A SUCCESSFUL DAIRY FARM. 23 



BUTTER PRODUCTION. 



The cows freshen during the fall, so that most of the butter is pro- 

 duced ill the winter: fresh pasture conies on at such a time in th(^ ])»'riod 

 of lactation as to prolong the flow of milk in the spring. The cows 

 produce on an average a pound of l)utter each per day for three hun- 

 dred days in the year— that is^ 30,000 pounds of butter from KX) cows 

 in the course of a year. The ])utter is sold -as soon as made the year 

 round to regular customers, mainly in New York City. The selling 

 price is 35 cents, Mr. McDonald paying the express charges to the 

 city. By the use of plenty of hay and skim milk for the calves as 

 they grow up they are kept in vigorous shape and breed rather earlier 

 than the average, so that many of the heifers are in milk at two years 



of age. 



POULTRY PRODUCTION. 



Four hundred of the 600 hens kept on the farm are housed in one 

 long, cheaply constructed house. This house is divided so that 

 approximately 50 hens are in eaili iiiclosure. The other 200 hens for 

 breeding stock are kept in smaller ]icns in a separate location. 



RESULTS ACHIEVED. 



The gross receipts for a year for l)utter, eggs, and poultry, with 

 occasionally a small quantity of hay sold, amount to $10,000 in round 

 numbers. The annual expenses for grain are approximately |3,000; 

 for labor, another §3,000. The debt on this farm in 1875 is said to 

 have been $8,400, and to have been entirely cleared up in the twelve 

 years following that date. The hay land has been cleared of stumps 

 and stones, the buildings improved and added to (the dwelling house, 

 barn, and dairy now having slate roofs), the mill and electric-light 

 equipment have been put in, and the land rendered vastly more pro- 

 ductive than it was in 1875. 



The orchard back of the house has been made more productive by 

 general care, and especially by burying on the up-hill side of an apple 

 tree any animal which died on the farm. 



In spite of the simplicity of its cropping system, this farm has been 

 rendered so productive as to provide many of the comforts and con- 

 veniences usually attributed to city life, and to maintain a large fam- 

 il}'^ at the same time. 



102—11 



