The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-12-29
SCIENTIFIC FARMING.
The Beauties of Mountain side "-Mr.
Theodore Hnvemeyer's. Great Experi-
ment I'm the Ramapo Valley.

ment In the Rnmapo valley
"Mountain Side," the farm of Mr..
Theodore A. Havemeyer, of New York,
lies in Bergen county, New Jersey,
twenty-nine miles from New York city,
in the beautiful Ramapo valley, which
at this point is scarcely a mile wide.
Through the farm, from north to south,
flows the Ramapo river. Mountain
Side" comprises six hundred acres,
three hundred of which lie in the val
ley and are under cultivation, and the
remainder on the sides of the noun
tains, which at this point rise to the
height of about six hundred feet. The
farm is under the superintendent and
management of Mr.. John Mayer, an
educated farmer, who learned his art in
the State of Rhode Island, and who is
assisted by foreman, and employs in
the management of the farm from thirty
to forty men, who are all comfortably
cared for in suitable cottages. In the
construction of the buildings an aver
age number of seventy-fve men were
constantly employed for year and
half
The main road from Sufferns to
Pompton passes almost through the
center of Mountain Side, from north to
south. MIR. Havemeyer's barn, dairy
and silos are comprised in one building,
forming the letter T. The barn proper
stands east and west, and contains the
cattle-foor, the hay-loft, feed-bins ard
manure-cellars. The south wing con-
tains the ice-house, dairy, engine-ro ON
and quarters for the dairyman. In the
north wing are the silos. The length
of the barn from east to west is 263
feet, its width forty-four feet; the length
from north to south, including the diary
and silos, is 263 feet, the south end
being thirty-one feet wide, and the
north end, or silos, forty feet wide.
Beneath the barn on each side and di-
rectly under the cattle are the manure,
cellars, each fourteen feet in width and
! $50 in length. Under the center of the
barn and surrounded by the manure
beds is room for keeping roots, $50
feet long and fifteen feet wide, with
stone walls and cemented sides and
bottom; this root cellar is thoroughly
ventilated by fues of it's own, quite dis
connected from those for the manure
cellar aud for the cattle floor above.
At the extreme west end of the
barn cellar, between the two
cartways, is built cistern of ce-
mented work 53 feet long, 10 feet wide
and II feet deep, having a capacity of
35, 900 gallons of water, which is sup.
piled from the river. From this great
cistern, into which, also, the water from
the barn roofs can be carried at will, a
steam pump raises water to two large
tanks high up in each end of the main
barn, and from these tanks, giving an
excellent head, water is supplied by O
system of pipes to all parts of the
various buildings. Back of this cistern
stands the gas machine, which supplies
the house and all the buildings with
light. Entering the main floor of the
barn one is struck with its immensity of
size, its cleanliness, and the absence ofe
all odors. 1t is AZ feet wide in th
clear, and has two ranges of stalls, one
on either side, numbering in all 9S,
while the distance between the stalls
and the center is 13 feet. These stalls
are feet long and feet inches wide,
with a gutter l foot inches
wide and 4 inches in depth, running in
the rear feet from the head of the
stalls. Behind the stalls is passage
way feet wide, extending along the
sides of the BAN. At the end of the
row of stalls on the right are 10 box
stalls, II feet long, s feet wide and 4
feet inches high, in which at all
times are kept some of the most valu.
able animals, and others, when they are
calving. In the center of the floor, ex
tending the whole length of the barn
and connecting with the silos, is rail.
road track. The height of the barn,
from the floor to the hay-mows, is 1C
feet; the latter are 13 feet high, and
extend the length of the barn, to the
roof, having caracity for 300 tons oi
hay. The barn has the best system Of
ventilation and lighting which can be
devised. Both in winter and summer
the air here is pure, and almost free
from odor.
The engine-room occupies that por
tion of the south wing which lies i'm
mediately contiguous to the mair
building, and is 80 feet long by
30 feet wide, with a floor above
for storing machinery, etc. In it il
an engine of tifteen-horse power; the
pump which forces the water from the
river to the cistern in the barn having
capacity of 1900 gallons per hour
Adjoining the engine.room is the ice
house, which is SO feet long ant
81 feet wide, with storage
capacity of 400 tons of ice. Beneatl
the ice-house, on level with with thu
ground in the rear-the building being
on the slope of hills a summe
dairy, which has the same dimensions al
the ice-house, except the height, whicl
is 10 feet from the flor to the ceiling
The floor and sides are tiled, and thu
ceiling is finished with ash boards
planed, tongued and grooved. Th'
facilities for ventilation are sucl
that the temperature can b.
kept at /; about 40 degrees il
summer, and regulated at will. Ad
joining is room on level with tn
summer dairy, 40 feet long ant
30 feet wide. 1t forms a base
ment, while above it is the winte
dairy of the same dimensions. Tn
two are connected by an inclosed ele
vator, and also by a staircase. TIL
floor, sides and ceiling of the winte
dairy are also tiled in variegated color
and artistic figures, affording, with tn
blue and white tints, most agreeabl
} and restful picture. These rooms
} fitted so as to cream the milk by col
air alone, or by deep setting in watel
have capacity for handling the milk c