USA > Ohio > Medina County > History of Medina county and Ohio > Part 34
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"In 1864, George Waters, Sr., bought a cow of Raw Spencly, Sr., of Granger. Some years later, he bought Punch 8,881 and a cow of J. G. Hagerty, of Licking County. Mr. Waters was quite successful, and, at his death, some eight years after, had a fine herd, which was sold at public sale.
" In 1869, Adam Turner started his present herd from cows bought of J. Woodward, of Sharon, and J. L. Beck, of Guilford, and, prob- ably, for the number of cows, has raised more calves than any other breeder in the township. T. G. Briggs keeps a herd of short-horns, the first of which he purchased from G. Waters, Sr., in 1872. He has since purchased several
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head from the Canada West Breeding Associa- tion, and has at present seventeen head in his herd.
" George Waters, Jr., has a small herd, es- tablished in 1875 by the purchase of two cows of D. C. Wilhelm, of Licking County. He aft- erward bought a bull of J. G. Hagerty.
S. S. Totman started his herd with six eows in 1875-76, bought of George Waters, Jr., of Sharon, Sylvester & King, of Granger, and has now a herd of fifteen head. T. C. and E. Woodward have small herds, descendants of a cow purchased by their father (John Wood- ward, Sr.,) of Raw Jackson in 1859. Most of the farmers in the northern part of Sharon have resorted to Short-horn blood for the im- provement of their stock."
The report to the Short-horn Breeders' Asso- ciation, from Medina Connty in 1876, repre- sented that there were six or eight herds in the county, with a poor demand for the stock, not more than one in twenty of the farmers using this blood for the improvement of their lierds. Besides Mr. Cottingham, none reported save J. B. Porter, of Hinckley, as follows : Herd established, 1868 ; first animals were Lady Queen, hy son of Starlight 5,200; Kate Dar- ling, by King Duke 8,460 ; Red Rose, by same; Lady Butterfly, by Master Butterfly 17,702; purchased Kinallor Third 14,668. Have now fourteen cows and heifers and two bulls ; breed- ing hull now in nse, Decoration 22,541. There is less apathy among the farmers now than shown by the report in 1876, though the de- mands of the dairying business, which is a lead- ing interest in Medina, has much to do with the number of those who care to breed fine stock.
The earliest effort to improve this class of stock, however, was by the introduction of the Devon blood. Joel Brigham, who had been a farmer in Harrisville, went into merchandis- ing, and on one of his visits to New York his farmer's instinct lead him to buy two Devon
calves at $55 apiece. At this early time, when it was noised about what Mr. Brigham had done, there was considerable curiosity manifested to see them. Iram Packard bonght one and kept it for some years. This is a strikingly distinct breed in form and quality, medium in size, uniformly red in eolor, and comely in appearance. This blood, or that which was closely allied to it, seems to have heen imported into New England in the seven- teenth century, and the native stock of that section has for many generations horne strong resemblances to this stock. It failed to gain a footing here, and passed away before the Short- horn fashion. Frazer & Owens, of Seville, are breeding this class of cattle and make a credit- able showing at the fairs.
The Ayrshires have been introduced within the last decade. There are several herds of grades, hut the only pedigree stock of this blood in the connty is in the herd of F. B. Clark, of Medina. This breed is said to have originated in the district of Ayrshire, in Scot- land, by a cross of Short-horn bulls from the north of England on the common or native Kyloe cow of Scotland, and cultivated into their present excellent dairy qualities hy care- ful and persistent breeding. They are highly esteemed by those who are partial to them for their large yields of milk, which render them much more profitable for dairy nses than the common cow of the conntry. In size, they are about the size of the common native cattle ; in color, usually red or brown more or less mixed with white, and in shape, more like the Short- horn than others, though lacking their fine con- tour and comeliness of appearance. It was these characteristics that led Mr. Clark to go into the breeding of this stock. He was inter- ested in dairying, and he became convinced that he could make 20 per cent more out of his grass with Ayrshire cows than any other blood. He started his herd in 1874, bnying a bull, "Sir Robert," of C. C. Fuller, in Portage county,
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to which he bred the common cows of his dairy, A little later he went to see a famous cow, " Dandy," in the herd of A. J. Miller, of Lorain County. This cow had given 10,000 pounds of milk in ten consecutive months, and was with calf at that time. Mr. Clark was so pleased with the animal that he agreed to take her calf when three days old, provided it could stand, at $50. His next purchase was a year- ling bull imported from Canada, Cornhill 1st, and when old enough used him for breeding purposes, sending "Sir Robert" to the sham- bles. The present breeding bull is of his own breeding, "Cornhill 2d." The herd consists of five head of full-blood, registered stock, twenty head of from one-half to three-quarter blood. On his farm he has some forty head of eattle, all of his own breeding, and it is his intention to use Ayrshire exclusively for dairy purposes. The Jerseys are represented by a single herd of thoroughbred stock, that of George Burr, of Lodi. There seems to be a distinction be- tween the "Herd Book stock " and that regis- tered iu the " American Jersey Cattle Club Herd Register." The former is not considered ex- elusive enough, and much stock is found regis- tered there that is considered below the caste of the pure Jersey, hence they sustain a sort of high and low church relation to each other. The Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey, generally speaking, have a common origin, and owe their distinctive qualities to the manner of breeding, tastes and preferences of the propagators of this stock, for generations past. In size, they are smaller than our native cows, delicate in form, uniqne in shape, diversified in color, and blood-like in appearance. The prime quality claimed for the cow is the exceeding yellow eolor and rich quality of her milk, cream and butter, in all which she stands without a rival, although her quantity of milk is moderate, compared with the weight of butter which it yields. The herd of Mr. Burr was started in 1877, by the pur- chase of a young bull, "Duke of Medina No.
4,075," of Frank Ford, in Portage County. The sire of this bull was " Butter Stamp No. 700," and was imported in "Butter Mine " from the Island of Jersey. His dam, Ford's " Nellie No. 3,395" and granddam, " Lady Palestine No. 2,769," are descendants of a long line of deep and rich milkers. Iu Deeember of 1878, two fine young heifers were purchased in Indi- anapolis, for Miss Bertha Burr, and added to the herd. These heifers, " Brendus No. 6,362," and " Carmen No. 6,361," were sired by "Marius No. 760," bred by I. J. Hand, and purchased for the Beech Grove herd at a cost of $500. One of these heifers is squirrel gray in color, with full, black points, and both were bred to " Le Brock's Prize No. 3,350," an im- ported bull of great promise, winning the first prize over all Jerseys at the Royal Agricultural Show. He was purchased by Mr. Jackson, and put at the head of the Beech Grove herd at Indianapolis. These cows botli subsequently dropped heifer calves. In December, 1879, the bull " Opetrus No. 4,128," sired by "One Tan," and out of Petrus, which is at present the head of the herd, was bought out of the same herd in Iudiana. Having purchased the heifer " Le Broemer No. 10,670," from his sister, Mr. Burr now has five cows and heifers, and one bull in his herd. These animals are all dark breeding, and several of full solid color and full black points. The cows " Brendus " and " Carmen," when twenty-four months old, gave twelve pounds and thirteen ounces of butter in seven days, without extra feed, and made over one- half pound of butter a day each, within an av- crage of eight weeks of calving.
Sheep were introduced into Medina Co. al- most as early as any stock. The first set- tlers seemed to have looked the ground all over, and to have prepared for an isolated ex- istence in the woods. In these plans, sheep formed a conspicuous item, as the production of wool for the various articles of clothing seemed nearly indispensable. But the number
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and boldness of the wolves made sheep-raising a burden npon the frontier farmer, taxed as he was with the cares and anxieties of a " clear- ing," that he could ill afford, and many soon gave up, the experiment. Others, however, per- severed in spite of discouragements, and the connty has probably not been without sheep since their first introduction, though the num- ber has been very small at times. After the wolf had been exterminated under the influence of liberal bounties paid for their scalps, the dogs caused serious havoc among them, a farmer sometimes finding as many as twenty or thirty killed and wounded in a single night. It did not need any outside enconragement to wage a war of extermination upon these ani- mals, and many a sheep-killing dog was sum- marily disposed of. It is difficult to determine the characteristics of the early sheep. In 1816, Wells & Dickinson, large woolen manu- factnrers at Steubenville, had large flocks of Spanish merino sheep, derived from the Hum- phrey importations. These were pastured at this time on the Stark County plains, and were the talk of stock admirers of the State. In 1824, the failure of this firm cansed these sheep to be scattered in small parcels all over the State, and they fell into the hands of many who cared more to improve on the common stock than to breed full-blooded animals. In this way some of these superior grades came to this county, and were owned as early as 1830 by William Chambers, of Guilford Town- ship. These sheep were characterized by a light carcass and fleece, though the latter was of fine texture and good fiber. American enl- tivation has done much to improve these origi- nal and subsequent importations, so that at this day no fine-wooled sheep in the world excel, and few equal, the American Merinos in the heavy product of their fleeces, or the size and stamina of their bodies. Of the latter class there are several fine flocks in this connty. Asa Farnnm, Esq., of Chippewa Lake, has
been engaged in growing fine-wooled sheep for the last forty years. The flock of Alexander Brothers, of Westfield, is one of the best, and was started in 1861, by purchases from the flock of Mr. Farnnm. The breeding of regis- tered sheep for sale, however, has been of more recent date with these gentlemen. In Decem- ber, 1879, their entire flock of previons breed- ing was sold, and the fonndation of a new flock laid by the purchase of three yearling ewes and one ram, on September 16th of that year. These were drawn from the flock of E. Townsend, of Pavilion Center, Genesee Co., N. Y., and, on January 20, 1880, twenty yearling ewes, from the flock of J. E. Gilmore, of the same place. These latter animals were bred, however, by Townsend. Since these purchases, additions have been made from time to time, until their flock now numbers fifty-one breed- ing ewes from one to two years old, which were derived by Mr. Townsend from the celebrated Hammond flock of Vermont. In addition to the names noted, those of A. L. Clapp, of Chat- ham, William Kennedy, of Brunswick, and J. Barneby, of York, should be mentioned as dealers in this class of stock. .
Abont 1842, Nathaniel Pierce introduced in the south part of Granger some Saxon sheep from the flock of H. D. Grove, of Hoosick, Rensselear Co., N. Y. Mr. Grove, who was a native of Saxony, made various importations from his native land. In a letter from which these facts have been derived, IIon. Halsey Hulburt, of Seville, adds : " Mr. Grove died- perhaps in the winter of 1843-44 the owner of the flock in Granger, and it was sold at pub- lic sale by his administrators in October, 1844, and widely scattered over the conntry. Old Gov. Morris, of Highland Co., Ohio, was present and purchased some. I had twenty of the ewes, and bred them nntil I found their light fleeces-two and one-half to three ponnds -did not pay, and gradually increased their fleeces by merino bncks, to an average, in late
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years, of eight ponnds. With the Saxons I bouglit tlie foot-rot, which has continned in my flock ever since. In June, I disposed of my sheep to be rid of it, and have purchased in Wisconsin. It is problematical, I think, whether merino sheep can be kept on our level lands without foot-rot (our great discouragement in wool- growing) as an accompaniment."
Of the coarser-wooled, mutton sheep, the Cotswold blood was introduced as early as 1852, by J. L. Beck, of Guilford. In that year, he purchased a buck and two ewes from the flock of George Shaw, of Sussex County, New Jersey, paying $40 for the one, and $20 each, for the rest, the three sheep costing in Medina County a little more than $113. These ani- mals were of the best blood in the country, and, by the exercise of great care and excellent judgment, Mr. Beck has succeeded in maintain- ing the character of his flock. The second buck used was of his own breeding, by his Jer- sey ewes and a buck owned by Mr. Bell, of Sharon, who was also interested in this class of sheep. Mr. W. H. Witter, of Montville, and Mr. Shaw, just sonth of Medina, were somewhat interested in these sheep, and exchanges were made among these gentlemen for breeding bucks of the varions flocks. The sixth buck of Mr. Beck's flock, was purchased of William Squires, of Lorain County, of whom he had bought a buck and some ewes the year pre- vious. His seventh breeding bnek was an im- ported animal, and was purchased at an ex- pense of $200; the ninth was an imported ani- .mal purchased of William Moffitt, of Cuyahoga County, etc. Sufficient is given to show the care exercised in the selection of his animals ; and the reputation his flock has achieved, shows the estimation in which his judgment is held by growers of coarse wools. There is a good demand for all his surplns stock, and not a little interest is awakened in this class of sheep. Mr. Beck's flock now consists of twenty- nine ewes, and three bucks.
Of the middle wools-abundant in fleece, massive in the quantity, and delicious in the excellence of their flesh-is found the South- down and Shropshire. Of the latter, two bncks have been imported by William King, of Granger. Of the Southdowns, there are a few specimens in the county, but they are proving, generally, popular. Sheep are raised in Medina for the wool, and, though general opinion does not accept the dictum of the fine wool growers merino grades are the leading characteristics of the sheep in the county. The alternation by many of the farmers from dairying to shcep- raising, is not calculated to do the most for the character of either industry, and experience will probably prove that in this, as well as else- where " a rolling stone gatliers no moss."
Swine were the earliest and the most easily maintained of any stoek on the frontier farms. No family was so poor as to be without them, and none were so rich as not to need them. In most parts of the county they were allowed to run at large in the forest, gradually taking on the nature of the wild hog, which were fonnd here by the first settlers. This breed of hogs were of thin flesh, large bones, thick skin and formidable tusks. They were wholly unfit for food, though the exigencies of pioneer life often made them the only resource. Their skin was used for tanning purposes, and fur- nished a very desirable leather for horse col- lars and other parts of the harness. The woods breed of hogs, however, has long since become extinct in this county, and, where it nsed to take two years to make a 200-pound hog, a 300 and 400 ponnd hog can be made in nine to twelve months. The principal breeds are the Suffolk, Chester White, and Berkshire. The latter was the first introduced, but they were then a rough, coarse-boned animal, and were soon abandoned. A fine-boned Suffolk was in- troduced later, but they were found as much in the one extreme as the early Berkshires had been in the other. A cross between these and
0
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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.
the Chester White has produced a favorite ani- mal with many. A later Berkshire, which an- swers the demands of the critie, is now found in the county, and great pains are being taken to preserve the breed in all its purity. The Yorkshire hog was introduced in Harrisville, in 1874, by John Warner, Esq. This breed matures early, puts on a large quantity of fat and keeps within the limits of the " small breeds." Some of Mr. Warner's April pigs dress this winter 185 pounds, which is consid- ered a very good showing. There is an objection found, that they are rather better to furnish lard than mess-pork. The Magie and Poland- China are also occasionally found, but there is not the same interest manifested in this branch of stoek-raising as in others.
Dairying came to this country by right of succession. In the old Connecticut, this had been a prominent feature of the farm industry before the beginning of the nineteenth century, and the carly settlers coming from New England brought the custom with them. Here it found a congenial soil, and, growing with the growth of the county, it is now one of the chief sources of revenue. The first effort to establish this enterprise iu this county was probably in 1816. In Northrup's history of Medina County, it is related of Mrs. William Warner, that "she thought her table poorly supplied if cheese was wanting." Knowing that her husband was daily employed, and had not time to attend to all that must be done, she undertook to make a cheese-press. She rolled a short log to the corner of the cabin, and fixed it firmly on one end, next she took a puncheon and placed one end in the opening between the logs, and soon made the discovery that a few stones placed on the other end would create leverage. She used the rim of an old sieve for a checse rim, into which she placed the curd, surrounded by a cloth ; placed that on top of the upright log, adjusted the puncheon properly, put the stones in place, and soon had the satisfaction of know-
ing that cheese could be pressed and made. That rudely constructed press was used by her for many years, and she has the satisfaction of telling that from then until the present time (1860) she has never been without eheese, and that always made by herself." This was not an isolated ease, save perhaps in the rudeness of the press and the time of beginning the man- ufacture. It was early observed that the soil was best adapted to grazing, and soon sug- gested an increase in the number of cows. But, before there was a market for the surplus make, cheese was made for home consumption, and most families could afford the luxury of cheese. After the construction of the canal from Cleve- land to Portsmouth, which opened up a market to this eounty, considerable cheese was made in a private way and marketed in the various towns that were aceessible. In 1847, C. B. Chamberlin, a native of Vermont, settled in Montville Township, and purchased 500 acres of land, in the following year put on 100 cows, and began dairying on a scale never before known in this county, and perhaps not on the " Reserve." The most of the land had been eleared before feed was abundant, and he made from 200 to 300 pounds of eheese per day. This he continued for some eight years, gener- ally marketing his product in Chillicothe, where he went every week. Occasionally he eou- tracted his make at Akron or Cleveland. In the meanwhile his operations excited great interest among the farmers in the county, and people came from a considerable distanee away to see him " bandage a cheese in the press." This practice, now so common, was then un- known, and was considered a great novelty. About 1855, a number of the farmers enlarged their dairy operations to a considerable extent, among whom may be mentioned F. B. Clark, Andrew Haight and J. H. Sedgwick. At this time the implements and appurtenances of the dairy were very rude. The milking was done in open yards, and milking barns were unknown.
Rush 2° Van Dusen
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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.
Cheeses were thin and small, and were held through the season. In the fall, when ready for market, they were frequently shipped in rough casks made for the purpose. Welling- ton soon grew into a market for this product, aud the greater proportion of the cheese made in the county was hauled there by the farmers.
The factory system in this county, dates from 1866, in Litchfield Towuship. Cheese factories originated, it is said, in Herkimer County, N. Y. The dairy business began on a considera- ble scale there, as early as 1800, and, by 1830, a trade had been established with England for the product of this industry. From there it spread to the Western Reserve, beginning in the uortheastern part, aud coming to Medina, as above indicated. The Litchfield Factory was built by Benedict & Brooker, and A. D. Hall, of Geauga County, was secured to initiate them in the mysteries of combined action in the dairy business. "Cheese meetings" be- came a common thing at once all over the county. Mr. Hall was au enthusiast upon the subject, and he and his wife were paid high wages for their instructiou and assistance in placing the factory system on its feet here, some private cheese-makers employing them to give instructions in the factory system of manu- facture. In 1867, Chamberlin & McDowell erected a factory in Medina, and about the same time, similar euterprises were inaugurated in most of the northern and northeastern town- ships. Siuce, the dairy business has been an important interest, forming one of the most profitable sources of revenue. These factories have more than doubled the manufacture ; have lessencd the labor to the farmer, and increased the price of the manufactured article. Fac- tories have not found encouragement iu the southeastern part of the county, or in localities where the German element is predominant. They are generally given to wheat culture, and are not to be diverted from this sort of hus- bandry. There are some fourtcen factories
now in the county, though all have not been in operation during the past season. The season of 1879 was very poor for cheese makers, and the farmers made haste to dispose of their cows aud put on sheep. Last scason the price of cheese greatly improved, but the patronage was so poor that many factories could not afford to continue business on the percentage plan, and closed their operations. The average capacity of these factories is from thirty to forty cheeses per day, receiving the milk of some 400 cows. Few have, of late years, worked up to their full capacity, though some have received the milk from 500 to 600 cows at times. Private dairy- ing is still continued, iu some instances on so large a scale as, perhaps, to be properly classed as a private factory.
The principal market for this product of late years has been at Wellington, where, by a sys- tem of partnership with factory men, the inter- est has been built up into immense proportions. The springtide in this business was from 1860 to 1874. During the war, Mr. F. B. Clark, oue year, realized $90 per cow, selling his home- made cheese at an average of 163 cents per pound. Mr. C. B. Chamberlin was not ouly earliest in the dairying business, but for a num- ber of years foremost in the factory business. Selling the first factory in Medina to his part- uer, he fitted up the old mill for the business, which was burned about 1874 with some thou- sand cheeses. He at once put up another fac- tory in the village, which is considered the model establishment of the county. Hc has three others in various parts of the county. In 1875, he engaged in purchasing the product for the Eastern markets, wintering some 12,000 boxes that year in New York City. In 1876, he bought 25,000 boxes, and 30,000 boxes in the following year, all of which he shipped to Philadelphia. The larger proportion of the cheese made here of late has been marketed at Wellington, though not an inconsiderable amount is seut elsewhere on private account.
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C
A noticeable and favorable feature of the agriculture of the county is the moderate size of the farms. By the census of 1870, it ap- pears that there were then 2.722 farms, of which over 2,000 were less than one hundred acres each, and of the latter number, a few more than half were farms of less than fifty acres each. The census of the present year (1880) shows the number of farms at present to be 3,086, and, at the same time, a falling-off in the popu- lation. The natural inference from the imper- fect returns as yet received would seem to be that families were generally smaller, and that the larger farms had been divided, the average farm now not reaching over eighty-five acres. These farms are well tilled, the buildings well improved, the grade of stock equal to the best in the State, and a general well-to-do air of neatness and comfort prevails everywhere throughout the farming community. Improved agricultural implements are found everywhere, the farmers readily perceiving the advantage to be gained by thorough equipment for their work. In the matter of markets, the railroad facilities provided within the last decade have solved the problem that for years vexed the farming community of Morrow County. The question of highways is yet an unfathomed mystery. Like most of the Western Reserve, Medina is at the mercy of its clay roads. Sand and gravel in suitable quantities cannot be found here, and the great inquiry is, as to how these roads shall be constructed to absorb the least moisture. In the State Agricultural Re- port of 1876, ten miles of graveled road was reported, but it would probably puzzle the old- est inhabitant to locate the road. The "river road " is the one probably referred to, where, in places, the gravel of the river has been put on to the highway. It is lost sight of, however, at every muddy season. The bridging of the county is not an importaut item of expense. The Rocky River and the Black River are the principal streams of the county, which can be
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