Oxford Democrat., 1921-06-21
The Bradford Farm,

In recent Democrat, brief descrip.
tion was given of The Coy farm In the
southern part of the town of Oxford.
Near It is another farm which has had
many owners, not because the farm Ia
not valuable, but simply because of the
wsnderlust In the uneasy Yankee.
This farm was originally settled by
Norway man, Willard Buck, quite likely
because the land lay adjacent to the
farm of Jacob T. Washburp, who was
the father of bis first wife. The land
was largely uncleared when he took
possession, and he erected the buildings
which now stand on 1t. First be erected
the barn and the ell of the house. The
last was built OF brick burned at yard
on land just above the Washburn place,
(the first kilns In the town OF Oxford
perhaps.) Later two story front was
added. Mr.. Buck was msson as we'll as
farmer and In bis psrlor he displayed the
intrIcacies of bis art In q fancy frieze
and centerpiece, then almost unknown,
the time.
Mr.. Buck was what was known as q
general farmer. Every agriculturist
was general farmer in those days, but
II one gets the idea it was q hsp.hazard
affair be or she is mistaken. Environ
ment makes any business and the loss OF
any particular environments will kill
q business unless 1t Is possible to adapt
1t to the new condition of affairs.
In those days when the land had just
been cleared from the virgin forest,
potatoes would grow without other fer
tilizer than that possessed by the soil. |
1t was the one cash crop that could be
raised. With the building of the Allan |
tic & st. Lawrence Railroad, as the
Grand Trunk was then known, spud-
buyers would come around In the fall
Mostly and lift the entire crop. Farm
ers OF that day had rigid rotation of
crops, always and forever the same
Corn followed the potato crop, when the
land was dressed all it ever was. The
third crop was oats, and then the land
was seeded to grass. The corn and oats
we're eaten on the farm. Occasionally
some other grain was used, but the oat
was the staple. AZ for cattle, oxen were
the desirable thing In the way of stock. |
There was very little sale for dairy
products, so COWS were at a discount,
but oxen were the power that titled the |
soil, transported the crops, and did the
numbering. They were always In de- |
mand and brought cash price, 80 most |
farmers tried to raise pair of steers
each year to add to his cash profit. |
Most farms Of that day were carried on
In Q small way, but perhaps, for the
amount OF work, farmers never made
more money.
Mr.. Buck had the call of the west, so
be sold his farm and migrated first to
Iowa and then to Minnesota, in which |
state he died.
The second owner was . Paris man,
George r. Drake, who had been . mer.
chant In North Paris. He remained but
. short time, when he sold to Augustus
A. Noyes of Greenwood. There was mol
place like bis native town to Mr.. Noyes
and as soon as the opportunity occurred
be sold and moved back to Greenwood.
The next owners were two Paris men,
. Mr.. Warehouse and his son-in.law,
s. Porterfield Stuart. Mr.. Waterhouse
died on the farm and Mr.. Stuart became
sole owner and finished ont his life there.
he was succeeded by bis sou.in law,
Horace A. Holmes. Thus the farm re-
mained In single family for some years,
although there were three heads.
The last change was when the farm
passed into the hands of Oscar F. Brad
ford, whose wife Emma F. Soule) was
born on an adjoining farm.
Most of the arabic part of this farm
lies within the folds OF the Little Andro-
scoggin. Here the river rivals the path
of Q snake or an automobile with a green
chauffeur. Standing at the first bend
on the farm one can look across parts of
three farms within distance of one
hundred yards made by the serpentine
bed of the river. One of these fields
lies In long, narrow ox-bow not more
than thirty yards across In Its narrowest
part. The current is 80 strong on this
narrow part that the river literally bites
out number of feet each year, 80 1t is
only question of time when 1t will cut
through the narrow neck of land and
mako a straight course, leaving this OK
bow which now is on the western bank
of the river on the eastern one. Indeed
1t was pet scheme of Mr.. Waterhouse,
one time owner, to dam up the real
course and cut through the neck and
thus add sp extra field to bis farm; but
he concluded it was cheaper and easier
to let Mr.. Androsooggin do 1t.
This farm like all the others up and
down the river 10 grass farm, so the
principal business Is dairyiug.