Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-17
jesse A. Sawyer's Milk Farm a
Atkinson, N. HI.

This farm is located between Atkinson
village and Salem. n H., in the western
part of Atkinson. Mr.. Sawyer commenced
here thirty two wears ago with two cows
and a wheel barrow The farm, at that
time was in a very low state of cultiva-
ton. After a while he had so much i'm
proved the farm that he commenced dali
ryng in a small way. In time he could
keep fifteen cows, and commenced a milk
route to Hayerhill, Mass. He has added
to his real estate until he has now about
140 acres, and keeps forty cows and three
pairs Of horses. He has also built good
substantial set of farm buildings. the barn
being 120 feet long by 40 in width, with a
good cellar under all. Along the west
side and boarded up, is a row of manure
heaps, the partition fence being banked
up so that the liquid manure will not
ooze out and run to waste.
MIR. Sawyer has tried some experiments
in applying liquid manure as a top dres-
sing for grass lands, and has so much
faith in the value ofmanure applied in this
form, that he has Just built receptacle
for holding the liquid droppings from his
cows. This trench is in the bottom of the
farm cellar, going aboIt two feet below
the surface OF the cellar. 1t is built with
brick and cement, and is thirty six feet
long. He intends to construct some kind
of a sprinkler on wheels. which plan is as
yet not fully matured. 1t is to be pumped
from the receptacle to the cart or sprink-
Ter. He says he cannot afford to handle
his manure by composing, on account OF
the price of labor, so he plows in his ma
| o,NI Lott tln
His hogs would work the horse manure,
and he has the novel plan of raising the
floor of his hog pen two or three feet from
the bottom of the barn cellar, so that rats
could not lodge about the feeding places
and breed there.
He has about thirty-five acres of land
that can be plowed and cuts little natural
grass in runs. or brookland. He raises
oats to feed his cows, and cuts them in
the milk He also raises considerable
corn-fodder and stores it on a scaffold
over the barn floor. His barn is literally
packed with fodder. to which he adds a
liberal feed of grain. He buys two car
loads of shorts and carload of oats and
considerable cotfbn-seed meal annually.
There is pump IN the barn floor, from
which the cows are watered in buckets.
instead of turning them out. in winter.
He feeds two quarts of cotton-seed meal
to COW, and thinks most cows will not
stand more than that amount. He picks
up his cows instead of raising heifers.
He had not tried the silo and could not
understand what the process could add to
the fodder. He had experimental some
with plaster and had not seen the benefit
OF it on his land. whereas some of his
neighbors had derived benefit.
Mr. Sawyer employees two hands in
winter and three or four in summer, to as
sist in his farming and milk business, and
uses the manure spreader, disc, and
smoothing harrows clod crusher, mow-
ing machine and horse rake, Billings corn
planter, etc., instead of the two cows and
wheelbarrow of thirty-two years ago.
He recommended change in feed for
cows. and we gathered from our CONVEX
sation with the milk men of this section
that they could not afford to farm with.
out manure; also that the most profitable