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AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



November, 1908 



without it. The old stone fences that originally divided the 

 fields were removed as rapidly as possible, and great open, 

 unbroken stretches created. 



Large as the estate is, its true magnitude is only realized 

 from an attentive study of the great work that has been 

 carried out on it. The making of roads, the creation of 

 fields, the betterment and improvement of the land, have 

 been conducted on a colossal scale, and in their thoroughness 

 and completeness merit the warmest praise; yet all this had 

 been done for the realization of results, and constitutes but 

 a fraction, albeit a notable one, of the great works done here 

 in the creation of a great estate. 



The building operations here have been quite as extensive 

 as the work upon the land. The Manor House, Mr. Con- 

 verse's residence, stands on high ground, and practically 

 commands the whole estate. But the residential buildings 

 include two other houses of almost equal importance, one 

 occupied by Mrs. James B. Converse, and the other by Mr. 

 Converse's daughter, Mrs. Benjamin Strong, Jr. The home 



shingled roof, whose enormous height is agreeably broken 

 by the doubling of the shingles at stated intervals; the 

 louvres on the summit form part of the ventilation sys- 

 tem. One wing is reserved for the cattle, a splendid herd of 

 imported Guernseys, and the other for the workhorses, 

 accommodation being had here for thirty-five, while from 

 sixty-five to eighty-five horses are stabled in the various barns. 

 The main portion is used for the storage of feed and hay. 

 There is a cement floor and a copious water supply, fed by 

 an elaborate system of piping. It is lighted by electricity. 

 In addition to the inclosed structure, there is, on each side, 

 an open shed, used for the storage of wagons and the like. 

 When this barn was built it was supposed that it would be 

 ample for any demands that might be made for it for many 

 years to come ; but so successful has been the working of the 

 ground and so abundant the crops that a huge overflow barn 

 has been necessitated, and has been erected at some distance 

 from it. Two silos are connected with the latter structure. 

 Below the farm barn are the buildings of the poultry 



The Gardener's Cottage and Entrance Gate 



grounds of the first of these are maintained under separate 

 management, but the other is cared for by the employees 

 of the main estate. There are, in addition, a number of fine 

 houses for the heads of departments, for the superintendent, 

 for the head gardener, and other responsible employees. 

 They are built in a style and of materials harmonious with 

 the prevailing type of the larger structures. 



Very notable indeed is the group consisting of the farm 

 barns, the chicken houses, water tower, dairy and garage. 

 Their walls and roofs form a picturesque pile at some dis- 

 tance below the Manor House, but within sight of it, and are 

 eloquent testimony of the great scale on which the estate 

 has been planned and developed. There is immense dignity 

 in these structures, plain, straightforward, undecorated con- 

 struction, depending — and very successfully — on their size 

 and the disposition of their parts for their effect. The great 

 farm barn is typical of the whole group. It is an immense 

 building, U-shaped in plan, with two vast wings that form 

 two sides of an enormous open court, closed by the main 

 structure of the barn at the back, but entirely open on the 

 fourth side. It is built of stone, and is covered with a 



plant, which are equally colossal in extent. They are built 

 of stone, with shingled roofs. The first building is the 

 hatching house. It contains a mixing room for feed, an 

 egg testing room, and a refrigerating room for the preserva- 

 tion of killed chickens. Below is the incubator room with 

 a capacity of about eight thousand broilers. All fowls raised 

 on the estate are hatched by the incubator process. The 

 brooder houses contain brooders heated by steam heat, and 

 have inside and outside runs, arranged in comparatively 

 small divisions, for the better care of the birds. There are 

 two breeding houses, built of wood and shingled, each con- 

 taining fourteen pens. Three breeds of chickens are cared 

 for: Black Langshans, which are good layers and are used 

 for large capons; Rhode Island Reds, for young roasters 

 and large broilers; and White Leghorns, for laying and 

 squab broilers. 



Up behind the farm barn is the dairy; it is built of stone 

 with a shingled roof, and contains a number of rooms, all 

 devoted to the care of milk and butter. The interior walls 

 and floors are lined with white tile. The boilers are in the 

 cellar, and the motors needed for working the machinery are 



