Vol. LV. No. 2423. 
NEW YORK, JULY 4, 1896. 
11.00 PER YEAR. 
A VERMONT WOMAN’S DAIRY WORK. 
A PARTNERSHI1 3 WITH JERSEY COWS. 
Possibilities of New England Farming. 
The struggle for supremacy between honest toil and 
hard economic conditions was, probably, never more 
fierce than at the present time, and the question as to 
whether the dairy will conquer hard times, or hard 
times vanquish the dairy, is a debatable one. Although 
dairy products now bring a very low price, still I am 
inclined to believe that the dairy will yet prove the 
salvation of the New England farmer. Doubtless, 
many instances in every community could be noted 
where the dairy had lifted the mortgage from the 
farm, fed and clothed its owner, and furnished the 
fertility to repay the soil for all demands that had 
been made 
upon it. One 
reason why 
there are not 
still more cases 
o f successful 
dairying, is be¬ 
cause many so- 
called dairy 
cows are not 
workers, but 
simply board¬ 
ers whose only 
thought and 
care is to be on 
hand regularly 
at meal time. 
Another reason 
is that many 
so-called dairy¬ 
men are not 
well enough ac¬ 
quainted with 
their cows, or 
their business, 
to tell the work¬ 
ers from the 
boarders. 
I recently 
visited Hillside 
Dairy Farm, in 
Ryegate, Cale¬ 
donia County, 
Vt., a town that 
has the credit 
of having more 
profitable 
working dairies 
than any other 
in the State. 
Hillside Dairy 
Farm is owned 
and operated 
by Mrs. Carrie 
J. Nelson, a widow who has managed her own affairs, 
reared and educated her family of four children, and 
built up one of the best dairy farms in Vermont. 
What Mrs. Nelson has accomplished, is best told in 
her own language, which in substance is as follows : 
“ Thirteen years ago, I was left a widow with four 
children, three boys and one girl, the eldest but eight 
years old at the time of his father’s death. I was then 
living on this farm, but with the cares of my little 
family, and the large amount of indebtedness on the 
estate, I was induced to sell the farm to a brother-in- 
law who lives in Boston. After all debts were paid, 
I had $1,925 in cash, including $1,000 paid me in life 
insurance after the death of my husband. For five 
years, I lived on the farm and managed it for my 
brother-in-law ; but I concluded that, if I could run 
the farm satisfactorily for 'him, I could for myself, so 
I bought back the old home farm, which took all my 
savings, and put me in debt about $5,000 besides. 
“ In 1891, I put in the upper floor in the barn, and 
built the driveway thereto. In 1894, I put in a silo 
9x14x23 feet, and built an addition on the back of 
my house for a washroom and summer kitchen. I am 
now painting and repairing the house outside and in¬ 
side, and have the lumber on the ground for another 
silo a little larger than the first one. One year ago I 
bought a piece of newly cleared land containing 43 
acres, adjoining my pasture, for which I paid $650. I 
seeded this piece to Alsike and White clovers, princi¬ 
pally, and it will make a good addition to my farm, 
as I lacked for pasture. In 1894, I put in a separator 
and make the butter at home. I also bought a piano 
for my daughter that year ; this can hardly be classed 
as a farm improve nent, but we all take comfort having 
it in the house. 
“The farm now contains 216 acres ; I have 39 acres 
of tillage land, sufficient pasturage, and timber land 
enough to supply the farm, besides selling consider¬ 
able cord-wood. Last year, it kept 50 old and young 
cattle, and three horses, except the mill feed, which I 
buy altogether. My bran I buy by the car-load. My 
dairy last year, consisting of 40 cows and heifers in 
milk (except one cow counted out for family use), 
averaged 315 pounds of butter per cow. This year, I 
hope to do better than that, but I have so many heif¬ 
ers replacing old cows, that I do not know that I can. 
My average, the year before, was 309 pounds. My 
butter is all put up in half-pound prints, and wrapped 
in a printed wrapper bearing my name and farm ad¬ 
dress, The butter is all sold by a well-known Boston 
commission merchant, who has always paid me the 
top price. 
“ My butter took the first prize at the Vermont 
dairymen’s meeting in 1892, at the Vermont State Fair, 
and the World’s Food Fair in Boston in 1894, and at 
the Vermont and New Hampshire Interstate Fair in 
1895. 
“ My cows are all high-grade Jerseys, and at various 
times in the past three years, I have added choice 
A. J. C. C. heifers and sires from the best herds in the 
State. I employ two men the year ’round, besides 
what my children do. My daughter and second son, 
now 15 and 16 years old respectively, make and handle 
all the butter. My father, now 86 years old, and a 
sister totally blind, live with me, so you see that I 
have quite a large family for which to provide. 
“The first 
five years after 
I bought back 
the farm. I re¬ 
duced the mort¬ 
gage over one- 
third ; but the 
last three years 
I have simply 
kept the inter¬ 
est paid, and 
have used 
what surplus I 
earned in the 
purchase of the 
pasture lot,and 
in improving 
the buildings 
on the farm. I 
always keep a 
book account of 
my farm opera¬ 
tions, so that I 
can see each 
year on which 
side of the fence 
I am. I have 
had but little 
trouble in col- 
lecting my 
bills, having 
lost but one 
account in 13 
years of busi¬ 
ness.” 
At the con¬ 
clusion of her 
narrative, I 
asked her if she 
could recom¬ 
mend other wo¬ 
men situated as 
she was 13 years 
ago, to under, 
take what she had, and her reply was : “ I do not feel 
as though I had done any more than any woman could 
do, if she would only try.” 
Mrs. Nelson has certainly demonstrated that the 
dairy, rightly managed, will drive away hard times, 
and has set an example in practical, economical farm 
management, that is an inspiration and encourage¬ 
ment to all who make their living by dairy farming. 
Vermont. c. w. scarff. 
R. N.-Y.—During the past few years, we have heard 
of several women who have had much the same ex¬ 
perience as Mrs. Nelson. They were left with small 
capital to bring up families of young children. At 
the prevailing rates of interest on investments in 
stocks or mortgages, their money would not yield 
them a living. Invested in a farm, it provided a com-. 
fort^ble home wd a fair income besides. 
A VERMONT WOMAN’S FAMILY AND FARM BUILDINGS. Fig. 143. 
