AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



No 



420 



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 



November, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



421 



shingled roof, whose enormous he.ght is agreeably broken 

 by the doubling of the shingles at stated intervals; the 

 louvres on the summit form part of the ventilation sys- 

 tern 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-rii l- tu 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 he 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 



in the second story. It is very elaborately equipped with 

 the most approved devices. The superintendent's cottage 

 is off to one side beyond this building, and hence is in the very 

 center of the farm activity. 



The next conspicuous building in the group is the water 

 tower, a twelve-sided structure with a stone base and shingled 

 superstructure. A clock is inserted at the summit, and the 

 whole is crowned with a bell turret. The woodwork of 

 this building, as is that of the other structures on the estate, 

 is stained a dark brown. 



Beyond is the garage, built of stone, with a shingled upper 

 story and roof. The main portion contains a workshop, 

 which is most elaborately fitted up with every possible de- 

 vice needed in the repair of automobiles, while the long 

 wing contains the storehouse for the cars. 



This completes the buildings of this great group, which 

 impressively serve as an introduction to the many interests 

 of this vast estate. Only an automobile is available for a 

 rapid survey, and while some of the roads that are neces- 



bination building, containing some of the most utilitarian 

 departments of the estate. Here is the coal storage, a depart- 

 ment devoted to implement storage, blacksmith and wheel- 

 wright shop and paint shop. It also is of stone, with a 

 shingled roof. The lake is a lovely body of water, more 

 than a mile long, that twists and turns through grassed and 

 wooded borders, and thrusts about a third of its length into 

 New York State. An electric launch is conveniently at hand 

 for the exploring of its beauties. 



Another great group of buildings consists of the conserva- 

 tories, fruit houses and allied structures. These are all situ- 

 ated near the Manor House and are of glass, with founda- 

 tions of stone. The conservatory is divided into sections, 

 for the maintenance of various temperatures, and includes 

 a domed exhibition hall, in which special plants are displayed 

 from time to time. The orchid house is a separate structure, 

 as are the fruit houses, which are chiefly used for raising 

 hothouse grapes and peaches. An individual heating plant is 

 needed for these buildings in which, it need hardly be said, 



The Gaidener's Collage and Entran 



Clock and Water Tow 



Superinlendenl's Cottage and Offici 



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, undecoratcd 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 



sary to travel on are public roads, they are, for long dis- 

 tances, bordered on both sides by Mr. Converse's lands. 

 One passes presently through the fruit and vegetable gar- 

 dens, each occupying its own side of the road. A sod plot 

 is noted next, so that if some pieces of sod arc needed for 

 patching or other purposes, it may be had at once and in 

 good order. Beyond is a private nursery, maintained for 

 the raising of trees. Further on, quite hidden behind trees, 

 are immense concrete manure pits. 



A twist and a turn or two bring you to Conyers Lake. 

 To one side is the pump house, by which water is pumped 

 to the two water towers of 22,500 and 35,000 gallons 

 capacity each. A drive of three miles through Mr. Con- 

 verse's own woods begins here, affording a charming and 

 delicious excursion into the depths of nature. Across the 

 road is Conyers Lake, or rather an outlet from it, for the 

 waters of the lake are upheld by a massive masonry dam 

 and only the overflow is here visible. An old grist and 

 saw mill stood for many years at this point; it has now been 

 completely modernized and remade over and is again used 

 for the purposes for which it was built. Close by is a corn- 



some of the most interesting and certainly most beautiful 

 products of the estate are reared. One other separate build- 

 ing may be noted, and that is the house stable. It is located 

 in the woods behind the house, and while following the gen- 

 eral lines of the other structures it has a more picturesque 

 quality from its varied roof. 



A word on the management. The whole estate is under 

 the immediate direction of a superintendent, Mr. G. A. 

 Drew, a graduate of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, 

 at Amherst, who is responsible for the commercial aspect of 

 the property. Under him are a series of head men, the head 

 gardener, the constructive foreman, the head poultryman. 

 the head of the livestock department. All these men have 

 their assistants and laborers and each is responsible for the 

 work in his own department. In addition there are special 

 men engaged in special work. The head chauffeur and the 

 coachman at the private stables are separate functionaries 

 of high rank, who are directly responsible to Mr. Converse 

 himself. 



Notwithstanding the real and actual importance of the 

 Manor House, it is scarce more than an incident in the vast 



