Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-11-02
MODEL COUNTRY PLACE.
DESCRIPTION OF DR.. WeBB'S eXTeN-
SlVE PROPERTY IN SHELBURN.
Tho Remarkable Transformation of 20 or
More Farms-what Money and Energy
Added to the Natural Beauty of
the Place Have Done.

Many years ago there lived IN New Eng
land group of earnest thinkers, of which
Emerson and Hawthorne were prominent
members Disguised and discouraged at
The selfshuess and intense practlcality OF
she world they yht to found an ideal
community far from the cities and the
haunts of man. But they were doomed to
failure. Amid the stern surroundings of
a rude and primitive farm, their idealism
lied and the little circle melted away into
the every day world from whence 1t came.
Had this little circle lived on an ideal
farm at the same time 1t strived for the
IDEAL life, it may be that its social expert
ment in beautiful aud well ordered sur
roundinKs would not have been failure.
And from this thought the question arises,
where can you fad an ideal farm ~ To
chose who have seen the Shelburn farms
owned by DR.. w. Seward Webb, this.
question seems easy to answer.
With al area of 22O0 acres the Shelburn
rarms h Is within its limits such natural
advantages of picturesque beauty, of sit
nation. and of fertility, all enhanced by
intelligent improvements made by its
owrer, that it is doubtful if its equal can
be found in all New En- Gland. From its
grou IDS les of sIrpa5sing be }uty de-
light tn ! eye. B fore YOU Lake Cham
plan, historic and beautiful, mirrors the
clouds or catches the golden su1beams on
he rlppling wayelets. AZ 15s the lake
The Adirondacks loom M najestically,
while to the east, the Green mountains
and Mount Mansfi cid make a picture of
surprising beauty The view up the lake,
with its shore line of inlets and pictur-
esque bays again delights the eye, and
marks Shelbi til as one OF the most beau
tiful spots on the lake. From Lone Tree
mill, in the middle of the state. the unsur-
passable panorama of Lake ChamplaiL,
she Adirondacks, and the Green noun
tains lies before you and defies descrip-
ton If its beauty.
Amid these beautiful surroundings and
near the shore of the lake, DR.. Webb, last
fall, bull spacious and picturesque resi-
deuce. This house, beautifully situated
covers space 14S by 40 feet is three
stories high and is handsomely furnished
and thoroughly equipped with all modern
convenietces. 1t is said to be the best
country residence in New England. The
grounds are tastefully adorned with trees,
shrubs and flowers. The drive to the
residence is now being changed, and the
old drive discarded. 1t commences at or
through the woods below the Holabird
place. win lug between the hills, and will
come into the road little north of the
residence, thus making charming drive.
A stone-crushing machine has just been
purchased, and the roads will be macad-
AIMED and rolled. On the shores of the
lake DR.. We bb has balt fine deck and
BOAT house, with ways on W ich to draw
the boats out of the water. These ways are
salt to be tue nuesJ in the country. The
doUk and boat house We're built at cost
Of uver $50 coo.
The farm properis not less interesting
than the grounds. 1t is rs IL stands
clear illus ration not only of what ener-
1etic ntelligeI C, can accom- plish, but also
Of the progress that has been made in
farm work and arrangement in the last
few years. One OF the most striking tei-
lures of this farm Is the immense barn
which DR. Webb is building on the east
section for the accommodation of his farm
horses and cattle. The main barn is POO
by 60 feet, with two wings 81 by Az feet'
The upper portion is to have tool rooms,
granary, hay carrier grain elevator, and
ali the modern Improvements. The base
ment II feet high, is fitted up for Al
horses 1t has harness rooms, engine
boiler and dynamo rooms, feed rooms
root rooms, milling rooms, closets Tor the
working mems clothes. and living rooms
Tor the stable foreman The basement wall
are b., ed and faced with stone, the lin
tells OF the d, ocways b5iug o. lsla La MOTIF
stoue. One of the features of the barn viii
be tower 20 feet square and ITO fee
high furnished with 4 1900 pound bell
and town clock. From each OF the epd
Of the wings of the barn is to be built
barn running east, 400 by 40 feet. this t.
be counected at the east end, thus maxim.
a yard 400 by 800 feet. At the entrance L
the yard is to be erected tower 20 fee
high, built of stone.
The feathered bipeds have not been for
gotten in the arrangement OF Shelbur
arms, for large houses, complete IN a
details, have been built for the poultry
incubating apparatus have also bee
erected The poultry on the farm are @
the Plymouth Rock, Houdan, Brahms
and Leghorn varieties. For the cultvs
ton OF vegetables and flowers DR.. Web
has erected some fine greenhouses. On
IS by $50 feet is for vegetables one Is
90 feet for violets and one house for rose
is built of iron and glass, and measures
by 10 feet. A new house for palms
SOON to be built. For his gardeners d
Webb has built two cottages, one bein
IN the picturesque Swiss architecture.
addition he has built three new tenemei
houses. aud boarding house to accomm
date 60 men. Other buildings ON tn
farm cannot be mentioned for lack
space.
sThe water for the farm buildings al
the pastures is supplied by reserve
iOOX2OXl0 leet situated on Lone Tree hi
The water il forced to the reservoir by
pumping IL 900 gallons an hour. 1t tax
I'VE miles of pipes to carry the water
the various buildings and fields L
system of water works is very col
plete.
Or. Webb has on his farm $50 hors
and % mules, The horses are of the be
blood in this country There are four ii
stations OrmOnd, II fine blooded bay u
hands high, weighs 1000 pounds, register
number "2l54," standard Bred six yea
old Sldarthur, fine imported Engli
Thoroughbred, seal brown, foaled in Il
and imported by Mr.. Pierre Lorillard,
from.the gIandest racing family in En-
baud Brandon, fine coal black two-ye'
old Percheron from Oak Lawn farms, ii
and beautiful Russian Orloff stalliC
Macmillan. OF the brood mares Ma
Wilkes takes the lead. She is beautil
chestnut, 1871 hands high, sired by h
Wilkes, dam own sister TO Fannie WI
erspoon Forest Maid, with record
22S, sired by WOODBURY. Pilot, dam Kit
Price, Breeze Allen by Holabird's Ethi