The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-06-28


der cover, being wet down from time
10 time with water from the big tank.
which ID kept constantly filed by tho
windmill.
Mr.. Davison's manure cutters are
deeper than they are usually found,
being 16 inches deep and is inches
broad. He claims superiority for these,
as, on account of their depth, the COWS
do not stand with the hind feet in
them as is frequently the case with
shallower trenches. The stable is
abundantly supplied with windows on
the south, and in autumn the COWS go
in here and stay till April 1st. And
this fact has been the subject of many
ansargument between Mr.. D. and N.Y.
sell, since our plan is TO allow thecows
to go out in the yard every pleasant
day for exerciee.
All the barns are under one roof.
One can go from end TO end without
stepping out from under cover, but
there are a number of smaller buildings.
nice house, scale houee, shop, granary,
etc. and q most complete hennery.
This latter is a building sOx2O feet,
facing the south, and ia conveniently
arranged for keeping a'large number
OF fowls. These are the special charge
OF Mrs. Dawson, Sr, who ia an en-,
thusiast in poultry keeping.
Entering the dairy house, we find
everything convenient for work. The
steam engine runs the machinery,
nothing is done by hand. The day be-
fore my visit, the big churn had turned
out 70 pounds OF butter, which was all
packed away in gallon crooks, and
stored in the big refrigerator, awaiting
shipment. The entire product lis con
tracted, and commands q good price.
The by-products, skim milk and but
termilk, are fed out to calves and
chickens. No swine are kept.
One of the things most remarkable
about Mr.. Davison's herd of cattle, is
their uniformity. Every COW looks Just
exactly like every other one. In color
they are q squirrel gray, and in con-
formation and general make up are
patterned after the wisconsin idea"
OF what q dairy COW should be. Our
attention was called to a bunch Of six
yearling heifers, due to come in milk
this fall. We are free TO say we never
saw q finer lot. One Of them became
injured in some manner in the barn
yard, @ few weeks ago, and an abortion
was the result. Within three days the
udder became so enlarged that it was
necessary TO draw the milk and the
little thing ia now giving two gallons
Of milk O day, and carries as fine an
udder as can be imagined-square
and even-extending far forward,
and well up in the rear also.
This heifer ia not yet one year old. Mr..
D. breeds his heifers to calve at a year
and a half, and certainly has never
seen any i'll effects of such a course as
yet. He is very particular as to con-
formation in his dairy breeding stock,
and insists on a certain excellence in q
sire. He likes them to have all the
features possible which go to mark the
good dairy COW, and will rel ct what
he designates as a ''chuckIe headed
animal every time.
He believes in kindness in handling
his cattle and they crowd around him
like so many sheep when he goes
among them, each anxious to receive
attention. Altogether, it is a herd
which it would do ones soul good to
zee. and their performance is in &C.
c0rdance with their appearance. Mr..
D. says it costs about $35 to keep each
COW q year. The butter brings some
thing over $50 year, and the margin,
after allowing for skim milk, butter.
milk, calves and manure values, is a
good one. From being an unproduc-
tive farm, the soil is constantly being
enriched, and increases in productive.
ness each year.
No small item toward the success
which has attended the efforts of this
father and son, liz the fact that every
thing has been taken ri Of. This, of
course, has heightened the period of
usefulness, and replacing with new is
not so frequently necessary. It is re
lated by a man who onc worked for
the elder gentleman, that upon paying
a visit to him, 90 years afterward, the
same tools, hoes, shovels, forks, etc,
were still in use. and in exactly the
same places. They had bsen- taken
good care OF, which accounts for their
prolonged period Of usefulness. And
this has marked ell their doings
throughout the years. They never go
i'm DEBT, are frugal and saving. and as
happy as it falls TO the lot of common
morrals to be.
think this ought to be an example
to a good many Of us. We are too apt
to think we are not accomplishing any