185S. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



545 



LETTER PROM MR. BROWN". 



A Talk with the Farmers on the Results of Intelligent Labor — 

 Lancast'^r a Beautiful Town— Old Elms — Thoughts Suegested 

 — A Good Farm — New Modes of Preparing Roots for Cattle — 

 A Milk-Room — A Well-Balanced Family. 



Lancaster, Mass., Oct. 15, 1858. 



Dear Sir : — I came to this place yesterday by 

 invitation of the Farmers^ Club of this town, to 

 talk with the people upon agricultural matters, 

 and to take a look at some of the farms lying 

 upon the banks of the Nashua river. The meet- 

 ing took place in the Town Hall last evening, 

 where a numerous and exceedingly attentive au- 

 dience was present. The subject discussed was 

 — "27ie results of Intelligent Labor, and the In- 

 fluences of Farming, as an Occupation, upon the 

 Social Relations of the Family." 



This forenoon I had opportunity to ride 

 through some of the streets of this beautiful old 

 town, look at the substantial residences which 

 line them, with their noble elms, ash, and maple 

 trees, — 



"And I said, if there's peace to be found in the world, 

 The heart that is humble may sure find it here." 



I doubt whether the wide woi-ld can produce 

 out of New England such perfect little Repub- 

 lics as the rural villlages which stud this rough 

 region in every direction. Rich gems in them- 

 selves, but a thousand times richer for the rug- 

 ged surroundings in which they are set. What 

 can man ask for more? Blest with a congenial 

 climate ; plenty rewards his labor ; all his rights 

 protected and his person secure under temperate 

 and equal laws ; quick and remunerating mar- 

 kets for his products ; the school, academy and 

 college at his door, and the sound of the "church- 

 going bell," sweetly pealing over hill and valley, 

 forest and field, reminding each that the Sab- 

 bath has come when they may commune togeth- 

 er, and more directly and earnestly lift the 

 heart's gratitude to Him who sends the early and 

 the latter rain, and crowns the year with His 

 goodness. But this is not all. Wide avenues 

 stand open for him to go out and see all the 

 world, — while all the world comes daily to him 

 in the morning paper ; he curbs the elements 

 and makes them subserve his will, and sends the 

 lightning along horizontal lines, with messages 

 of love, or the results of negotiation, arbitration, 

 or trade, as he pleases. All artisans and trades- 

 men, and professions, and cunning workmen in 

 all things stand ready to do his bidding. He 

 needs but one thing, — To be Contented. Such 

 were my thoughts as I rode under ancient elms, 

 whose branches, spreading over my head, formed 

 an arch more grand and imposing than ever 

 graced ovation to Roman conqueror. But they 

 are passed now, and I must tell you about these 

 green meadows on Nashua's banks, and the vil- 

 las or homesteads to which they belong. 



It was my good fortune to "tie up," for the 

 night, with Dea. Charles Humphrey, a social, 

 intelligent and progressive farmer, wide awake 

 to his own interests, but having a heart and 

 hand to assist in making the world agreeable to 

 all coming within his influence. I have rarely 

 walked through a set of farm buildings, or over 

 a farm, with more interest and profit than his. 

 He will winter forty head of cattle, all ranged on 

 the south side of the basement story of his barn, 

 with wide rolling doors at each end, set with 

 glass to admit light and air. They are tied with 

 chains to common stancheons, which gives them 

 so much room as to allow them to lick each oth- 

 er, and to change their position considerably. 

 In front of them, and coming down to within two 

 feet of the floor, is a rack for feeding hay, much 

 the same as one used for feeding horses, and in- 

 to which the hay is fed from the barn-floor above. 

 The two foot space below the rack is left for the 

 purpose of sliding under a half barrel, from 

 which the cattle eat roots, &c. Opposite the cat- 

 tle, and about the centre of a narrow room some 

 80 ft. long, a sixty gallon kettle is set, and imme- 

 diately over its edge and around the kettle 80 

 feet of iron pipe is coiled in brickwork, with ap- 

 ertures to admit the water from the kettle to 

 touch them. 



Near this kettle is a brickwoi'k cistern, in the 

 upper part of which is a trough for cooling milk 

 in cans, both of which are supplied with pure 

 spring water passing in by an aqueduct, the wa- 

 ter flowing over from the milk cooler, when full, 

 into the cistern. The kettle is lower, and with- 

 in three feet of the cistern, so that the pipe 

 around it is always supplied with water by its 

 own gravity. Into this kettle are thrown apples, 

 rbots of all kinds, pumpkins, &c., and boiled ra- 

 pidly and cheaply, and are then passed through a 

 small mill placed over a trough, into which they 

 fall a perfect mash. 



Hot or cold water may be admitted by turn- 

 ing a cock, to bring the mass to a proper state 

 of dilution and temperature, when, a little corn 

 meal being added, it is fed about four pails full, 

 night and morning, to each cow. This is given 

 them immediately after being milked ; then they 

 are fed with long hay, as much as they will eat 

 with a good appetite, and this is the bill of fare 

 for the whole winter. The cows have little or no 

 water beside this, and are only turned into the 

 yard occasionally, during the middle of bright, 

 soft weather. 



Mr. Humphrey says that under this regimen 

 his cows continue healthy, and yield a satisfacto- 

 ry flow of excellent milk. He sells from 30 to 

 40 gallons of milk, daily, at Clinton, at five cents 

 a quart in winter and four cents in the summer. 



In another portion of the same basement, is 



