The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-30
A DEPARTMENT FARM ON THE
 HILLS OF CHAMBERS COUNTY
The Model Farm of William (. Thomas Where 5000 Pounds of Butter are Made Yearly and Where
 Stock is Raised For the Market.

In its stead, and on its site, a modern farm house, spacious and convenient, was erected. The house sits in clus- ter of fruit trees. There Is perhaps not a berry, not a fruit that grows in East Alabama, which may not be found in the orchards about the Thomas home. Peaches of every sort, plums, quinces, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, pears, apples, oceans. English walnuts, all of their allotted places in the fine horti- cultural exhibit about the Thomas home. No tree is allowed to grow by chance or accident. They are as care fully looked after as if their products were of importance as money bringers to the farm. These fine and inviting orchards were years in the making. and each had its own share of detail work of careful attention. The great departure from the old farming, that which would have mark ed out the Thomas place for notice and for distinction if nothing else would have done so, is the butter making in- dustry, of which MT. Thomas was the pioneer and the founder. At the pres ent time from the little station of Gold Hill at least 12,000 pounds of fine Jer- sey butter are shipped out each year. That's a big total, a thousand pounds of butter a month--and at a place from which a few years ago not a single | pound was shipped.
 Making Jersey Butter. MT. Thomas saw money in the mak- | ing and shipping of Jersey butter. He went into it on an extensive scale. The returns were even better than he | expected His neighbors saw his sue | cess. They watched the working of his dairy farm and there are very few farmers about Gold Hill now who are | not engaged in the butter making in- dustry. Even the negroes have taken | it up. A negro woman will work about l the farm or the farm of his neighbors until she has learned how the excel l lent butter is made, for all this butter shipped away from Gold Hill is as fine ah could be bought anywhere in the country. The woman who learns the necessary care and attention to details in this industry manages somehow to get hold of a COW of the Jersey breed and embarks upon the butter shipping business.
 In this way a distinct industry has been established on the Chambers County hills. The pioneer industry of butter making and butter shipping about Gold Hill is known and com mented upon all over East Alabama. Butter brokers have set up business at Gold Hill and make a living by buy ing butter from the small producers and shipping 1t to other places.
 Over half of this Chambers County butter making industry, however, is confined to the originator of the enter prise, William c. Thomas. MT. Thomas keeps constantly on hand at least hundred head of full blooded and thor oughbred Jersey cattle. The sale of calves form no little consideration in the economy of the farm. MT. Thomas has received and filled car load orders for his Jersey calves. Moreover he
 finds a ready sale for full grown Jer- sey cows, which bring easily $S5 apiece. In the course of year MT. Thomas or dnarily sells $6,000 worth of heifers
 In the conduct of his dairy business MT. Thomas usually has milked between thirty and forty cows. The modern and perfectly equipped dairy barn which he uses as the basis for his ex- tensive butter making, accommodates forty-one cows. These Jersey cows which Mir Thomas has found to be the very best for butter making, give from two and a half to three. gallons of milk daily
 The pasturage for his cattle is ex- t%usively of Bermuda grass. In the opinion of MT. Thomas no other pas turage gives half the fine results of Bermuda grass. One of the finest pas lures he has was made from what was formerly a most Inpromising bog. but after it had been cleared. scientifically
 
 came the finest stretch of pasturage on the place.
 Mir. Thomas Is authority on forage rlants. For fifteen years or more he has been growing these forage plants and carefully noted the results he has obtained. The forage plant which he prefers and which he has found to give unduestionabls results is mixture of rye and wheat. In growing this he mixes a bushel of rye and bushel and a half of wheat for the planting of one acre. This Is said to give near ly double the amount of returns re- ceived from other forage plants. It gives q peculiar thick and rank foliage. The vegetation on the land so planted, when we saw 1t in the month of April was rank and full. The rye and wheat stalks were as high as the head of six foot man.
 Butter Making Food.
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