A MODERN YANKEE FARM. 
MAKING THE MOST OF A HARD SOIL. 
Fertilizer, Milk, Butter and Ice Cream. 
If you wish to examine the best and most truly 
prosperous farming in this country, you do not, neces¬ 
sarily, have to go to the richest land, the sunniest 
climate, or the largest barrel of money. Leave these 
behind after you have looked them over, and buy a 
ticket for the land -where men are found who make 
the most of natural disadvantages, and by sheer pluck 
and thoughtful planning, cut off the “ dis ” and then 
proceed to fatten up the remaining “advantage.” 
You will find many such examples of good farming 
among the hills of New England. Tucked away in 
the little valley through which the river foams and 
sparkles, you will find a little manufacturing town, 
and on the steep and rocky hills that surround it, you 
will find farm homes where live, to-day, worthy de¬ 
scendants of the strong, God-fearing men and women 
who made New England the brains of America. 
Winsted, Conn., is just such a place as we hinted at, 
and the farm of Geo. E. Manchester & Sons is a 
typical example of what Yankee thrift and enterprise 
can manufacture out of a springy hillside. Mr. Man¬ 
chester’s family have lived on this farm for more than 
100 years. He left a business in town, and came back 
to the old place rather than see it go into the hands 
of strangers. These New Englanders love their homes, 
for they are rooted to them through half a dozen 
generations. They read, sometimes, of Western farm¬ 
ers who stand ready to sell out and “ move on ” when 
any stranger offers them $50 more than they think 
that the old farm is worth as a money producer ! 
Such business seems to them almost like sacrilege, for 
the true New England home is a sacred thing. One 
man in New England pointed out a field on which he 
had spent $250 an acre simply to pull out the stones. 
Don’t worry about the future of New England farm¬ 
ing while men will do that ! 
Mr. Manchester has four sons, and two of them have 
an interest in the farm. 
One of them was grad¬ 
uated at the Connecti¬ 
cut Agricultural Col¬ 
lege. One of the other 
brothers had a college 
training that was to fit 
him for the law. Here 
is an interesting com¬ 
parison. How does a 
course at an agricult¬ 
ural college compare in 
fitting a man to make a 
successful farmer, with 
the course at a literary 
college in fitting a man 
to practice law success¬ 
fully ? Young Mr. Man¬ 
chester believes that 
the agricultural college 
course will compare 
favorably, in this re¬ 
spect, with any other 
special training. A boy 
leaves the agricultural 
college with many ideas 
and theories which are 
scientifically correct, 
but which need to be 
remodeled and adapted 
to home conditions. One can readily see how founda¬ 
tion ideas regarding the use of fertilizers and feeding 
stock have been studied and made over to suit the 
Manchester farm. It is an excellent illustration of 
the value of true scientific principles in laying the 
foundation of successful farming. 
It is our intention’to speak of methods rather than 
of profits in this article, though a fair measure of. the 
latter is reasonably sure to follow the former. The 
farm of about 300 acres is “on edge,” as they say, 
being a collection of steep hillsides more or less 
stony. The chief power that runs the farm is located 
WHOLE FRUIT. Fig. 96. 
in the barn where a herd of 60 dairy animals (of all 
ages) consume the fodder which the farm produces, 
with large quantities of purchased grain. A large 
silo is filled every year, and there is an abundance of 
hay and other fodder. About the only grain raised 
on the farm is sweet corn, which is sold green, with 
the stalks cut up for feeding. Of late years, good¬ 
sized crops of potatoes have been grown with con¬ 
siderable fruit. Apple trees are being set out quite 
extensively, as these strong, rocky hillsides produce 
fruit of remarkably fine color and flavor. From the 
dairy are sold milk, butter, pot-cheese and ice cream. 
The manufacture of the latter product is, perhaps, 
the most interesting thing on the farm, and we hope 
to give our readers some new ideas about it. 
The most seasonable thing just now is the fertilizer 
problem, and we will first try to see how the Man¬ 
chester have solved it. The stable manure is used 
chiefly on corn and grass, and it is put on with a 
liberal hand. Science, as tested by experience, shows 
the Manchesters that a good fertilizer is better for 
potatoes and for fruit. There are also grass lands at 
the tops of high hills, where the haul is too long and 
steep to make manuring profitable. So it was neces¬ 
sary to figure out three different combinations of 
chemicals. At the Connecticut Agricultural College, 
certain principles connected with the use of fertilizers 
are taught: 
1. Home mixing pays when a man is careful and 
willing to fix up so as to do a thorough job. 
2. It is a desirable thing to use two forms of nitro¬ 
gen, one a mineral and the other in an organic form. 
Two forms of phosphoric acid—one soluble and the 
other organic—are also advisable, and for best quality 
in potatoes, a proportion of sulphate of potash should 
be used. 
Just now the cheapest organic nitrogen is bought in 
cotton-seed meal, and on the Manchester farm, this 
substance is largely used for feeding both cows and 
crops. After considerable experimenting and figuring, 
the following mixtures have been decided on : 
Potatoes. —Nitrate of soda, 100 pounds ; muriate of 
potash, 100; sulphate of potash, 200; dissolved bone- 
black, 800 ; cotton-seed meal, 800—total, 2,000 pounds. 
Fruit. —Nitrate of soda, 50 pounds ; muriate of pot¬ 
ash, 200; sulphate of potash, 200; dissolved bone- 
black, 800 ; cotton-seed meal, 750—total, 2,000 pounds. 
Grass. —Nitrate of soda, 200 pounds ; muriate of 
potash, 200; dissolved boneblack, 800; cotton-seed 
meal, 800—total, 2,000 pounds. 
These mixtures have given excellent satisfaction, 
and the materials cost, on an average, $6 or $7 less per 
ton than the standard mixed goods. As the Man¬ 
chesters use 10 or 12 tons each year, this represents 
quite a saving. The 
materials are sampled 
and analyzed before 
mixing—in fact, the 
dealer sells them sub¬ 
ject to analysis. 
The fertilizer is mixed 
on a tight basement 
floor. First, 800 pounds 
of cotton-seed meal are 
evenly spread, and on 
top of it, is spread the 
dissolved boneblack. 
The other ingredients 
are placed in little piles 
over it, and then the 
whole thing is shoveled 
into a pile, raked down, 
shoveled again and so 
on until thoroughly 
mixed. These materials 
may not be the best for 
all sections, as it is pos¬ 
sible that blood, tank¬ 
age or ground fish may 
be so cheap in some 
local markets that they 
will furnish organic 
nitrogen for less money. 
That is the great ad¬ 
vantage of knowing what you need, and then buying 
by analysis. 
There are, usually, about 40 cows in milk. They 
are mostly large Jersey grades, with a sprinkling of 
Holstein, Ayrshire and Short-horn blood. The bull 
at the head of the herd is an e^eUeot Jersey, and a 
A HALF SECTION. Fig. 97. SKIN TURNED DOWN. Fig. 98. 
THE LITTLE OTAHEITE ORANGE, NATURAL SIZE. See Page 3 07. 
