The Gould homestead: A home constructed with all the substantial honesty which characterizes New England houses. quantity, although there are representatives of many others. At a recent fair Gould Hill Farm was represented by a collection of twentyseven different kinds of fruit. "If I were planting today," said Mr. Gould, "I would plant Williams Early, Gravenstein, Wealthy, McIntosh and Baldwin. This gives a succession of varieties with which one may utilize his picking and packing crew from August until the first of November." As the orchard has grown, the attention given to the dairy necessarily decreased. Still Mr. Gould does not believe in having all his interests in one line of farming and a smaller herd is still kept upon the farm. Today it consists of sixteen pure-bred or highgrade Guernsey cows all tested and certified to be free from tuberculosis. Within a short period it is probable that this herd will be upon the government accredited list. The butter route was long since discontinued and for many years the product of the herd has been sold as whole milk. There are times when the rush of orchard work makes it impossible to do justice to the cows, but most of the time the two industries go well together. Practically all of the orchards are now in sod, the system of culture which appears best adapted to the rolling hillside orchards of New Hampshire. Most of the trees were cultivated during the first three to four years after they were set out. At the present time most authorities recommend that trees in sod be fertilized generously with nitrogen either in the form of stable manure or as artificial fertilizer and this practice Mr. Gould is following conscientiously with the result that his trees are thrifty and promising. Although at the outset there were relatively few insects and diseases to affect the fruit, spraying soon became an essential part of the fruit-growing operations. The lad who was denied a college course came to his state institution and there gathered the essentials of preparation and application of sprays. For a number of Here are some of the original trees which started Mr. Gould in the fruit business. years he was a regular attendant at the one-week farmers' courses at the college. His first sprayer was a barrel pump, a small machine but efficient in the hands of one who is not afraid of work. When this had become inadequate, there followed the larger type of hand-lever pump affording greater pressure and more efficiency. As more trees came into bearing, a 11⁄2 H. P. sprayer was used and at the present time Mr. Gould has a large 4 H. P. machine of the most modern type. As the orchard on Gould Hill Farm increased in size and importance it came to the attention of the horticulturists at the State College, who began to make a practice of visiting it from time to time. Thus Mr. Gould has had at his disposal the best advice upon the various problems which he has had to meet. He, himself, is a frequent visitor at the University campus at Durham and the contact between the institution and the farm has become closer as the years go by. In pruning Mr. Gould has always been conservative and it is of inter est to note that the best authorities of the country now hold views very similar to those to which he has constantly adhered. To prune a tree until the bearing area is very much reduced and to remove from it the foliage which is essential to growth and vigor is not now considered to be the best practice. Careful, conscientious thinning of those branches which are so thick that they exclude light from the bearing spurs has been the policy pursued at Gould Hill Farm. From the beginning much of the fruit from this farm has found its way to the foreign markets. "R-T-G" is a brand well and favorably known in the markets of England. "Notwithstanding that 25,000 barrels of apples of foreign and domestic production were on sale, yours brought the highest price of the day," wrote a prominent Liverpool firm who have handled the apples season after season. War and post-war conditions have made it impracticable to ship in recent years, but still the buyers ask when they will again see the "R-T-G" Brand. Practically all the fruit has gone from the farm in barrels honestly and skilfully packed. At the present time there is much interest throughout New England, especially in the territory which markets through Boston agencies, in the use of the new Boston box which is of the same capacity as the oblong western box in which Pacific Coast fruit is regularly packed. Many growers believe that the better flavored fruit of New England, if packed in a distinctive box with the skill and care equal to that used by western growers, will find an almost unlimited market. This is especially true for the earlier and dessert varieties such as Wealthy and McIntosh. This package will probably be tried for the first time this season on Gould Hill Farm and the results will be of interest. Mr. Gould is very modest regarding the returns from his orchard project; but it need not be doubted that the apple trees have paid and paid well. Most of them are only now coming into the prime of bearing and the best days for this orchard are just ahead. Production has reached 1500 barrels per season, and much larger crops will undoubtedly be harvested in the immediate future. The story of Gould Hill Farm is of tremendous importance. The income which this orchard has yielded thus far is a small matter compared to the value of the farm today. What heir would now sign off, without compensation, an interest in the magnificent orchard on the bluffs above Contoocook? It is of interest too because it tells how little the trees did until they were cared for and illustrates what they may do on many another New England farm if given at chance. When given proper attention they instantly responded and created a new industry more profitable than any other which could be pursued upon the hill top. Generous, kind hearted, and modest to the extreme, Mr. Gould has never been a man to push himself forward. Various organizations, however, have recognized the value of the service which he could render. For several years he has been active in the Farm Bureau movement, both in the local organization of his own county and in the State Federation. As occasion has demanded he has traveled to various meetings of this organization, even outside of New Hampshire. In 1922 when the office of President of the State Horticultural Society became vacant through the resignation. of Stanley K. Lovell of Goffstown, Mr. Gould was chosen to head this organization. About the same time the State Department of Fisheries and Game was in need of a man of mature judgment to estimate the damage to the orchards of New Hampshire, which had been done through disbudding by partridges in the winter of 1921-22. of 1921-22. Mr. Gould was engaged for this work and gave his services to it throughout the summer of 1922. His position was one in which no man could satisfy all parties concerned, but the estimates which he made are an example of extreme honesty and fairness. The necessity of remaining at home on account of a large apple crop during the present season makes it impractical for Mr. Gould to continue the work of last season. However, as head of the State Horticultural Society he has given his labors unstintedly during the winter to make certain that the fruit growers of the state will have a just adjustment of their claims for losses which have been serious during this past season. We must honor Robert T. Gould as a fruit grower, a generous friend and as a man whose achievements have demonstrated the possibilities of New Hampshire hills. A Five champions of the Putnam herd. These five cows lead any five cows in any herd in the state in butter fat production. A GOLD MINE IN JERSEYS BY H. STYLES BRIDGES BOUT two miles from the village of Contoocook on the main road to Concord, is located the Mt. Putney Farms, the home of as fine a herd of purebred Jersey cattle as can be found in the state of New Hampshire, and without question one of the leading herds in the New England states. George M. Putnam the proprietor of these farms, is a man well known throughout the country. The farms are made up of what were formerly three farms, the original farm has been in the Putnam family since 1863, being purchased at that time by Mr. Putnam's father. This farm is a historic spot, being on the site of the old Putney Tavern on the stage route between Vermont and Boston, in the days before railroads came into fashion. The farms comprise over two hundred and fifty acres of which seventy-five acres are tillage. The buildings are typical of what may be found on many New Hampshire farms. The history of purebred livestock on Mt. Putney farms dates back some twenty-five or thirty years to a time when the dairy cattle on this farm were grades and were not producing and returning the revenue they should. Mr. Putnam realized this fact and decided to start anew with purebreds. He made a start with Devons, but in a few years disposed of them, and, after some deliberation and thought, chose Jerseys because to his mind they were the most economical producers of butter fat. His record in late years has amply justified this early judgment. Mr. Putnam began the breeding of purebred Jerseys in 1904, at that time purchasing four heifer calves from one of the best Jersey herds in New England, following this the next year, with a purchase of a purebred bull, strong in St. Lambert blood, from one of the leading herds in New York. His second sire was from the famous Dreamwold herd of Thomas W. Lawson. This bull was "Colonel Lee's Janet" state champion Jersey cow for all ages in milk production. Taken after finishing year's test. Held by George M. Putnam, Proprietor. a double grandson of Flying Fox, and a grandson of Fygis, the first prize cow at the St. Louis World Fair. The blood of this bull nicked finely with that of the daughters of the first sire, and it is the result of this cross that is largely responsible for the many enviable records now held by animals in the Mt. Putney herd. His third sire used in "Pretty Maid's Inez" the development of the present herd was one that combined the blood of the previous herd sires, and that of the now famous Owl Interest family. The present herd, built up from the foundation females, purchased in 1904 and 1905, and three herd sires purchased at later intervals, is one of the very best in the country. The herd comprises about ninety animals, and holds the |