The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-12-05
ABOUT. A SKOWHEGAN
AGR|CULTUR|ST
An Interesting Account of Eaton
Mountain Farm and the Methods
Employed by Its Owner, Roland t.
Patten.

Patten.
In a recent edition of the Lewiston
Journal there was printed a most in
teresting account of Eaton Mountain
Farm, detailed description Of it's
surroundings and an excellent idea
depicted of the work being done by
that prominent agriculturist, Roland
T. Patten, the owner and proprietor
We publish only a brief portion of
this interesting write-up owing to
lack of time.
Eaton Mountain farm is highly in
teresting place to visit. MIR. Patten
has lately secured the services of Mr..
and Mrs. Max w. Mitchell of Bangor
to take charge of the farm and house.
He is a practical farmer and Is TAX
ing hold of his new duties with an in
terast nearly as keen as that OF the
owner, On the occasion of the
writer's visi. everything was in the
and sanitary around the buildings
thus showing the perfection of the
prevailing system.
The new barn is a model of its
kind. 1t is 100x4r feet in size and cost
$1,000 to construct Every modern de-
vice and sanitary improvement may be
found within its walls. The tie-up
floor is of solid concrete and an over
head trolley car takes all the drop
pings from the cattle to the farther
end where they are dumped into a
concrete pit At present Mr.. Patten
are milking COWS. The place also has
four working horses and some so or
more highly bred and registered White
Chester swine His mich COWS are
of the Holstein breed and nearly all
of them registered pure bloods.
The barn is finely finished and con-
yenient in all of its appointments.
Near the main entrance weighing
scales are set in and beneath the floor
so that everything entering the build
ing can be weighed. So nicely are
these scales adjusted that they will
weigh two tons of hay or band box
of millinery as may be required. On
the right of the floor are several
apartments for grain, harnesses and
storage of various kinds. Then comes
the great hay NOV and beyond this
and at the farther end of the build
ing is the machinery room Here is
the gasoline engine that does all the
hard labor of the place, and here is
the separator run by the same power
An ensilage cutter is in this room and
from here the huge 100 ton silo on
the outside can easily he filled. An
original idea here is to use the cutter
to cut the straw used for bedding and
this is blown across and over the tie
up into a big bin from which it can
be dropped to the concrete floor be
low. Water is also brought into the
barn so the cattle are not obliged to
leave their shelter in order to get
drink In short every convenience is
here and every labor saving and milk
producing device that money can buy
may be found beneath the roof of this
splendid barn structure. The old
barns that were on the place when
purchased by Mr.. Patten are a short
distance away, and these have been
converted isto houses for swine and
poultry
The farm of 200 acres is well diyid-
ed into orchard, tillage, pasture and
wood lots. The big pasture that takes
in Eaton mountain contains II acres,
during the summer months. The fields
are being highly cultivated and with
in a few years will be brought up to
fine state of fertility. Twelve acres
of silage corn had just been harvested
and cut up when the writer was. there,
and this was sufficient to fill the big
silo that is 14x28 feet in dimensions.
Eighty tons of hay made up the crop
that was put into the barn this sum
mer from the fields Potatoes have
not been made specially, but few
that were planted made yield that
averaged $50 bushels per acre, and
this shows what can be done in this
direction on Eaton Mountain Farm.
The leading and most suggestive
feature here is the system of keeping
a record of every crop and every item
of expense Each crop is kept by it.
self and is charged with interest on
the value of the land where it is grown
as the first item. The average value
of this land Is usually placed at about
s50-according to its location and con-
dition. The crop is then charged with
one-third the cost of the fertilizer
used the previous year, as it is esti
mated that one-third is left to the sue
ceeding year The next item charged
against the crop is two-thirds the cost
of the fertilizer used the same year,
as the other third goes over to the
next year Then comes the items of