VOL. LIII. No. 2318. NEW YORK, JUNE 30, 1894. $ 1.00 per year. 
“Thorndale.” 
TUE HIGHEST TYPE OF AMEKICAN FARM LIFE. 
[BDITOBIAI. COBBB8PONDKNCB.] 
Shropsliire Sheep and Jersey Cattle. 
The R. N.-Y. has shown its readers many pictures 
of the different phases of life on the farm. Last sum¬ 
mer we gave the details of the hard and narrow life 
of a farmer on the scrub oak plains of Long Island. 
Now we come to the other extreme to describe what 
may be called the ideal American farm life. 
Our readers have been told of the magnificent 
estates in England where farmers live in the midst of 
coniforts and enjoyments of which the average Ameri¬ 
can farmer has not had time to dream. A number of 
wealthy Americans have brought the English system 
of farming to this country, but we doubt if there is 
anywhere a better example of its possibilities than is 
to be found at 
“Thorndale”—lo- ^ 
cated at Mill- 
brook, Dutchess 
Co., N. Y. 
For three gen¬ 
erations this farm 
has been famous 
for its live stock. 
It was here that 
the famous Short¬ 
horn cattle that 
brought the high- 
est price ever 
known, were im¬ 
ported, and bred. 
In later years, the 
farm was noted 
for the trotting 
horse s—the fa¬ 
mous old “ Thorn- 
dale” repre- 
senting it in many 
a hard fought 
race. To-day, in 
the hands of the 
present proprie¬ 
tor, Mr. Oakleigh 
Thorne, the spe¬ 
cialties are Shrop¬ 
shire sheep and 
Jersey cattle. 
The farm com¬ 
prises 500 acres, 
and lies along a 
beautiful valley, 
with the house 
and bams in the 
center. For sheep 
and dairy cattle the location is perfect. There are 
two chief points of agricultural interest that are ob¬ 
served in a study of this farm. Here may be seen, m 
actual operation, the practices of the best English 
sheep farms, modified or improved so as to meet the 
requirements of American agriculture. Again, here 
is a remarkable instance of a pureblood flock and 
herd, brought together at an immense outlay of money, 
actually paying expenses and yielding a profit by the 
sales of blood, milk, meat and wool. There are 
plenty of elegant farms conducted for pleasure alone, 
where thousands of dollars are annually spent to 
cover expenses. “Thorndale” is not conducted in 
that manner. It is run with all the method and skill 
of a great factory. An account is kept with every 
cow, every man and eyery feed. Every purchase is 
carefully considered, and every day’s labor must be 
accounted for. That is why these farm operations 
are of great yalue—they are all based on practical 
business methods. 
The Records of a Great Farm. 
There are 800 sheep, 135 Jerseys and 70 hogs on the 
farm. The 500 acres are to produce the coarse forage 
and a portion of the grain needed for these animals. 
The farm is divided into 38 fields. A farm map hangs 
in the office, and a special account is kept with each 
field—so that one can tell, almost at a glance, how 
much manure each has received, how much labor has 
been spent on it and what it has yielded. To go even 
further, an account is kept with each man so that it is 
possible to tell just what he did on each day of the 
year. It is the most complete system of book-keeping 
we have ever seen, and its value has been proved time 
and time again. Here are a few sample records from 
the books: 
Field No. 22.—12 3^ Acres. 
1891. —Labor, 316.95; crop, 4 loads of hay. 
1892. —Labor, 37 75 ; manure, 311; crop, 8 loads of hay. 
Taking Off the Sheep’s Overcoat. From Life. (See Page 413.) Fig. 105. 
1893.—Labor, 3120 05 ; 126 loads of manure and 1 ton 
of fertilizer ; crop, 132 loads of ensilage corn. 
Field No. 10.—About 163^ Acres. 
1891. —Labor, 321 92 ; crop, 16 loads of hay. 
1892. —Labor, 329.06 ; crop, 19 loads of hay. 
1893. —Labor, 3114 ; 202 loads of manure ; 4,200 pounds 
of fertilizer ; crop, 45 loads of hay. 
Field No. 1.—Slightly over 22 Acres. 
1891. _Labor, 3452.60 ; 312 loads of manure ; crop, 376 
loads of corn fodder. 
1892. —Labor, 3111.81 ; crop, 692 bushels oats, 25 tons 
oat straw. 
1893. —Labor, 394.81; 40 tons clover hay. 
These are but samples of what can be shown of 
every field. It is easy for a practical farmer to realize 
the value of such figures. They not only give the 
cost of a ton of hay or bushel of grain, but they show 
the comparative values of manures and the lasting 
value of stable Inanure; also the rotation and many 
other things. The actual cost of plowing these fields, 
the cost of handling a load of manure, the space cov¬ 
ered by each plow team in a day—all these and similar 
items have been carefully worked out at “Thorndale.” 
By thus being able to make an accurate estimate of 
the exact cost of every farm operation, Mr. Thorne 
can figure his farm expenses as closely as he could 
those of a great factory. Any practical farmer can 
see the great value of such knowledge. It is the lack 
of just such information that makes, with many 
farms, the difference between profit and loss. In these 
days of close figuring, the substitution of a guess or 
an estimate for the exact facts is a sort of gambling 
that has left many a farmer mortgage-ridden. 
The crops grown at “ Thorndale ” are hay, roots, 
rape, vetch, cabbage, oats and peas, corn for the silo 
or fodder, and oats or rye. The following figures will 
show the amount of business done. In 1892, 1,265 
loads of manure 
j were hauled out 
on the farm, and 
in 1893,1,379 loads 
In 1891, a total of 
993^ tons of hay 
was cut, in 1892, 
145 3^ tons, and in 
1893, 2813^ tons. 
In addition to 
this hay, there 
were grown last 
year 1643^ tons of 
mangolds, 74 tons 
of rutabagas and 
240 tons of ensi¬ 
lage. Besides this 
there were grown 
on the farm 32,240 
worth of oats, rye 
and oats and 
pease, and, in ad¬ 
dition to this im¬ 
mense quantity of 
food, grain and 
feed to the value 
of 36,387.76 was 
purchased. Nor 
does this tell the 
whole story, for 
all the animals 
were pastured 
more or less, large 
areas of rape and 
vetch were past¬ 
ured or fed green, 
and a large 
amount of corn 
fodder was used 
for soiling. There is no better place for one to go 
to see how the English methods of sheep feeding 
may be introduced in this country. It is really a 
business-like experiment station, for all promising 
new ideas are given a careful and critical trial. At 
present, about 50 acres of sod are plowed every year— 
corn being the best crop for this sod. A number of 
very interesting plans are proposed for future use 
and experiment, some of which will be referred to 
later. 
The Sheep at “Thorndale” 
Are all thoroughbred and imported Shropshires. 
Years ago when a representative of this farm went to 
England to select Short-horn cattle, he was given 
350,000 to invest. 
“ How many shall I buy ? ” he asked. 
“ One or more / ” was the answer. 
That meant that he was to secure the best specimens 
regardless of cost. That be did so is known to all 
who have studied the history of Short^hom cattle. 
