The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1900-07-05
a Skowhegan Milk Farm and
Herd,

lust at the edge OF the village of Show
hogan Is very fine farm and herd that
are so well hand ed that the plant is Ne /
worth a visit from any one Who is interes-
ted in such matters.
The sell is fine, rich. dark loan aid
clay loan and the fields are entirely fee
from stones, either large OF small
Eleven acres that are in corn tor silage
stretch away up on to the side hill aud
from the start it already has must furnish
a lot of feed for nearly forty cattle that
now constitute the herd.
The large barn has COW tieu1 on The
south side which was too narrow for
doing the work comfortably. and a high
lean-to shed about ten feet wide was put
on and large windows were put in The
wall boarding of the barn was removed,
leaving the ieup and shed all one room,
and the result is most valuable. Plenty
of room for calf pens hind the cows
most essential feature OF winter or fall call
raising and an abundance OF light and
sunshine is admitted through the high
glass windows in winter and free c +
culation of air all through the building n
hot weather is secured through The large
open doors ana WlndoWS.
Directly on the east end of the barn an
addition for COW stable only, has been
built and it is grand arrangement. II IS
arranged for two rows oil stalls with feed
ing floor between and cleaning and milk
ing floor behind the animals next the
sides OF the barn. The COWS face each
other and all are in i1ll view from oil
parts OF the room as there are are no par
tition walls to ob,truct The walls OF
this room are low-about seven feet-in
height and the roof is square. That old
veteran dairyman, R.W Ellis, was with US
at the time of our Call and he suggested
that monitor" roof would be better
than the present sharp one as the high,
open space in the center could be very
much reduced and just as good light and
air secured as now. with the additional
advantage of smaller room for the cattle
to keep warm from their own heat
Two systems of fastening are used. In
the new COW shed the adjustable swing
stancheons are used and in the main barn
the Hoard stalls are doing duty. We
have as yet failed to find anything that
can approach the Hoard stall for comfort
and convenience. This stall is illustrated
and described in the Agriculture of Maine
for 1896 and any one can there obtain the
data necessary for its construction
There are forty-four stalls ard Mr..
Pool.r proposes purchasing few ID
d,ional at once to help supply his grow
ing retail milk trade. But the purchased
ANIMALS will only be retained until the lot
OF grand Jersey heiiers that he is growing
can come into working condition and
take their places in the dairy.
There were about a dozen OF these
heifers in the handy-by pasture and Mr.
Pooler called them up SO that we might
examine and handle them. They came
at his call and not from the nibbling of a
sheperd dog at their heels. They were all
from year and half TO two years old.
and sired, with two exceptions, by the
stock bull now on the farm 1t is grand
lot of large. smooth, well made creatures
with udders that are already stretching
out in front and up behind and teats so
well apart that the breadth of udder Is
plainly shown.
The pure bred bull is an gnus ually well
made creature, plenty OF substance. fine
in flesh, bone and skin. with good, well
spread teats and lots Of vigor and consti-
tuition, and he shows his prepotency by
the impressions of himself that he has
placed upon the heifefs out in the lot and
the young ones In the pens in the barn.
There are twenty-three cows now in
milk. most Of them being high grade Jer-
seys of good quality and capacity. They
are all scrupulousy clean-kept SO by the
use OF plenty of sawdust and the Hoard
sta ls-and the utmost care is exercised
in handling and preparing the milk for
the consumes who receive it from the
fam every morning.
Mr.. Pooler is no kid glove farmer, but
in frock and overals is living among his
animals, the only place and only way in
which a man can ever become great
breeder. No man has ever learned the
art Of breeding secondhand.
If this young man goes on his animals
and business will speak for themselves
BY and by We wish evry farmer in the
State might have as good lot Of grade
heifers to start with. There is but little
to hinder. The purchase and use of a
good, pure bred bull on the best of the
cows we now have, Is the course for the
farmer to pursue.-7mf. Farm and H0ne