Year: 1875




We have had the pleasure of visiting the


dairy farm of Irving Fish, of Cedaryille.


The Old farm is historic ground to the stu


dent OF the development of American dairy


ing. Here 1t was that the trade in cheese


with England began. This was long before


the introduction of the factory system 1t


was upon this farm that Mr. Fish made that


wise selection Of cows from which he Sc


cured yield of SIC pounds Of cheese dur


ing one season from each cow. 1t was this


farm TO which the State society in the early


days awarded a premium for the best dairy


farm in the State.


The Fish farm as it now extends consist,


OF 100 acres Of open land and 80 acres of


timber. The land is chiefly high and with


General inclination toward the east II is


ST. jng land and has shown itself to be very


productive. 1t is a pleasant stretch of land


to look upon. The first thing which the


observer will notice il the almost perfect
cleanliness of the soil from weeds and foul
growth Of every kind There is almost
nothing of the weed kind to mar the smooth
even surface Of the land As the visitor
comes upon the pastures for closer examina-
ton he Is gratte1 to find thickness and
Z
dairy farms. As we saw these indications of
good farming we were prompted to ask by
what system OF culture these results were
attained. We learned first that the eradi-
cation Of weeds had been the special aim Of
the senior cultiyator. He accomplished it
by eternal vigilance and continual effort.
Whenever weeds appeared in the pastures
they were untiriusly moved when in BIOS
som before their seeding time.


Mr.. Fish had tussle with white daisies,
and finally routed them, root and stem. Salt
was the agent in this work Mr. Fish pur-
chased five barrels Of cheap salt, which had
been spoiled by soakage with canal water.
lie cut Oft the daisy and dropped a handful
OF salt upon the root. This killed the daisy.
The first year he used five barrels Of salt in |
this way. The next year two barrels was |
sufficient 70 doctor all the daisies which |
appeared. The next year few bushels was |
enough to do the work. And now each year |
half bushel settles the case Of the few |
plants which spring from the seeds carried |
from neighbors' fields In this wsv Mr.. |
Fish has been enabled to cover his pastures |
with bright green and valuable growth, |
while the neighboring fields are white with !
crop OF dasies. Mr.. Fish has also special /
treatment Tor milk-wecl Is lie finds that 1
moving does not kill them. but taking |
light rod and switching down the leaves
when the ? ant is in full milk opens its
veins and lets it bleed to death.


We were interested also to learn Mr..
Fish : system of cultivating his grass lands
lie does not agree with those dairy writers
who advocate permanent pastures There
may be certain favored localities where Il
permanent pasture Will sustain itself but
he believes this is not the rule lie believes
in the cultivation Of grass lands, and when
the soil becomes packed and fixed he would
break it up pulyerize it as much as possible,
and make good bed for re-seeding And
when he does this and applies the manure
and turns under the old sod, rich in manu-
rial qualities, he does not believe in exhaust
ing tins richness by rotation Of cropping be-
lore putting down to pasture again. Tie
Will take of one crop of corn or grain, in
order that the soil may have chance to
tighten up and the Old sod to rot But
when this enriching reaches It's best estate,
and before It IL exhausted he puts in his
grass seed again, and it finds the soil in the
best condition for bending down grass roots
10 reach deep foundation. Mr. Fish re-
CARDS grass a. crop Of itself, and cultiyates
1t as crop. In this respect his practice is
worthy Of the imitation OF many OF our
dairy farmers. lie does not look upon grass
as cloak to cover exhausted soil The re-
suit Is that his fields look rather ike fresh
meadows than ike the common pastures OF
the country.


A. Mr.. Fish does not believe in exhaust
ing the goodness Of the soil before seeding.
50 he does not believe in Scaluins it after
the turf is fixed. lie does not practice close
cropping either with grain or with teeth
Instead Of oyerst0cking his fields he believes
It more profitable to get the returns from
fewer well fed cattle, and leave covering
on the ground Tor the protection of the grass
roots and the enriching Of the soil. There
Is one way TO measure the profit of this
practice with cultivation of grass lands and
temp feeding from them, that is by ex
perience. When the senior Mr.. Fish took
the land from his father all the stock kept
upon the farm was twenty-five head, count
ing in the working animals, and the yield Of
grain and winter feed only filed parts of two
small barns. Now the farm furnishes sum
mer and winter keep for seventy animals,
and while it has been improving to this ex
tent it has yielded from farm profits actual
cash amounting to three times its value


This result has been attained by the sys
tenn of cultivation and by the careful preser-
Sation ofsnch manurial material as has beer
produced upon the farm. No commercial
fertilizers have been purchased, no money ,
except in plaster and labor has been given tc
the soil. The secret has been in system
IF culture which has made the land better
and more productive and at the same time
profitable in a business point of view. This
5 one Of the secrets of success in farming,
md if it had been more widely understood
md applied we should not now have so much I
that the farm is Improbable, and
We should not have so many strong Young !
men languishing in oyer-crowded prOle@-
lions. The farm has not had fair chance
with the other business enterprises. 1t has
lot been tried often enough for all there is
n it. But there is promise now, as better
,ounsels are prevailing, that II more en-
ightened system of agriculture will become
general