The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-06-11
A Trip to Chester County, PENNSYLVANIA

About week ago with friend, a fellow farmer
started on trip to Chester S county, pa bust
to see that justly famous county. 1t is highly
titled and excellent farming land, with neat and
cheerful homes and many splendid barns and farm
buildings, "all in understanding we do not
see at my home, and seldom among the homes
about us. We crossed Conowingo bridge, passed
over rather billy and bad road to Rising Sun,
Cecil county where we ate dinner. Then we
struck good roads, which both ourselves and horse
noticed and appreciated. Passed by Brick Meet
ing House, then on to Kenneth Square, by way of
New London, West Grove, Avondale and up the
prettiest valley ever saw for about five miles to
kenuett. Reached there about sun set and put
up for the night.
We had not the slightest trouble in finding our
way. We had good roads, wide, well mendcd and
rounded up, All streams, no matter how small,
were bridged. At each village or town on our en-
tire trip, through Pennsylvania, we saw the name
of the place and postoffice in some conspicuous
place, and at each cross roads, no matter how little
the road seemed to be used, there were two finger
boards on posts 10 feet high, pointing the four
directions, indicating the number of miles to the
several places to which the roads ran. As the
next day dawned we were up early and out; walk
ed around the town of kennett. 1t has many
neat, pretty homes; population about l,jOO.
The town is watered by two large reservoirs,
situated on the highest point in it. The water is
pumped up by wheel about half a mile away
One reservoir is filtered and is used for drinking,
and the other, for stable and other purposes, is
drawn from spigots. The people pay water-rent
ing through unionville, q pretty village with
beautiful lands around; We stopped at Mr. John
dined with him. He keeps one of the largest
diaries in Chester county, and think on the very
best plan. His dairy is kept at the proper degree
distance through deep ditch in the earth. He
keeps 800 head of cattle, mks about 200 cows. and
feeds his milk (Which is always sweetJ to young
stock kept up from sixteen to eighteen months
old, all fat, many weighing over 1000 lbs Mr..
Barnard sells his butter now at 81 cents in Phila-
We next passed on to Samuel Morris, Il grazier,
who has over 300 acres in green grass, and many
fat cattle. pretty place. and he sits in the shade
We next drove on to Chatham, to u large butter
factory, which is supplied with an abundance of
fresh springs. The waste milk is fed to hogs
and calves are brought and fattened on it and
haxseed meal. We saw about 80 there.
We next drove to Thomas Harvcy's a dairyman
and breeder OF Yorkshire and Berkshire hogs and
Guernsey cattle He has many fine specimens of
the cattle. His milk is cooled by water from
well pumped constantly by water wheel and tele-
graph wires located at some distance or. Many
pumps are kept in constant operation by wire and
water wheels. We then passed through the pretty
village of West Grove and to the beautiful rose
beds and grounds of Dingee Il Conard. Ii is such
apietty place, situated high and overlooking fine
country, where | am satisfied to buy my roses,
after seeing how things are operated there. Their
think would delight many ladies' to see as it did
two old farmers. Leaving there we drove IL
miles to John X. Ways, who, we regretted, was
not at home. We were told when we got to
Ways we were at the top. beautiful home and
situation fine farm ,h All his farm buildings
we had seen. Worth any farmers time togo to see.
Everything in order and everything in its place
Leaving there we set out for home by way of
oxford and Port Deposit
The main feature of this delightful trip were
these: pretty drive, a fine country, fine roads,
land by the way many were mended so nicely we
hardly knew how 1t was done, until we saw the
Pennock's road member at it , no road pads; no
road hogs, but one cow on the road in Chester
county, and as there was drove inside the field
we think she slipped over the fence after some fine
grass; but one road COW in Cecil until we struck
the river, where we saw several, which again
brought recollectons OF home to mind.
Two FARMERS