Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1909-02-26
Writes D tie Perkins Farm


ia North d dakota lNlagaz
winds BY \ 9 nice grove has replaced ia
the claim shanty built On the open
prairie.
a new horse barn ~ being planned i,
for and then the small older buildings u
will be RACED Or converted into hog |
houses.
The cow barn is the chief pride of
the farm as one WIN soon leazsaAassFhen
talking to- Mr.. Perkins. Its size III
s36x120 feet. The cattle stand fastenedI
I'M stanchions, with til cir heads toward
the center on q plank floor The guts
ter and floor to the rear Of the cows
are of concrete. as Is also the feed All
ley. Swinging sanitary managers with
an Individual feed box for each animal
are provided
Litter carriers are installed and the /
manure hauled daily ia the stabling
season to the fields and scattered With
manure spreaders, Of which there areit
two on the farm he loft has track
running the full lengt for the hay
fork. AT the north end Of the barn
stand two stave5 silo each 1882 feet
with Al combined capacity Of $50 tons
E.of silage. The silos stand about eight
feet apart. Shoots are bull running
4 the entire height Of them, down which
4 the silage drops into afeed cart stand
ling at the lower opening In q small
4 building that connects the silos at the
bottom. The cart Is then pushed
4 through the entire length OF the barn
q Mr. Perkins plants about forty acres
Of fodder corn and has these silos5 full
each year. visited the farm III early
August, pastures were rather dry tn5
the vicinity, but with several feet Of
| silage ID one silo to draw from, the
condition Of the pasture did not seem
I to worry him bit and the foW of
!, milk was holding up nicely So 4.
]. have heard farmers say they were
afraid to build staye silos In the Da-
kotas for fear they would blow down.
These silos have been built Ave years,
and do mot show the least twist from
the Weather neither does MI. Perkins
J complain Of serious trouble from the
! silage freezing 5#5:5.5s
i One Of the most interesting things
Eabout the farm to the casual caller is
j the milking machine. AT the present
|. time this lis the only farm In the state
3 equipped with this style Of machinery
q It has been in active use for the past
I. year, and results seem quite satisfac
I. tory to MI. Perkins. he OUTFIT con
!. sists Of a three-h horse gasoline engin.
and air pump, both located about 10l
8. feet from ii 4 barn tto the dreamer,
. building, pipes running to the bar
and along the stanchion by the cows
% shoulders, and three mill On
= man looks after the mixers: 81
NJ cows are MIXED at one time, excer
&, the few seconds required to remove
81 machine, empty the milk and attac
AZ it to other cows. Tt requires fro1
s three to ten minutes for the machin
@ to milk 9 COW. pending g On how niue
~ she gives and the size Of the openin
In the teats. Hard milking cows I,
quires q longer time than those thu
milk easy.
i After the hines are through, th
man takes a pail and strips each 60,
81 to make sure that she IS mil ked Dir,
Is: The milk Is emptied into cans an
III carried is the dairy which is Quite We
rs equipped,
~ The outfit consists of al 1900 -poun
power separator and a allon CON
e bined churn and w worker. After fth
milkfEis separated IA starter is addsl
N To the cream and 1T is set III a. tan
81 cold water and held until churntn
III time. The gasoline engine that ful
M nishes power for the milking machin
also runs the separator churns an,
M pumps wat ather original plal
IS employed for heating water In th,
s dairy. round Il an upright heatinl
stove, excepting where the fuel doc
opens, ~ placed a copper reservoi
s8s that fits close 70 the stove resembling
a life preserYer II form. This reser
voir has an opening at the top wher,
Isl filed and has n faucet at the sidt
~ near the bottom where the water cal
#S3l be drawn holds about tWent.
gallons and II 4 very convenient AM
economical method Of heating the VA
ter needed ii the build besides Thu