Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-10-19
The Maine Sanatorium Farm.
tsrn.f Enrr, and Hama

Maine Sauatorium, We have been prom
ising him to make trip to that charm
ing spot and inspect the operations tha
come especially under his care. 1t il
not the purpose of this article to pa,
especial attention to the Maine SaDa
torium, which is an institution worthy o
the attention of the best people in ou
state, and we are more than pleased I,
know that it is receiving the thought
aid and sympathy of the grandest peopl
within our borders. As is well known i
is situated on Greenwood Mountain, il
the town of Hebron, in the foothills o
the White Mountains. Its location il
ideal, for the purpose for which it hs
been selected, as the storms which COM
down from the Great Lakes and the st
Lawrence basin pass to the north of tn,
mountain and the storms coming mp the
Atlantic coast pass to the south, thus
sparing this institution from the effect.
of both.
At the head of this institution, and it
principal promoter is DR.. Estes Nichols
thoroughly trained physician and a
specialist in tuberculosis. He has had {
wonderful experience, having cured him
self of this dread plague. But the pur
pose of this story is to tell something
about the farming operations that DR.
Nichols early realized would play an i'm
portant part in the work to be prosecut
en-. In his judgment fresh vegetables
and dairy products are invaluable in the
successful treatment of tuberculosis, SC
when he planned for the location he had
in mind a good farm, and he found this
in the old Rudolphus Greenwood place
which was one of the first to be settled
in Hebron. Other farms have been add
ed until now the Sanatorium comprises
nearly if not quite 500 acres. With a
good farm secured, the next thing was a
capable superintendent, and this was
found in the person of Mr.. Ii. G. Black,
who is now serving his third year. he
has simply wrought marvels with the
abandoned fields, and turned them into
fertile acres. He has taken pasture land
that was literally paved with rocks, and
left it a smooth grass field without
stone in sight He has taken an in
different herd of cows and turned them
into rich productive herd, each one
good business proposition. After gradu'
ating at the University of Maine where
he served for some time in the dairy de-
partment, he took charge of Prof. Nun
sons orchard farm in Minot until COM
ing to the Sanatorium. Mr.. Black is
very successful grower OF potatoes, and
has already harvested three acres OF
Early Harvests, getting about 25O bush
els to the acre, which found a ready
market at a good price. He has five
acres in Green Mountains that were
planted the last of May, just 90 days ago,
and they are all ready for digging. He
uses ton of phosphate to the acre, and
no barn dressing, and gets good crop
of good sized potatoes, practically no
small ones. He is looking for 1000
bushels from his five acres yet to dig.
Although the farm is so high up it is
wonderfully free from the effects OF
early drought or early frost. September
20 everything was as green as in July
and there was no indication that the
frost had retarded his crops to any per-
ceptible extent. In his desire to pro-
mote the dairy he has planted eleven
acres of corn, and it is all looking fine.
His eight acres of sweet corn is one OF
the most perfect pieces that we have
seen this year anywhere, and the silage
corn while later is coming fast these
DAYS, and will soon be ready to cut.
Mr.. Black plans to break up field and
plant it to potatoes, after first having
picked the rocks as closely as though he
was going to plant it to garden crop.
The potato cultivation gets the land in
splendid condition for corn, and he
plants the old fashioned horse tooth
variety for the silo. He uses an Iron
Age Sprayer on his crops, and Bordeaux
and arsenate of lead is the material be
uses for his potatoes.
Mr.. Black is great believer in the
value of garden for house and much
more for big institution such as he Is
catering TO, and in order to handle it the
easiest he has very long rows, and plants
everything, even to his best seed, with a
horse planter. The rows are 40 rods
long, and he has three acres in garden.
Then up near the house he has a very
early piece of ground that he calls the
kitchen garden, where the rows are ~
rods long. Then below the administra-
ton building is two acre piece devoted
TO small fruits. We haven't space to
begin to tell what they raise in these
gardens, but one item is $500 heads OF
cabbage. Boiled dinner is served once
day at the institution and cabbage be-
comes a very important factor. The
first of the season he had early cabbage
in such quantities that several tons were
sent to Portland market. Then they
raise tons and tons of table beets, lots OF
mangel wurtzels for the poultry, tons OF
pumpkins and squash, melons, aud beans
and peas galore. They had two and
half acres devoted to improved yellow
eyed beans. He probably raised the
best piece of wheat in Maine. 1t is all
full of clover and is to be fed unthreshed
to the hens.
But the crop that Mr.. Black was the
most proud of was field of IA acres
devoted to peas and oats. He took 81
tons off from this piece. This will De
fed unthreshed to the dairy cows. Mr.
Black says that this combination makes
a splendid feed for cattle. The peas
contain almost as much protein as al
falfa, while the oats furnish the car6o'
hydrates so essential TO rich milk. To.
matoes and celery are large crops, and
grow in great abundance. An eighth oil
an acre is devoted to parsnips alone
They breed the large English Yorkshire
hogs, having obtained the first stock
from the late Robert w. Lord, and are
able to produce yearlings that weigh be-
tween 500 and 600 pounds. They are
not at all coarse meated but develop
fast and mature early. Fifteen OF the
present herd are direct from the Lord
stock. They let the hogs run in tbeil
orchard and find that II is very helpful
as the hogs not only fertilize the trees
but stir the soil just enough to make the
trees vigorous and give their leaves the
very best coloring. There are in al
some thousand trees on the farm anc
Mr.. Black has had them sprayed regu
larly with most beneficial results. Ont
of the roads leading to the farm from
the main road runs through a line will
large branching trees heavily laden will
fruit on either side. This road has beer
built up in the most approved style, ant
is going to be permanent highway oil
the place.
AS we have already indicated the dair!
is of necessity a very essential part o
the agricultural operations, and aftel
trying all breeds Mr.. Black has settlec
upon the Holstein as the best breed
everything taken into consideration, ant
he is fast working for complete here
of full bloods. Already he has 46 heat
of cattle, II of them full blood animals
and is milking II cows. His herd II
headed by a young bull that Is produc
;no some of the best Young stuff we hav