The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-28

than two years she was her own herd
man; she even ran the gang pillow with
four horses and cut oats, corn, alfalfa
and timothy.
Success brought lust Of success. In
the beginning she laid her own plans.
She bought Holsteins and Guernseys,
mixed the two products for baby milk,
and established a high-priced market in
Chicago. She made the farm pay for
three or four years. Then she went to
the College of Agriculture at Wisconsin
and took a course. Her farm grew ia
nous. She refused an offer of twenty
five hundred dollars an acre for it. She
continued to oversee her score of men,
her 200 head OF cattle, her 125 mixers,
her truck garden and complacently to
clear a dozen thousand of dollars every
year. She established a reputation for
sanitary methods. Her patrons were con-
Stunning some thirteen or fourteen hun
dred quarts per day of Crab Tree FARMS
output, and clamoring for more. Then
the plant burned down. 1t was her first
serious setback; the fight she made to re-
establish was her second battle with cir
cumstances. But she won. Not only did
she build again. but she built better. She
copied the Normandy style of buildings
with tiled red roofs and little green
blinds and she saw that every new and
desirable feature was added.
Her third victory was won over Royal
George. That partrician beast was the
most famous bull on the islands of
Guernsey and Alderney, the son of Gov
ernOr of the Chene. Mrs. Durand de-
sired George for her herd: she desired
him very much indeed. But the old man
who owned him was horrOr-stricken at
the thought Of allowing him to leave the
island. Mrs. Durand used tact: she
played with his grandchild, she brought
gifts to his old wife, she made herself
liked by his family. And when she went
away the old man made at least a rum
ming start toward living happily ever
after on the sum she left in Georges
place. He and forty-two COWS which she
had chosen were shipped to the barn at
Lake Bluff
Then there was another battle over
the little fat jugs which are exclusively
hers and on which she has a United
States design patent. A dealer who no
ticed that the jugs were popular installed
them in his own business. Her answer
was delivered through her patent attor-
ney. and he paid $4,000 for his indis-
erection. She fought again with the
state milk inspectors who objected to her
method OF bedding the cows with shaw
ings. the state regulation maintaining
that the floor of stables shall be bare
boards The inspectors refused at first
to certify the milk from her farm unless
she complied with the letter of the law.
She told them to clear out-and they
did.
She has fought other fights OF less
personal nature. The forcing of dairy
cows, she contends. is neither humane
nor fair and she battles against it when
ever she speaks in public. She has also
declared herself against the middleman,
favoring a cooperative milk retailing
company. This last contention. however,
is not yet final
And with so many victories to remem-
Der, is 1t any wonder that Mrs. Durand
expects to get the best of the battle with
the commission in the end! As for
the little liberty with the commissioners
names-well, it's her party. And the
calves are still gamboling round the
meadows at Crab Tree farm. It's always
possible that she wouldn't feel badly IL
they contracted the hoof and mouth
disease.