Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-09-20
Sunuymead Farm.

Sunuymead Farm.
Just south of the Hartman farm is tn
Sunnymead Farm carried on by A. D
Cummings. This is 0 dairy farm run
ming from the Little Androscoggin Rive
to the range of hills on the eastern On,
of 1t. lie composition is much like tn
Hartman farm, an intervale on the river
large field on the upland plain will
pasture and woodland beyond the Crane
Trunk Railway, which runs through th
farm.
The large field around the building
is we'll adapted to gardening and is use(
for this purpose. The present year saw
on 1t large piece of peas, with earl!
sweet corn, potatoes and other vegeta
bles which we're marketed In their sea
son. Beside these garden crops ther.
was large field of corn on the bach
side of the field, where the land drops
OF suddenly TO the river.
Although Mr.. Cummings does q large
market business, his farm Is q dairy
farm and he keeps large herd of full
blood Holstein cattle, which may be
seen in the pasture beyond the railroad
He Is very much interested In these, and
his herd is largely and favorably known
throughout Oxford County. He always
has q large number of animals at the
county fair.
Mr.. Cummings barn is particularly
adapted to the dairy business. he has,
within few years, erected an addition
running at right angles to the old struc
ture for the express purpose Of housing
his cattle. No hay or grain is kept near
them, 80 these feeds are never oontami-
mated by the stenches which are usually
present in buildings where stock is kept.
The entire stand Of buildings is very
attractive. The house erected by for.
mer owner is story and . half Gothic
structure with sharp roof and many
gables, also fancy trimmings. Beside
the house and barn there is stable and
other buildings. The grounds about
them are we'll kept. with driveways run
ming to the buildings which have been
paved the present year with pulverlzed
rock from the crusher, which has been
running on the ledge near the Twitchell
place for the past two years for the con-
Of the new concrete road.
This farm like the Hartman place
was first settled by a member of the
Richards family, Benjamin Richards.
ae came here in 1918 and lived here un-
til his death in 1858.
he was succeeded by bis son, George
w. Richards. This latter Mr.. Richards
began life on the Grand Trunk Railroad
and became an engineer. When the
Panama Railroad, the predecessor of the
canal now flowing across the isthmus,
was built, the rolling stock was quite
largely manufactured in Portland, and
the road largely manned by Grand
Trunk railroad men. Mr.. Richards was
among the first to take place at the
throttle in that stretch Of rusty iron.
There were several other engineers from
this section who went to Panama, among
them Stephen Pottle of Norway and
Roland Bonney of Paris.
There was good deal of romance and
adventure in this hazard. The jungle
along the track was infested with jag.
uars, monkeys, big snakes and yellow
fever, of which sll of these men saw
The towns &C either end
we're tropical, pioneer settlements, filled
with filth, rum palaces, gambling bells
and dance halls, yet 1t was here that
Balboa, Pizarro and Henry Morgan made
history.
Mr.. Richards remained on the isthmus
twelve years, six years Of the time ss
engineer of regular train and four years
as master Of the mechanical department.
On Q vacation In 1857 he bought the
home farm and returned to It for good
10 1875. He lived ON It until his death.
Mr.. Cummings, the present proprietor,
married daughter.