THE BANTAMS 



screened and "awninged" barns with attending hay- 

 lofts and silo towers, and dairy where modern me- 

 chanical devices amazed the uninitiated. Milking 

 time at the Upland Farm, for instance, was quite a cere- 

 mony, and anyone bidden to witness it had to obey cer- 

 tain fixed rules. The first important one was that ab- 

 solute silence must be maintained. Not only no loud 

 talking but no talking of any kind was permitted, even 

 the irritating sound of whispering was forbidden; for 

 in order to get the best results, these fine animals must 

 be undisturbed. Much impressed by these precautions, 

 we tiptoed into the long barn where, disposed in two 

 even rows, stood over a hundred superior Holsteins 

 chewing their cuds in agreeable harmony, attended by 

 white-robed farm-hands and being milked by ma- 

 chinery! Some three hundred feet away the gasoline 

 engine was carefully secluded, and a soft whir was 

 the only evidence of power. The clean floor, the fresh 

 straw, the hay-scented air, the well-kept cattle, and the 

 orderliness of all things might well inspire the owner 

 with a righteous pride. We congratulated him upon 



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