Connecticut western news., 1881-08-24
A Massachusetts Farm.

The Springfield Republican gives an account of the farm of Hinsdale Smith four miles from Springfield. The farm contains 400 acres. Hay is the great product of this farm and it's annual yield is not far from 250 tons, more than one hundred of which finds it's way to the market. Besides, this year, he has six or eight acres of tobacco, fifteen acres of corn, five acres of fodder corn, sev- eral acres each of potatoes and man. golds, half an acre of carrots and some minor crops.
 There are eight work horses on the farm and several colts, three yoke of sturdy oxen, forty to fifty COWS, eighty Southdown sheep and uncounted swine and poultry. Milk is very important product of the farm and it is chiefly brought to this city. One dealer takes an average of 200 quarts day, and the price at the farm is two and one-half cents per quart for July and August and three cents the rest of the year. The milk, says the proprietor, nearly pays running expenses of the farm. MT. Smith fats some cattle and sheep, and has facilities for housing 200 of these last whenever it will pay. The swine are Berkshires, Yorkshires and Polands chiefly, and the pork and pigs are the marketable products. The fowls are chiefly Plymouth rocks.
 The buildings on this farm are large, in good condition and were planned for utility and convenience. The big barn, 50x100 feet, is located on hill side, is four stories high and has driveways in them all. The manure cellar where some of the swine are kept is on level with the street and extends under the whole building without pillar or post in it. Above this are the cattle stalls approached on level from the south. Next comes the hay story, with drive way through the centre from the west, and above this is another driveway and threshing floor, the principal one in the building. The whole building is SUD- ported by iron rods and truss roof The posts are twenty-two feet high and only extend to the brick work at the top of the stables. There is capacious ob- servatory on the top of this great build ing and also windmill for pumping water. There are two other wind-mills on the farm, one of which pumps water for the house reservoir on hill back of the house. The sheep and horse barns are other side hill buildings and we'll ar- ranged. A model tobacco shed, 30x96 feet, and of large capacity and strength is used in summer for storage. The blacksmith shop, slaughter house and corn barn are other conveniences here.
 We have no means of knowing how large plant this farm and its outfit is, but Yankees privilege of guessing would make it not less than $5O,00O. If SO, the interest at per cent. would be $2,500. The hired help and other ex- penses we will suppose costs $2,500 more. The income of 100 tons or more of hay Sometimes 150 tons sold), would be about $2, 900; 5000 quarts of milk, $2,30O; eight acres of tobacco, $2,000,- and besides this there are lambs, wool, pork, pigs, veal, poultry, eggs, beef, colts, potatoes, etc., which will easily make $1,OO0 more, or total of over $7,O00. No wonder that MT. Smith, who is man of cautious speech, should say: "I have tried various kinds of business, and I think farming pays as we'll as anything" If farming on small scale, with meager facilities, can be made to pay, it must do much better on large scale, with all the conven- iencies which capital suggests. Under MT. Smiths ample sheds are found three moving machines, hay-loader, ma nure spreader, aMudgett hay-tedder, and other things to correspond.