Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-12-17
FARMING IN VERMONT.
what a Connections Wan Saw in brat.
tIebOrO.


Having an opportunity to visit some of the
good farms in Vermont we readily improved
it. Our first visit was to the farm owned by
Mr.. Richards Bradley and carried on by Mr.
j. q. Newton, each sharing in the profits
Mr.. Newton is not the "stone that gathers no
moss" rolling from farm to farm, but has
been on this one seven years, continually i'm
proving the farm as well as his stock. To
use Mr.. Newton's remark his farm is not run
on high pressure order" but it is managed
well we Judge both for the owner and the
tenant. Mr.. Newton appears about As years
old, of natural good Judgment improved by
extensive reading, and is a man Of great OBJ
servation coupled with good constitution,
indomitable perseverance, and an evenly bal
anced disposition leaning toward kindness
rather than compulsory measures. Such is
the impression we got of the man who man
ages the Bradley farms near Brattleboro, Vt.
The home farm is about one mile from the
village of Bratteboro, and Consists of 1GO
acres lying east of West River and west of
the Connecticut; the other farm is about
three miles northwest of the home farm and
contains about 800 acres. The two farms
carry 100 head consisting at present of 40
cows, two thoroughbred Guernsey bulls,
horses and mules, a pair of noble Shorthoru
cattle, weighing 3, 800 lbs, and the rest most
ly yearling and two year old heifers, which
are being raised for home dairy. The COWS
and heifers are mostly cross of Guernsey
and Jersey. Mr.. Newton prefers u cross of
the Guernsey bull with the Jersey COW for
the dairy, to the thoroughbred Jersey. All
were looking well but none over feshy. and
the six year old Guernsey bull, Sam Jones,
raised by Mr. +. f. Bowditch of Framing
ham, Mass, was as nice u pattern as one Of
ten meets with. He was Intentionally kept
very thin us Mr.. n. claims that b. over feed
ing bulls are often ruined for breeding pur-
poses, before they three years old, II fact
which our Connecticut breeders would do
well to keep in mind. They have also here
yearling Guernsey bull, raised 10y Mr.. Bow
ditch that promises to be very large and re-
sembles II Durham aa much u, Guernsey.
Some twenty COWS are kept at the home
farm. They are soied in oumm,r r, being let
out only for exercise and water About 100
quarts of milk per day ara sold ia }rattleboro
at cents per quart; the balance is made in
to butter. From Oct. LIST 10 May list the but
ter is sent to Boston, aud brings 10 cents
per ID. a part being sent in pound prints and
a part il ten pound boxes. The expense for
| boxes and freight is about two cents per 10.
Mr.. n. considers this better than selling milk,
as the skinned milk is needed for feeding
calves The Cooley dreamer is used and well
liked, but the cream is dipped off instead of
the milk being drawn from the bottom as is
| usual. Mr. Newtou's reason for doing so Is
that he gets 10 dirt settings in the cream, if
any happens by accident to be in the milk
| He also claims that cream raised in the Cool
ey will always churn readily if heated to &C
or Is before churning, and calls it a humbug
to keep the cream for ripening as 1t is called
before churning, asserting that the tempera-
| ture and not the age marks the condition for
| churning. We saw the butter and know it to
be good Mr.. Newton makes the butter; the
women folks only wash the implements.
The grain crops raised the past season
were 1900 bushels of shelled corn and 500
bushels of oats. Haying was commenced
June Sth, and finished before the first of Ju-
ly. Mr.. N. considers it all important that
grass be cut early for making good butter in
winter. Each COW is now fed four quarts
per day of corn meal ground with the cob,
and plenty of good hay. The stables are
very warm, never freezing in the coolest
weather. For raising corn all the manure is
hauled and spread on the land in the fall
Mr.. N. has experimental in this line much
and is very decided in his opinion that land
treated in this way produces much better
than when manure is plowed under in the
spring or fall; some of his corn this veal
yielded 20 bushels to the acre.
We have no room to speak of the buildings
on these farms, but it is sufficient TO say they
are elaborate convenient and warm, the barnt
being well capboarded and well painted
Water is supplied to the house and barn by
gravity. Our visit of three hours was pleas
ant, and we thank Mr.. Newton for his atten
ton and kindness to us.-C0r. Of Connect
cut Farmer.