The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-04-03
FARMS OF CARROLL.
Written for the Democratic Advocate
PLEASANT HOME.
The Residence of John H. Chew

and fifteen acres, and is composed OF two
tracts of land known as O'Brian's Folly
and Cambridge Resurveyed. 1t is situated
ON the county road leading from the Balti-
more and Reisterstown Turnpike to Pa
tapsco Station, on the Western Maryland
Railroad, three-quarters OF mile from
Carrolton, and one and three-quarters of a
mile from Patapsco Station. Few farms In
the county are more elegibly located for
convenience to postofice, churches, schools,
mills, stores. railroad station, &c. All
these conveniences are located within dis
lance ranging from half mile to mile
and three-quarters.
This property was purchased by MIR.
Chew in the spring of 1849, from Samuel
Devilbiss and Nimrod Stevenson, for the
sum of ten dollars per acre, $1,000 for 100
acres. to which fifteen acres were added.
1t originally belonged to the Blizzard fam
ily.-John and Stephen were the names Of
two of them-and dates back as far as
1890. The Billiards. owned thousand
acres, or more, all in one body. Ninety
acres are in cultivation and twenty-five acres
in timber. 1t is divided into eight fields
and enclosed mostly by post and rail fence
There are about four hundred panels of pale
fence, the principal part of which encloses
a pear orchard of two hundred trees, and a
Young apple orchard. There is also a
grapery comprising from fifty to one hun
dred grape vines, in cultivation and bear
ing, such as Concord, Isabella, White
Grapes, and other varieties. The soil of
the farm seems well adapted to the growth
of grapes, and this variety of fruit Hour
ishes at PLEASANT HOME Mr.. Chew has
also been very successful in cultivating the
wild blackberry and raspberry. 1t Is his
practice to select the finest and largest Der
ries, when bearing, mark them, and, in the
fall, take them up, plant them IN good
ground, and cultivate them. The fruit is
so much improved thas the advantage can
only be realized by making the experiment.
The principal crops are-wheat, rye,
corn, clover, timothy, potatoes, and clover
seed. Mr.. Chew ordinarily raises from
twenty to forty bushels of wheat to the
acre; rye twenty to thirty bushels per acre;
potatoes from $50 to 250 bushels per acre;
timothy hay from one and halt to two
and half tons per acre; clover from one
to two tons per acre; corn from twelve to
fifteen barrels per acre; or from sixty to
seventy-fve bushels of shelled corn. When
Mr.. Chew first cultivated this farm, thirty
five years ago, he realized from 1t eighty
per cent. less than now. The land was so
poor that he could not raise hay and otherfeed
sufficient to keep two horses and two COWS.
The principal part of the living for himself
and family he had to buy. The greater
part of the land was an open common, with
plenty of briars and wild crab apple trees
growing over the place. Previous to MIR.
Chew's purchasing it, the place was so poor
that the parties formerly owning 1t, borrow
ed the money, five hundred dollars, of the
old bank of Westminster, Mr.. John Fish
er's bank and gave a mortgage to their
endorser, John McCollum, former owner of
the Aims House property, to secure him:
There had been no taxes or interest paid
on said farm or mortgage for number of
years. When Mr. Chew bought it he paid
interest and taxes together amounting to
nearly five hundred dollars.
1t is interesting to note the process by
which such unproductive land has been
brought up to its present high state of fer
tility, unsurpassed by very few farms in the
county. For the first twenty-five years,
Mr.. Chew used lime as fertilizer. In
that period he applied not less than 10000
bushels of lime. For the last ten years he
has used, principally, pure raw bone, with
good paying results. Of course, lime and
bone were used besides the ordinary re-
sources of the barn yard.
The main dwelling is of stone, forty by
thirty feet, with portico in front, and two
pantrys and porch in the rear. 1t was
built in 1853, and is surrounded by mum
Der of fine shade trees. There is bank
barn, 40 by 60 feet, frame, weatherboarded
wagon shed and corn crib, As by 20 feet,
attached, built in the year 1859; grain bar
rack, 60 by 20 feet; ice house, hog house;
smoke house; wash house; dairy; two car
rage houses; wood and corn houses. Also
a house built expressly for keeping ma
chinery from exposure to the weather, 20
by 26 feet, foored, and with large doors in
gable end. In this is kept his grain drill,
horse rake, moving machine, roller, sleigh,
&c. As self-binder or harvester is trou-
blesome to take apart, he built shed espe-
cially for this implement, and when harvest
comes all he has to do is to hitch the horses
to it and drive into the grain. When harvest
is over, the binder is put into this shed,
without any trouble, where it is kept secure
ly until wanted again. Mr.. Chew consid-
ers this great advantage Under this
building he has good cellar, 20 by 26 feet,
for fruit, phosphates, &c. The outbuild-
ings are ample, and all in good condition.
In addition to the fruit above mentioned,
there is an apple orchard of $50 trees,
of choice varieties = Baldwins, Rambos
Northern Spy, Ben Davis, Red Streaks,
King of Thompson County, Red Doctor,
and Golden Pippin. Also, fifty White
Wax Cherry Trees, very fine, and twenty
trees of the Slarp variety of cherries, now
Just coming into bearing.
There is a tenant house ON the farm,
occupied by Mr.. Chew's son, one hundred
yards from the main building, on the same
county road 1t is of frame, % by %
feet, portico in front, pantry and porch in
the rear. This property is nicely located,
with kitchen and other necessary buildings,
good water near the door, and plenty of
fine shade trees to beautify the premises.
There is an ice pond on the farm, which
the proprietor contemplates to arrange, the
coming season, for fish pond also, and to
stock the same with carp or other fish.
Any farmer having a good pond, may pro-
duce his own fry for the table, with very
little care or extra labor, and it will repay
him we'll But many persons who have
good sites for fish ponds viii not take the
trouble to construct them.
Mr.. Chew keeps from three to four head
of horses and six to eight head of cattle,
for ordinary farm purposes. His poultry
is mixed, composed of several breeds, there
being no specalties whatever, on the farm,
unless it be considered speciality to make
every acre of ground produce 70 its utmost
capacity, and every fruit tree, in orchard
or elsewhere, yield its rich treasures Of fruit
to the hand of careful training, pruning and
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