4 N. H. Agricultural Experiment Station [Bulletin 266 



The farms comprisiug the experimental group were selected with 

 considerable care with particular emphasis on the number of opera- 

 tions that could be experimented with and the intention of the farmer to 

 exert liimself in furnishing accurate and full information. These 

 farms eainiot be classed as average farms of New England. They are 

 considerably above the average in productiveness, man-power and in- 

 dustry. For reasons that need not be enlarged upon here, it was nec- 

 essary to select such a type to provide opportunities for testing out a 

 greater variety of operations. On the other hand, none is in the na- 

 ture of a "gentleman's estate" or endowed with an undue amount of 

 capital or wealth. They are typical of the substantial and successful 

 farm, operated with modern, well balanced methods. 



FARM NO. 1 (RETAIL DAIRY) 



Among the group of four dairy farms on which experimental equip- 

 ment was installed in 1925-1926, none presented a greater number of 

 possibilities than Farm No. 1. Its tillable area is much greater than 

 any of the other seven, it is stocked with a large herd of cattle and 

 carried on a well diversified program in which the home growing of 

 feeds, other than grain, is a feature. In addition, cash crops, such as 

 potatoes, are produced in liberal amount, and, since 1927, poultry rais- 

 ing has been added as an important side line. 



Description. Five-man farm. Family of four adults. Ten room brick 

 house. Large dairy barn with silos attached, large implement shed, other 

 out-buildings. 225 acres of river bottom land, level and free of stone. 50 

 head of cattle, 25 milked, 2 horses, 1 tractor, 2 delivery trucks, pleasure car, 

 modern machinery. Farm wholesales 320 quarts of milk and cream a day. 

 Two transformers of 10 K. V. A. capacity used in parallel to balance load. 



Equipment — Household: House lights; Flat Iron; Percolator; Curling 

 Iron; Washing machine; Vacuum Cleaner; Household Refrigei'ator; Kitchen 

 Range; Sewing Machine Motor; Radio. 



Farmstead: Barn and Poultry Lights; Milking Machine; Cream Separator, 

 motor equipment; 1V2 h. p. Portable Utility Motor; Water Pump, Owner's 

 House; Water Pump, Tenant House; Hay Hoist; Concrete Mixer; Dairy 

 Cooling Room; Stock Clippers; Farm Shop. 



The general proportio)is of the business put this farm and Farm No. 

 7 in the group of large, progressive and unusually active farms — a posi- 

 tion held by relatively few in New England but found at well spread 

 intervals over this section. The remaining five farms are in the average- 

 sized group but operated iiiKh'r better than average methods. 



The total equipment on this place was large, both as regards quantity 

 and investment. In the list of equipment given, those articles that 

 were discarded, little used, or of purely an experimental nature are not 

 included. (A fireless cooker, water heater, shoj) motor and flood light 

 were tried but not eontimu'd in service.) 



The load was about equally balanced between the house and farm 

 as far as number of appliances is concerned, — 50% in each case, but 

 some of those in the house were of small value, and 64% of the total 

 investment was in the farm work group — the largest percentage on any 

 of the seven farms. 



With the farm equipment predominating to this extent, particularly 

 the refrigeration of milk, it is not surprising (See Figure 2) that the 



