Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-11-03
An Interesting Dairy Plant.


Thirteen years ago Mr.. Fred E. Love
joy, a travelling salesman in Portland
moved out to Aliens Corner, and took g
house and began rural life for the bene.
fit of his health. He bought single
COW and the neighbors soon found out
that that COW gave most excellent milk,
and they came after it in such numbers
that Mr.. Lovejoy was compelled to add
another cow to his herd. This he kept
doing until he got l20 head, one of the
finest herds in Maine, il not in New
England. He had large and very valu'
able milk route in the city of Portland
and was doing prosperous business,
when last summer fire came and destroy.
ed his entire buildings, and Mr.. Love
JOY being in poor health decided not to
rebuild, and set about to dispose of his
herd. About this time Mr.. Seth F.
Sweetsir, an old time dairyman, who
had moved from New Gloucester into
Mr.. Lovejoy's neighborhood, became in
terested in the proposition aud purchas-
ed third interest in the plant, now
known as the Home Dairy Company and
he was elected president, while Clifford
W. Lovejoy, son of the originator, was
chosen secretary and treasurer. They
organized with capital stock of Sl0,-
900, purchased a set of buildings near
the site of the old stand, and commenc-
ed to build up modern dairy plant.
To-day they have 80 fine cows, and are
building a tie-up l07 feet long and 80
feet wide, that will accommodate 70
cows. 1t will be fitted with the King
ventilating system and will be thorough
ly up to date in every respect. They
have two silos with capacity of 250
tons, and have just harvested % acres of
Michigan dent corn, that stood an aver
age of ten feet all over the field. Ii
more than filled the silo and another
season more silos will be a necessity.
They have in the farm 400 acres of the
best land in Cumberland County, and
another season they are going to add
truck farming to their business, as they
fiud that they can just as we'll handle
vegetables in selling milk as not. Mr..
SweetSir is giving his entire attention to
producing 400 quarts of milk per day
which sells readily to the best people in
Portland for nine cents quart. His
herd averages 10 quarts per day right
through the year. A Holstein heifer
three years old produces 10 quarts per
day and has for some time. She cost
$50 as two-year-old aud it Is very easy
to see how long il will take for her to
pay for herself. Mr.. Sweetsir is most
discriminating handler and feeder of
his herd. Each and every COW looks
bright and in good working form. He
has discarded the method that was
adopted by the former superintendent
known as the Massachusetts, plan OF
high feeding and milking a COW eighteen
months and then sending her to the
block. He thinks it is very wasteful
method. To be sure the same number
of cows will produce more milk in a
given length of time, but at fearful
cost he thinks. He proposes to go back
to the old method of breeding his cows
and having them freshen regularly and
believes that with proper care and at
tentiOn he can improve them year by
year, for a given period, at least. As
Mr.. Sweetsir does everything methodi-
cally the result of his experiment will be
watched with not little interest by up
TO date dairymen.
Mr.. SweetSir will be remembered as a
former member of the executive COM
mittee of the Maine State Grange. He
is still much interested in Grange work,
and gives all the attention to Grange
meetings that he can spare from the en-
crossing cares of his herd. He is very
fortunate, we think, in his new conpec-
tons. Mr. Lovejoy, Jr., the secretary
and treasurer of the company, is young
man full of enthusiasm for the work and
together they make very strong team,
and there can be but one result. Mr.
Sweetsir owns a small farm of thirty
acres where he lives opposite the home
dairy plant.
When this plant is completed we are
promised picture of the buildings,
also exact data of some of the def
mite work that Mr.. Sweetsir is about to
take up. While some have thought that
nine cents was not enough for the class
of goods being produced, Mr.. Sweetsir
believes that il is paying price aud as
his customers are all perfectly satisfied
with it he will not attempt TO raise it,
for the present at least,-Turf, Farm
and Home.