Morning journal and courier., 1885-08-18
THE TOWNS BHrrrrorAnrEs.

these things, especially SO far as
 relates to the farms and the manner
 of conducting them, a COURIER reporter re-
 gently went on tour of inspection and with
 the results which follow: The old farm at the
 head of Martin street was first visited. It | was ascertained that in the almshouse at | present there are POS inmates or benefciaries | of the town, 100 of whom are males, 106 fe- males and 12 children under 3 years of age. l Under the present statute laws towns are not allowed to keep children in almshouses who are between the ages of 3 and 16 years, but | they must be sent to county homes where
 they are surrounded by better influences than ! is possible in town institutions necessarily | made up of promiscuous classes. Of the ! males in the almshouse about ten per cent. | are able to do light work, such as scrubbing | and making beds in the male department and ! also gardening. No women whatever are al | lowed in the male department except one or two in the keepers quarters to ! wash dishes and do other light work In the womens ward there are always 8 sufficient number that are able to do chamber and housework and care for the sick. The care of these poor people, which is one of no lit-
  superintendent, assistant superintendent, natrOn and assistant matron. This is all that need be said at present about the houses and their inmates.
 l The old town farm embraces about sixty eight acres, all of which is under cultivation and divided as follows: Ten acres are devoted to garden purposes, the remainder being converted into grass meadow land. One piece Of land containing twelve acres and bounded by Sherman and Winthrop avenues and Elm and Martin streets may at some future time be converted into a park for the benefit of the people of that section of the city. There are also few build ing lots on Elm and other streets owned by the town, the whole tract being in the hands of the'old town farm committee" :" SO called. This committee, which is made
 ID of H. M. Welch, Gardner Morse and oth- CT responsible gentlemen, was appointed at
 town meeting several years ago when real es- tate was booming, Ito act for the town in the sale of land. Several building lots were sold at that time and notes taken for them, and as these notes were not met when the
 'crash" came the land reverted back to the town and is again for sale. It is not at all likely that much of this land will be sold for building lots or put on the market until the trustees can give some guarantee as to the time of the removal of the institution to Springside farm, people are not likely to build residences near to place where people with contagious diseases are liable to be sent at any time.
 given up from the fact that when vegetables were plenty it did not pay, and when scarce and high on account of drought the farm suffered as much or more than others, owing to the porous character of the soil.
 A half mile drive brings us to what is known as the new or Springside farm, for 1v ha ha town a few years since for about SIS, 900, with view at some time during this or the next generation to erect new almshouse buildings thereon and sell the entire proper ty now located within the limits of the city. This farm, which contains about 257 acres, is divided about equally into woodland, meadow and pasture land. At the present time there are under cultivation about twenty acres of corn, twenty acres of potatoes and twenty acres of rye and fall crops. About seventy-five tons of hay have also been cut this year. The potato crop this year is late owing to the excessive dry weather early in the season, but from present appearances there will be an abundant crop.
 Adjoining this purchase the town owns two tracts of woodland of forty acres each The southwestern boundary is at point near Judges' Cave on West Rock, and extends from there in northwest direction a short distance to a gap in the mountain near Win tergreen lake, thence to an old highway on the farm which forms the boundary line be- tween New Haven and the town of Hamden. On the east it is bounded by the land of William Wooding and Pine Rock, so called. The southern boundary commences at the stone bridge at the entrance to the farm and extends in either direction east and west to the top of West Rock at Judges Cave, em- bracing in all 337 acres more or less. On the farm is the old Selden homestead, in good repair, which is occupied by Eugene o. Beardsley, employed as resident farmer, and his family. The farm is worked by unenl- the superintendent by the town agent when they apply for work. About twelve each day are thus employed. The farm is stocked with three pairs of working cattle, fourteen head of milch COWS, sixteen head of young cattle and fine specimen of Jersey grade bull. There are being carried about four hundred hogs, shoats and pigs that are fed on garbage gathered in the city daily, under contract between the town and Board of Health, the collection of which, it is thought, pays the town for the service and manual labor re- quired in this work.
 In prospecting on the farm what is be- lieved to be an excellent trap rock quarry has been discovered which will probably yield large quantities of excellent building stone, and it may be opened by the Select men this winter to afford work for people app1y1ng to the COWn TOT alu. B alSO quite likely that when the new almshouses are erected that they will be built of this stone, which is very easy of access to the proposed site. Beside the large barns, pig gery, granary, 6c., on the farm, there is also large ice house, the ice for which is taken from pond made on the farm since it's purchase by the town. and still had plenty left for almshouse use. The cost of harvesting the ice is comparative ly very little.
 When the farm was purchased it was in very bad con dition from neglect The soil was poor, the fences down and everything was going to decay. Since the town took possession new fences have been built from timber cut and sawed by their own machin cry on the farm, and the soil by use of the garbage compost is being steadily raised from an impoverished condition when pur- chased to valuably productive one. The result of proper tnlage is made mani manifest Py the yield n.+at,v of hay 1na s1a increase. When the town took possession the farm was thoroughly overrun with bush es and underbrush, which have been sub dned and the land greatly improved. This work will be continued in the fall.
 The proposed site for the location of the new almshouse buildings is most eligible one. It is on high point of cleared rolling land a short distance. from the Wintergreen Lake water main, which runs across the farm, and has been most favorably com mented upon by leading taxpayers, infuen- tial citizens and peopl generally who have visited the locality. It may safely be said that the elevation and location is unexcelled and the only wonder to many is why with all the facilities at their command the town does not make a beginning in the work which must be done sooner or later. It was suggested by prominent gentleman who talked with the re- porter on the subject that Eff the plans were decided upon then 8 large num- Der of men now ont of work could be em- ployed in quarrying the stone for the build ings, which would not only be a benefit to the town, but also to those poor persons who must be provided with food in some way ,and what better way, said he, lis there than for them to work and earn it." With this gentle mans very sensible suggestion we leave the farm to investigate other matters connected with the management of town affairs.
 Under the care of the almshouse department the roads, bridges and culverts in the three outlying wards of the town are subjects re- uuiring much care and attention. The roads and bridoos in Weetvi1le are in excellent con-