The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-11-16
John Gould Mt Home.

No man from abroad has given Yer
mont farmers more pleasure and salts
faction at our dairymen's meetings than
plain, practical and witty John Gould.
1t has got so that we feel that we should
be defrauded if John were not on hand
with his shrewd wit and practical pre-
cepts. The following notice of his
home is from the Practical Farmer, by
I. B Terry:
Wife and drove over to "Johu's {"
not long ago, for days visit. Notice,
it is Johns, - not Mr.. Gould's. Every
body calls him John. Don't you know
that is evidence of good fellowship?
He has delightful farm home, and a
wife that everybody likes even better
than they do John.
He has natural grass farm. He
keeps a dairy of twelve cows. He has
a warm, light barn, with water in it.,
and keeps the cows tied in there all
winter without exercise in the cold air.
His is sensible plan for cows kept for
milk only, without doubt; but of course
he gets laughed at and almost abused
by those who are way behind him. 1t
will always be so. The appearance of
his COWS and their returns are the best
answer. | never saw dairy in better
order when in milk, nor in more perfect
health. The day we were there
august 1S) the nine cows yet in milk
gave us pounds. Remember, they are
a winter dairy, coming fresh in the fall.
Three were dry and about ready to
calve. Up TO the LIST of August they
had given 800 worth of milk, sold at a
nearby factory, beginning the LIST of
last November. AS there will soon be
some fresh cows, the yield for the next
two months will probably average
greater than the day we were there. 1t
will be putting it low to say $500 in a
year from twelve cows, and that does
not include what is used in the family
Cor few dollars worth sold to neigh
bors), and Mrs. Gould don't feed her
family or friends on skim milk. | can
hardly show as fine and clean a straw
berry bed as John can, and l am GER
tain they smothered their berries in
cream, and still ten cows in July gave
6,34S pounds of milk to sell. Old
Beauty, thoroughbred Shorthorn,
calved August %, 1891, and the day |
was there, after milking 35S days, gave
eighteen pounds of milk.
During the cold weather of mid
winter, January and February, when
all the cows were giving milk, Johns
hired man drew out 10000 pounds,
which sold for $207. John is doing his
work alone this summer, except that
his father, who is seventy years old,
came and helped about haying. And
John and his wife enjoy it, doing what
they can themselves. can hardly see
how they could do so well, and write
so much and so well, too. There were
about forty loads in the barn of as fine
clover hay as can be found this year.
The silOs were empty, but there was as
good piece of ensilage corn as | have
seen this year. 1t is not up to what
John generally has, but good for this
very wet season.
Now the question will undoubtedly
come up in your minds, why doesn't he
keep more COWS and do larger bust
ness? | knew well enough, but asked
him, so | could give you his answer.
In substance he said: 81 do not want
TO fill the house with hired men. Wife
and | are having a good time, and do
ing well enough. haven't any tenant
house, and, with my writing, would
hardly like to try the worry and care
necessarily coming with dairy of forty
cows. Half way tended to, ii would
pay no better than my little dairy does
now. To make success of large
dairy, l should have to about give up
writing, and go to no more institutes
in winter. AS it is, under my wife's
good management, one man can tend
to my twelve cows and do pretty well
while l am away" Now, when you are
tempted to think that friend Gould
makes his money otherwise than from
the farm, kindly remember that my
opinion (and l have known him long,
is that he is doing as well now, hnan.
cially, all around, perhaps, as he can
but If he cared to give up writing anC
lecturing entirely, and push his dairy
ing up, as he knows just how, to three
times his present number of cows, he
could make his cows bring him 50 0OC
year, after paying hired help. liz
would, | think, enjoy showing people
that this can be done, but he is doins
far more good in the world writing hi
practical, sensible articles, right from
the barn and field, and keeping few
COWS in paying way. Notice, ther,
is no selling of fancy butter, or of mill
in the city, but rather at the factory a
same prices men get who so manage
that they only receive $50, more or less
from a cow.