The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1915-12-20
pETTIS REID'S BIG FARM
NOTED FOR MODERN IDEAS
EMPLOYED IN OPERATION

An Indianapolis newspaper prints
the, following about Pettis A. Reds
farm.
An Indiana farm that has kept step
4 with. the march of progress Is the 400
acre farm OF p. A. Reid. ten and a
half miles southeast of Richmond.
Electricity plays an important part
there in the lighting and power for
driving the machines and equipment
of recent invention.
Mr.. Reid, though prosperous Rich
mqpd manufacturer. loves farm life
and makes 1t a source Of recreation.
His farm superintendent is his SON.
in-law, w. B. Simmons. The farm
was previously owned by James Kelly,
the father-in-law Of Mr.. Reid. Mr..
Kelly had lived on this farm for eighty
!. years, until he died, twenty-odd years
ago. He was known as the most
progressive farmer in Preble County,
Ohio, being the first to take up new
cpnveniences. Mr.. Kelly bought the
first binder in that district.
When Mr.. Kelly died the farm was
rented out by the heirs until about
five years ago, when Mr.. Reid bought
1t. At that time there was the old
brick home of the Kellys, a barn and
corncrib. The old house was re-
: modelled and an addition built. It is
now an ideal home with many mod
ern conveniences, including a billiard
and poolroom.
Modern Horse Barn.
The barn was moved around and
enlarged, and is now known as the
horse barn. This is 30x20O feet, with
concrete floors and boarded horse
stalls. This barn accommodates
twenty head Of horses, including
number of imported Belg1ans and
Percherons. Each stall is equipped
with an automatic hay feed rack.
which is loaded by hand and pushed
up in place in the same manner as a
folding bed The horse then can pull
QUE the hay as needed without waste.
There is a hay NOW above. The build
ing is lighted with electricity. Numer-
Gus hydrants provide a water supply
for the. horses and for scrubbing.
There are twenty-five hydrants, all
told. in the farm buildings. A litter
ter of the barn.
Running parallel to this barn, across
a wide court, is the COW barn, which
is 40 feet wide, 225 feet long and A
feet high. In this barn, extending
over the entire upper floor, is hay
NOV which has capacity Of 500 tons.
There is not post in it. the roof be-
ing supported by heavy timbered
arches There are 100000 feet of lum-
ber in this structure. An electrically
driven hay fork delivers the hay to
any point along the center Of the en-
tire length of the now. The hay fork
is operated by an electric motor in
one corner of the. building. This is
labor and tive-saving device, and
therefore economical, since electricity
is used elsewhere. 49, e->~- :.
d Cow Barn Is White Enameied.
The COW barn accommodates 100 i'm
ported and registered Jersey cattle.
The floor is Of concrete. Stancheons
and Iron piping form the stalls. The
entire inside is white ename!ed. Rows
of windows line either side, giving
good ventilation and light. A center
pathway runs between two rows Of
!: fifty stalls each, with a feedroom at
the extreme end, from which the feed
is pushed on roller trucks to any point
desired.
Rows OF electric light bulbs hang on
cords down the passageways on either
Side. Each row of stalls is provided
with piping for the vacuum system
used in mechanical milking apparatus.
.e"B. l.. K" mixers are used. These are
placed between the cows and two are
MIXED with one machine. Two milk
ing machines are used and overseen
lby one man.
The litter is dropped into tunnel
underneath the floor. There is a
!spreader beneath which, when loaded
lis taken to the field and automatically
tempted.
/ Caro- Taken In the Milkhouse.
A milkhouse stands in front Of the
.Seow barn, wide driveway interven-
ling, Here is ninety-foot we'll, or
rather .spring, which flows eight gal
Ions minute. Two large tanks
holding 1000 gallons are filled by this
. flowing Well, the needed pressure be-
ing made by pumping air into the
tanks by means of compressor.
which is used for heating the water
for sterilizing all milking equipment,
etc. and providing hot water for
washing The milk passes through a
separator. which separates the milk
and cream. The cream is sold and
the milk is fed to $50 head Of full
blooded Duroc hogs. Milking is done
twice daily.
A large paved court 225 feet long
and eighty feet wide extends be-
tween the COW and horse barns. at the
rear OF which is the wagon barn, eigh-
ty-five feet long, sixty-five feet wide
and eighteen feet high. In this barn,
along the entire side next to the court,
is rat-proof corn crib, eight feet
Wide The crib is covered with
quarter-inch mesh wire.
To one side Of the center of the
court stand two large hollow clay
tile silos, 40x1S feet, which hold 420
tons of ensilage. Fifty acres Of corn
are required to fill the silos, and it
takes forty men five and one-half
days to do the work.