 200
and last year-which Mr.. NJ. desgnates as the
hardest year for farming he had ever seen, on
account of drouth and other causes, the pro-
fits were only 1851.
Some attention has been paid to fattening
cattle for the shambles, and in one year the