Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-10-09

POLITICALLY suggestive name, indeed
which cOnjures up visions of loneliness
and sets one to dreaming Of intertwin.
ing vines knitting their plant tendriis
and sweet-scented leaves through the
hospitaDle porch and open lattice; the
checkered orchard Of fruity abundance,
the garrulous brook that never tires OF
it own monody; the reverberant hills
that appease life's turmoil with their
easy undulations; lofty barns moss
with age; and gathering mills down
III the seclusion of grassy hollows. But,
alas dear reader, model farming is not
ldylllc of Arcadian; it IS infexibly t1tilli-
tartan; 1t keeps all its buildings in a per-
tect state Of repair; It subordinates the
picturesque, If 1t ever recognizes it; it
pulls down the old mill because that
structure is in the way of the rectangu-
lar new dairy; it diverts the brook. from
Its terny course into the most common
place Of earthen pipes; it tears away
the vines that obscure the light, and it
looks upon every thing with q pair of
most practical eyes set in q head that
weighs, measures, audits, and analyses
with chemical exactness. The pro
prletor of Echo Farm conducts it as q
mandatory. A record is kept of the
milk and butter produced by each COW
for each day, each month, each year;
all the feed is weighed, and the guam
tlty entered upon books, both that pur-
chased and that produced; and a sep
crate account IS kept of the yield of
each field. Nothing is wasted, nothing
done by guessing, and nothipg passes
unrecorded. The implements are ofthe
latest or most approved model. Three
sets of "horse" hay-forks are in use, by
which hay is unloaded at the rate of q
ton IN four forkfuls and in four minutes,
including III some instances the carriage
OF, the hay 150feet. The other machines
also enlbOdy some novel labOr-saving
principles. No manure Or fertilizers are
found necessary, except the 1900 loads
made upon the farm, and q sort Of
muck, of which there are several beds.
The history of the farm is interesting.
A gentleman of education, intelligence,
and wealth came to Litchfeldr some
nine years ago in search of a SUNNI er
home. He had the most superficial
knowledge of farming, and entertained
no intention of entering that business.
But, having purchased ssixty-six acres
and cleared them, he purchased addi-
tional tracts, which became the nucleus
of Echo farm, whose area is now about
400 acres. His interest was enlisted in
the raising Of choice stock; and. begin
ming with a herd Of five, he has gradu-
ally increased the number to 100, all the
herd being pure Jerseys, with authentic
and valuable pedigrees. so The rocky
fields were cleared, laid QUE, and incios-
ed by massive stone walls. 0 Old and in
adequated buildings OF the consolidated
lands were demolished, and new ones
ofimproved. pattern erected. In 1873
a barn 66 feet by % was built; al adj
dition, 100 feet by 40, was made the fol-
lowing year: and In 1875 another -addi-
ton was made, of 191 by 80 feet These
three buildings form the three sides Of
the barn-yard. They are built of pine
upon massive granite foundations about
two feet wide, which are laid in Gem ent.
All the woodwork is painted soft
drab color, even the proprietor's
residence, and rua the telegraph
poles that line the roadway. A desire
for simplicity and durability in prefer
ence to ornamentation or shoWiness is
visible everywhere; there is no litter,
and there are no gaps n the fences or
walls, which are from eighteen inches to
twenty-four in thickness, every crevice
being filled like a mosaic with a stone
that exactly fits it, Care thrift, and in
genuity have acted like three charms.
When the fields ware. being cleared,
such large quantities of stones were
gathered that some perplexity arose as
to where they should be. put. q, Many
hundreds of loads were used in the
foundations of the buildings, in the
fences, and in the filling ravines, but
more remained, and these were deposit
ed upon several sterile hillocks of no
value, where masses Of swamp, grass
were laid over them, and covered with
a light dressing Of soil, grass seed was
sown7 upon, the SOIL, audit took well,
soon transforming the barren heaps 10
'verdant knobs. whose blades are re-
markedly hardy. 1t was not so much
for the sake Of the land gained that the
stones were thus disposed of, butit was
rather to prevent the formation OF
nurseries for weeds, shrubs, and BRAN
bles, which the heaps would have quick
~ become. elm eds nj 55loa nogno2
Two and a halfacres are planted with
beets, which are the only roots fed to
the cattle, the crop averaging 900
bushels an acre, and more than 1900
tons of hay arehoused a yearly. II.
Rideirg IN Harper's.. Magazine for October.