The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-10-02
MRS. RussEIL's FINE DAIRY FARM.
She superlntends the Work and il Enthusiast
tically in Love With Belleville.

The wife of Governor Russell has long
conducted one Of the best dairy farms in
the State AMI is proud of it. She has re-
Gently made contract with Mr.. Warren,
OF Wilmington, who will take all the
butter and milk from Belleville Farm, her
farm near Wilmington, situated in Bruins
wick county. Writing Of this model
farm, reporter Of the Wilmington Mes
senger says:
Mrs, Russell's Belleville dairy is in
Brunswick county, just beyond the two
rivers, three miles from the city. Belle
vile is the home place of Ex-Governor
Russell and he resides there in the pala-
tial residence he built couple of years
ago.
In order to let Messenger represen-
tative see how first class dairy is con-
Quoted. Mr.. Warren drove him over to
Belleville and placed him in position
to be initiated in the mysteries. Cross
Ing at Market street ferry, we drove
two miles across Eagles Island then
crossed the Brunswick river bridge into
Brunswick county. A spin of mile down
the river brought US to the dairy and
1t was the afternoon milking time when
we arrived.
Mr.. M. F. Pridgen, the clever superin-
tendent of the governors farm, cour-
teously showed US over the dairy, saying
that Mrs. Russell had gone to Southport.
She always gives the dairy her personal
supervision and her interest and enthu-
siasm in the work is such. that she keeps
her eyes on all the operations.
AT present there are IS fine cows in her
herd and of these thirty-fv are milk
ers. They were tied up in clean stalls
and a dozen tidy milkmen were busy
milking the cows. They do it very
rapidly with both hands and have be-
come very dextrous and expert at the
business AS fast as a pail is full, it
is taken to a nice building in the lot
where it is emptied into the aerator.
Aeration takes all the animal heat from
the milk Immediately so that it will
keep fresh and pure thirty-six hours Ion
ger than milk not so treated. The areator
is device with metal weirs that are
hollow. A pipe carries pure, fresh wa
ter into the aerator, and there is a con-
slant flow from large tank that is kept
supplied by wind mill The water is
forced upwards through the weirs and
discharges through another pipe so that
there is constant flow that makes the
metal exceedingly cold Over the weirs is
a receptacle into which the milk is poured
and 1t runs down over the cold wers, at
the same time getting the advantage of
the fresh air as it streams down into a
strainer. The milk goes through the
strainer into a receptacle with faucet
and there girl wearing nice dress and
a white apron fills the milk jars and cans,
being scrupulously careful that there is
always the correct measurement in each
To- ns Thn invs i'm,
mediately stopped and then the product
is ready for the city.
Everything about the dairy is kept
white-washed and in attractive and
clearly condition. The cows are in the
best of order and we found out the
secret why Belleville milk is so rich and
rich pasturage Of unlimited acres OF
lowlands and up-lands, luxuriant with
pea vines, crab grass, and cane brakes.
Besides this the cows are fed four times
a day with chopped food, cotton seed
meal, cotton seed hulls, cracked corn
wheat bran, and other rich feed They
also get fresh water to drink from a
clean trough that is supplied from the
wind mill tank. In the lot is a steam
plant for chopping pea vines, hay, ETC.,
and for cracking corn and preparing the
feed in the most approved manner. There
are also two huge kettles of twenty gall
Ions capacity each where in the winter
time the food is cooked, among other
feed being corn meal, turnips, potatoes
and pumpkins, great quantity of which
is grown on the place.
eat the present time the two millings
a day produce Is quarts of milk, but
Mr.. Warren says when he gets the de-
mand up the capacity will be doubled.
The cattle now on the place are Jerseys,
Durhams, Attorneys, Holsteins and
Guincas, and the aim Of Mrs, Russell is
to have the finest stock. With the pro-
duct of her dairy already sold she will
now go on with her purpose in making
it model one in every PARTICULAR