The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-02-27
FARMS OF CARROLL.
Written for the Democratic Advocate.
WEST AVONDALE.
The Residence of Jas. W. Beacham.

a
upon the Western Maryland Railroad,
about two and half miles from Westmin-
ster 1t contains 22S acres, about 30 of
which are woodland, and was bought by the
late James w. Beacham, of james Il.
Dorsey, about the year 1859 or 1861, at
$50 per acre. 1t was formerly part OF
the Avondale estate, but since the division
has been called West Avondale. MIR.
Beacham came to Carroll county about
1859. from Pikesville, Baltimore county,
where he was engaged in farming, and also
in house building, being a carpenter by
trade. The house is frame one, two
stories high, the modern part Of it built by
Mr.. Beacham himself. 1t contains eight
rooms, has good cellar and good two
story bodybuilding, giving the property an
L shape The house has large porch,
extending the whole length of the front
building, and there is porch also to the
back building. The best Of water Is Plped
to the dwelling in iron pipes. The dwelling
stands on elevated ground in the midst OF
a lawn comprising about one-fourth of an
acre, studded with fine shade trees. Usage
orange hedge is to be planted along the
railroad and around the barn in the spring,
the work to be done By Mr.. j. A. Mitchell,
of Westminster, agent of the Usage Orange
Hedge Company, of Frederick, Md. The
barn is fine Switzer building, 40 BY 10
feet. with cattle shed sufficient for fifteen
head of cattle, wagon shed and hay loft
above. The other outbuildings are car
riage house, hog house and poultry
house. There are two cisterns at the barn,
and one at the dwelling, in addition to the
water conducted by the pipes, so that there
is no scarcity of water at any time, whether
needed for watering stock or for the ordi-
nary purposes of the family. The crops
usually cultivated on the farm are wheat,
corn, oats, clover and timothy, all of which
are fed upon the farm, except the wheat,
which is sent to market.
The great speciality at West Avondale Is
the dairy and the ice cream factory. The
dairy building is of brick with stone floor,
and a fine stream of pure water flowing
through it. Water is piped into the dairy,
by iron pipes, distance of between l 100
and 200 feet. This is pure spring water,
very cold, and ever flowing. From the
dairy it runs into the barnyard, for the
convenience of watering stock. Mr. Beach
am commenced the dairy business and the
manufacture of ice cream about 1865, since
which time it has been conducted with
considerable success. Mr. Beacham died
on the LIST of January, 1881, leaving his
widow and his son, Mr.. James w. Beacham,
in charge of the farm and of the dairy and
ice cream interests. Thirty head of good
mich cows are kept on the farm Tor dairy
purposes, and nine head of horses for the
farm and road.
The ice cream is manufactured by ma
chinery driven by water power. About
twenty farmers in the neighborhood fur
nish cream to the ice cream factory, who
Jointly own about $50 cows. In addition
TO the cream from these cows, Mr.. Beacham
is often, in busy times, under the necessity
of sending out wagon and buying cream
wherever it can be obtained, to supply the
demand Generally Saturday is the busiest
day in the ice cream factory, and makes
the heaviest demands upon the capacity of
the establishment. The largest shipments,
per week, are about midsummer, or about
the 4th of July. The heaviest shipment
of ice cream in one week was $50 gallons.
MIX is shipped in winter, and ice cream is
manufactured to order, winter or summer,
but the orders for ice cream, in winter,
being less, there is heavier shipment OF
milk in the winter The demand for ice
cream in the summer and early autumn
frequently taxes the establishment to its
utmost capacity Formerly shipments were
made chiefly to Washington city, but latter
" the ice cream from West Avondale
factory is shipped, per rail, to Baltimore,
Blue Ridge Summit, Pen Mar, Monterey
House, Hagerstown, Mechanicstown, Way
nesboro', Shippensburg, Frederick, West
minister, Glen Falls, Glyndon, st. Georges,
and all other points along the line of the
Western Maryland Railroad, and also to
pic-nics, Sunday school festivals, harvest
homes, church festivals, private parties, or
wherever there is demand fol- this most
delicious of all products of the dairy.
Attorneys or Jerseys are generally pre-
ferred for dairy purposes, but the West
Avondale herd is mixed, and comprises
Attorneys, Durhams and grades, all good
mixers, preference being given to the most
productive, without regard to the breed.
In addition to the natural increase upon
the farm, the proprietor buys, from time to
time, the best COWS obtainable. Those
yielding the most milk are kept for ten OF
twelve years, but generally the older COWS
and the less productive are sold off after a
year or two for younger ones and better
ones, if they can be obtained.
In some seasons considerable hay is sold
when the crop is extra, and more than can
be profitably used by the dairy and other
stock in feeding. West Avondale has an
apple orchard of three or four hundred
trees, embracing many varieties of choice
fruit. There are also various other kinds
of fruit, such as is usually grown in West
ern Maryland.
The hogs raised by Mr.. Beacham are of
the black Essex breed; they are from 20
to 40 head, and are fed to a considerable
extent on the refuse of the dairy, and are
profitable to utilize this kind of food until
they are ready for the fattening process,
when it is usual to give corn with other
food, to impart irmer texture to the
flesh, and also to improve the lard. In
addition to the shoats and fattening hogs.
several brood sows are kept, in order to keep
up the supply of pigs upon the estate and
to preserve that especial breed of hogs,
which is favorite breed with the pro-
prietor.