The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-09-01
A GOOD MAINE FARM.


l6 is a general impression that business
men who run fine farms do so wholly for
the fun of the thing, and that as rule
they are not conducted at all upon busi-
ness lines, and If they had no outside
source of revenue the managers OF them
would starve. visit to Walnut Crest
Farm viii give any one who has this idea
a surprise. This farm Is situated more
beautifully and upon higher land than IS
generally supposed 1t is on the very
edge Of the Gorham line, but the p o.
address is Westbrook. So little has
been said In the newspapers concerning
the business done at this farm that but
few have even slight conception of the
operations carried on there.
Walnut Crest Farm was formerly the
summer home of Hon. j. p. Baxter, OF
Portland, who spent a great deal of mon
ey on the buildings and in developing the
farm. After passing through the hands
Of Colonel Charles b. Merrill and Gener-
al Henry G. Thomas, it came into the
possession of j. Henry Rines, the present
proprietor, six years ago. One would
think that with the large interests that
Mr.. R1nes has in other directions, he
would have neither time nor inclination
to look after the minutest details of a
great farm OF nearly 500 acres. AS Is well
known Mr.. Hines is a member of one OF
the largest and most successful dry goods
business in Maine; also one Of the own
ers of the splendid new Congress Square
hotel. and each and every detail or his
business is looked after carefully and
closely every day, yet he gets time to give
a great deal of attention to Walnut Crest,
his summer home.
On recent visit to the farm the large
herd of fine COWS, the quantity of sheep,
the large, sleek work horses, the beauti-
full collie dogs and puppies each and all
attracted our careful and critical atten
ton. There were so many more in num-
Der and of so much more valuable quality
than we anticipated, that we were thor
oughly surprised and entertained. The
ordinary barn that we lind in the average
Maine farm Guild make but a small
begI inning in housing the many animals
to be found at Walnut Crest. There are
on these premises eight separate and
distinct barns, one OF which is ia feet
long and wing at one side makes very
tieup. In this large barn are
kept the choicest of the ows, while
another barn near by furnishes a dell ght-
full home for the big work horses, and
it is worth a long trip to see these fine
animals. The heaviest pair weigh owe +
1900 pounds each, while the horses used |
on the milk cart weigh fully l40O pounds |
and are the lightest horses kept on the
farm.
The only horned stock kept are COWS,
and the proprietor and his superintend- |
emit are always on the lookout for an ex
ira good animal. They are milking now
about 80 COWS and send to Portland each
300 quarts OF milk for select |
customers They say that their milk
route Is growing daily and within year
it will take an even 100 COWS to supply |
them The big barn where these COWS /
lind their home is furnished with all
the modern conveniences, q crib raised sew |
earl inches from the floor and betWe en- |
each two COWS a box containing salt. /
Nothing is left undOn6 that could add I
to the comfort or cleanliness OF the stock
The milk room, just outside the barn
is distinct room and a model of neat /
ness and cleanliness. Not flavor of any
hing that could faint the milk is al
lowed to enter this room or the huge re-
fr1gerator where che milk is kept.
The two dairy breeds, Guernseys, Jer-
seys cattle, are continued as distinct
herds, At the head of the Jersey stan us
Premier Pedro 1922, great f0ur-year-
old bull, purchased at the recent H0-
bart sale in Dover Here is one OF the
best bred and most desirable individuals
to be found in any Jersey herd in the
land. With him came splendidly bred
thorough bred heifer, from which much
is expected Both OF these animals come
from stock which have tested for several
S8 pounds of butter per week.