The independent-reporter., 1910-07-07
HILLSIDE FARM OF
|. c. TRAFTON
Fertile Fields Valuable
Woodland Sleek Herds
Ten Acres of Fragrant Red and Alslke
Glover Blooms.

to Rome,-but each one running at
its own sweet will, takes those who
follow its meanderngs TO many a
scene of beauty. Just outside the vii
lage on the so-called back road. a
turn to the right brings you by a shad-
ed way over an outlying spur of Bige-
low hill to one of the finest farms
in the region, so situated as
to overlook miles of woodland, green
fields and hillsides, the village in its
valley and the far off mountains,
MoXie, Bigelow, Abram and all the
rest
The low, broad, comfortable farm
house with it's numerous out build
ings, is the home of l.. G. Trafton,
thrifty and energetic farmer who
takes great pride in his well-tilled
acres, spacious barns and herd oi
sleek cattle. There are 1925 acres in
the farm of which 40 are planted with
potatoes, 10 with corn and 25 are re-
Gently seeded down to clover and
Hungarian grass. Perhaps his great
est pride, just now, is the clover patch
north of the barns and the corn field
ten acres of hillside sloping toward
the morning sun and now one mass
of red and white bloom. Unless the
eye has seen, the mind can not realize
the marvellous beauty of the field
! where nodding heads of red and white
and pink nod and jostled each other in
the breeze, nor can the soul imagine
the odors like those we dream OF
breathing in the fields of everlasting
youth and spring. Standing on the
edge of this field of blossoming beau
ty, the vision is delighted with the
sight of the neighboring village ant
distant mountain peaks, while the
master of it all stands quietly by
pleased at your pleasure in his pos.
sessions.
Returning to the house you see
the herd of Jersey cows coming leis.
urely up from the pasture,-twenty.
two of them, now, to be MIXED every
night. The live stock on the farm
numbers 48 head among which are
counted four fat and contented look
ing work horses. A big silo at
tached to one of the barns show:
that Mr.. Trafton understands the
value of the newest methods in feed
ing his cattle.
AS you sit on the long veranda, by
your side lies the faithful dog, Scott
who welcomed you with frieRdls
bark and paw offered for a shake
and you may look TO the left over the
hillside, through the pasture, dowr
the long slope and up again to Bloom
field cottage. Straight as it could go
once ran between these two spots, tht
road pioneers Travelled from theil
settlement along the river to that a
Norridgewock. First an Indian trail
perhaps, then the path by which
white horsemen iourneyed, theI
marked by wheel-ruts and at last de
serted for easier ways, the ghost o
watching eyes. The farm itself hat
a story which it would tell if W,
would listen. of those who cleared
it from the wilderness. For three
/ generations, at least, before Mr. Traf
ton came here. these acres belonged
to a branch of that Weston family
famous in the annals of our town
the last one of them to own 1t beint
w. H. Weston who now resides or
One slope of the hill repeats the
story of the early days when the set
tiers axes waged war against the
forest, for since Mr.. Trafton came
he has cut off 5000 cords of woot
from the place and yet has splendid
woodland growing. On the edge OF
the road in the midst of the clearing
the passer-by may see the camp BULL
for the woodsmen when the cutting
began, and now fitted up as home
| for the family of the faithful helper
Mr.. Trafton has found in the person
of Martin Noonan, New Brunswick
man who has been his right hanC
man f-all-work for seven years.
bunch of clover blooms on the win.
dow sill speaks of the appreciation
somebody else has of yonder clover
field.
AS you drive away, just before sun
set, you are almost glad of the devas-
tation, you at first deplore, so charm
ing is the view you get over the
springing bushes that are speedily
hiding the scars of the axe; but when
you reach the shadow of the wood
again, just beyond Pennell's spring
and hear the white -throats's evening
hymn, you are glad not all the
forest has been cleared even to make
room for such fertile fields as you
have just visited.
WHAT BACKACHE MEANS.