^2 THE DAlRYMAN^S MANUAL. 



The yard was surrounded with old shady cherry trees on 

 the south side, and a lane gave an outlet in front of the 

 yard to the road. A gate opened from the yard into 

 the road, opposite the lane leading to the woods pasture. 

 A spring near the house gave an opportunity for making 

 la convenient milk-house with a cool deep pool for setting 

 [deep pails, and an apartment for churning, and storing 

 butter, pails, etc. The dairy-house was in a grass plot 

 upon which calves were occasionally tethered, and this 

 was shaded by apple trees. Access from the house to the 

 barn and to the milk-house was open and unobstructed 

 with any obstacle, excepting the small hand gates through 

 the two yards — a second yard being enclosed in front of 

 the cow yard ; it contained the horse stable and the 

 poultry house. 



This plan was gradually grown up to by various addi- 

 tions which were made as the farm, at first exceedingly 

 poor, was brought into better condition. The farm was 

 not designedly purchased, but came into the hands of the 

 author by accident. It was almost hopelessly barren, 

 but the land was located near a village and had some ex- 

 trinsic value on that account. It was taken in hand for 

 the purpose of an experiment designed to prove if it were 

 possible to make a poor farm fertile in such a way as to 

 pay for the improvement, and by what means this im- 

 provement could be made most easily and rapidly. The 

 author's previous experience in dairying led him to choose 

 this as the most effective means for arriving at the de- 

 sired end. Previously one cow only was kept on the farm. 

 This number was at once increased to fifteen, and a milk 

 dairy was established. The food was wholly purchased, 

 and an attempt was made to make the cows pay all 

 the expenses from the milk, and so supply the badly 

 needed manure for the improvement of the farm. Clover, 

 roots, corn, and fodder corn were at first grown by the 

 help of artificial fertilizers. The attempt was wholly 



