Bovines of Bovina

Several people have asked for the text of the talk I gave at Bovina Farm Day this past September 3, so here it is in all its glory (it's a bit long, so don't say I didn't warn you!):

Bovines of Bovina. So it seems obvious that it is the bovine that gave Bovina its name.

Not exactly.

The gentleman who named Bovina, Erastus Root, did not see an abundance of bovines in the town. They were there, but the animal that more likely stood out was the ovine – the sheep. Root’s suggestion for the name was an allusion to the town’s fitness for grazing.

But let’s talk about cows, for Bovina certainly had them from its earliest history. Ulysses Prentice Hedrick, in his 1933 book on the History of Agriculture in New York State wrote that “whether our bovine servants were first domesticated for the strength of the bulls or the milk of the cows, we shall never know.”  He went on to note that the species is the most adapted to domestication and then had some rather nasty things to say about the bovine: “A cow or an ox is stupid, and man does not have the affectionate relations with them he has with the horse, camel, or elephant. A cow is little more than a passive producer of milk, almost devoid of emotions – she lives to eat, drink and reproduce. In neither sacred nor profane literature are there stories of the cow tending to show the existence of emotions approaching those of human beings that the books of the ages record for the horse.” There are a number of folks around here who would take issue with Mr. Hedrick.

We do not know how many cows Bovina had in its early days, nor do we really know what kind. The earliest collection of any cow data came in the 1845 state census, when Bovina had 1959 cows. That same year, there were 6700 sheep. But as the years progressed, the number of sheep began to drop, partly due to competition from the west and partly because they were getting more wool per sheep. In 1855, the sheep population dropped in half. It did so again 10 years later and again 10 years after that so by 1875, there were only 677 sheep, vs. 2304 cows. A reminder of all those sheep in Bovina can be seen occasionally in the stone walls. If there are a row of stones on top of the wall sitting sideways, that likely was to keep in sheep.

Bovina was producing butter in its very early days. A decent quantity was being made in the 1840s, 50s and into the 1860s without anyone really remarking on the quality. Bovina being a town of Scotch Presbyterians, many of the farmers determined that their hardworking cows had to keep the Sabbath too. The town passed a resolution on Feb 11, 1862 “that the people of Brushland be required to keep their cows in the stable on Sabbath days.”

In 1863, a newspaper was reporting Bovina was producing 126 lbs a year per cow. 126 pounds was chump change when compared to a decade later as farmers began experimenting with different breeds – all of them foreigners, by the way (meaning the cows in this instance). In the 1860s, farmers like John Hastings and Andrew Archibald started bringing in Alderneys. They are noted for their butter production. Around this same time, other farmers were trying the Ayrshire.

The Alderney was a breed of dairy cattle originating from the British Channel Island of Alderney, though no longer found on the island. The pure breed is now extinct, though hybrids still exist. Ayrshire cattle are a breed of dairy cattle from Ayrshire in southwest Scotland. They are known for their hardiness and their ability to convert grass into milk efficiently. The breed's strengths today are traits of easy calving and longevity.

A letter to the editor of the Delaware Republican, written in 1872 and signed only "T.L.D.," sang the praises of Bovina farmers and their cattle:

Within the last ten years the farmers of Delaware Co. have perhaps made greater progress in the improvement of stock for dairying purposes, than in any other branch of their industry, and in this improvement the little town of Bovina will compare very favorably with other and less secluded localities. Many of the farmers of this town have, with much care and at considerable expense, procured a stock of cattle, that for their fine appearance and profit to their owners, in producing both quantity and quality of butter, are unsurpassed in any other section of the state.

Among our most prominent owners and dealers in thoroughbred cattle in this town, may be named Mr. Thomas Miller, who has imported stock from Europe, and who owns a large and fine dairy of thoroughbred Ayrshires, dealing only in Ayrshires. Mr. Miller is now the owner of the celebrated bull “Lord Cuthbert,” one of the finest Ayrshire bulls ever brought into Delaware county. He received the first premium at the recent State Fair at Albany, is two years old, of a beautiful red and white color…

Mr. James G. Ormiston is a dealer in both Ayrshire and Alderney cattle, his dairy consisting about equally of each, and is one that would attract the attention of everyone who might have an opportunity of seeing them by their neat and thrifty appearance. It is a conceded fact here that “Jim” knows a good cow as well as a good horse when he sees one, that he owns both, and that he would deal in no other.

Thomas E. Forrest owns and deals in the Ayrshire, Alderney and short horn breeds. “Tom” is a lively farmer, buys and sells freely and of the first quality.

Mr. James M. Hastings was the first man in Bovina to introduce the Alderney cattle. His dairy consists entirely of that class. He has been improving it for some years, and now owns one of the most profitable stocks in the country – His production of butter is said to exceed 200 lbs. per head; and to bring in market extra figures on account of its superior quality.

The writer of this article also noted in particular a nine year old half-blood Alderney owned by Mr. McFarland. “Mr. McF. Feeds her well, and she well deserves it. During eight months from the 1st of June 1870, till the lst day of January 1871, she produced 454 lbs. of butter, and during the eight months from April 1st, 1871, until Dec. 1st 1871, she yielded 439 lbs. Mr. McFarlane (sic) will give any information in regard to this animal which may be desired. I understand she is not for sale; an offer of $400 has been refused for her."

The writer concluded his letter with “And now, Mr. Editor, allow me to say, lest my motives in writing this article be impugned, that I am not a farmer myself or in any way interested in cattle, and that the names of those whom I have mentioned I have taken the liberty to do so without their knowledge or comment; but I do feel that there is merit in their stock, even though it be owned in the secluded town of Bovina.”

Thomas Ormiston, James G’s son, had more of a preference. He wrote in the 1890s that while “The Ayrshires were beauties and took the eye of a Scotchman, they could not compete with Alderneys …making butter.” Hedrick in his history of NY State agriculture noted the Ayrshire as being the “poor man’s cow.”

About a decade or so after the introduction of the Alderneys and Ayrshires, Jerseys made an appearance and ultimately became the prominent Bovina cow in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like the Alderneys and Ayrshires, the Jerseys were British. William L. Rutherford, on what is now the Weber farm (where Bovina Farm Day is held each year), likely brought in the first Jerseys. In 1876, he bought six Jerseys, named Elsie of Staatsburgh, Fanny Frank, Kitty 3d, Daphne of Staatsburgh 2d, Princess 5th and Bertha 2d.

Within a couple of years, a debate sprang up between the Delaware Republican and the Delaware Gazette newspapers, both based in Delhi, over who should get credit for bringing in the Jersey. It started with the Republican and an article called Jerseys in Delaware County, signed with the pseudonym “Rural Home.” The writer reported visiting Mr. Rutherford’s: "He is a Scotchman and a farmer, unassuming, and not a man to go into anything without having a perfect system to work upon. This county owes him a debt it can never pay, for improving the dairies of this town and many others of this county. He keeps only the choicest thorough-breds. His herd consists of thirty head, ranging from two years old to eight. In starting his herd he picked the best milkers as well as the choicest colors. His cattle are mostly squirrel grey. One of these beauties is Frolic, eight years old. Bridget, Flora 4th, and Fairway 2d are fine specimens of the Jersey cow, excellent butter cows, and also of solid color."

At the end of this article was a note by the Republican newspaper that stated "While Mr. Rutherford is perhaps entitled to as much credit for contributing to the improvement of the dairying stock as any of our farmers, Mssrs. Thos Miller, J.G. Ormiston and many other farms of Bovina and neighboring towns are little if any behind in the matter. In fact, most of the leading dairymen of our county are well supplied with full blood or grade Jerseys-the latter, in quantity as well as quality of milk– in fact, the very best dairy cows, all things considered, that can be found in the county."

The following week, the Delaware Gazette took exception to this addendum, noting that "Now, Mr. Miller is a late convert to Jerseys, and if he has a thoroughbred cow he must have purchased it this spring – Mr. Ormiston is another convert to Jerseys, as the above-named gentlemen, who have bred, till very lately, Ayershires; and Mr. Miller only last fall sold a farmer an Ayershire calf, claiming the superiority of that breed, yet bought thorough bred Jersey calves for his own use. The Gazette went on to say that to Mr. Rutherford is due to say, that he bought thoroughbred Jersey’s and kept them when the first mentioned gentleman were discouraging their introduction into our dairies. Justice where justice is due."

The Republican responded thusly: 

A correspondent of the Gazette, referring to our commendation of the efforts of several farmers in Bovina for the improvement of dairy stock, says that some of them prefer Ayrshire and other blooded stock to the Jerseys, in which they have not invested. We were well aware of that fact, and it was by inadvertence that “other blooded stock” was not added after “Jerseys.” We may add that many others are not satisfied that the Jerseys are in all respects best adapted for dairying purposes. While the superior richness of their milk is generally admitted, we have heard their hardihood, keeping qualities and the quantity of milk given by them freely criticized. And from such testimony, and what little experience we have, our opinion is that the breeding of full blood Jerseys, for sale and improvement of other stock, is what is mainly commendable in those who have introduced it. We are quite ready to admit the claims of Mr. James M. Hastings and others who may have done much in that direction. We cannot attempt to recollect or enumerate how many have been so engaged or how far their efforts for purity of blood have succeeded.

Another debate started in 1879 and W.L. Rutherford himself weighed in, castigating two men over their statements about their dairies and butter production, including the above mentioned Thomas Miller:

Editors of the Gazette: Having read the proceedings of the Dairymen’s Association at Andes, as reported in the Delaware Republican, there are some statements that are utterly false and without any foundation of truth, which ought to be exposed; in view of this, if you will be kind enough to allow me a little space in your valuable paper, I will try to take the kinks out of some of those lying scoundrels.

Rutherford first took to task statements of a Mr. Davis concerning how he sold some of his butter along with Mr. Rutherford’s. Rutherford denies this and says that he can’t even determine who this man was. The only thing he did know was that he is “an infernal liar. …I find that we have three different classes of people to deal with in this old, rough world, viz: God’s poor, the devil’s poor and poor devils. No doubt he belongs to the third class. So much for Davis." He then went on to speak of Thomas Miller:

Now, with regard to Hon. T. Miller – He stated that he had Ayrshire cows that made 1 lb. of butter per day more than the Jersey cow, which he insinuates he paid a very big price for. I don’t believe that Mr. Miller ever had an Ayrshire cow that made over 1 lb. of butter in a day in his life. If his neighbors tell the truth, they say he generally takes his butter away under the cover of the night in order that they may not know how much he has, and that he is sly about it as a cat stealing candles.

Is that honest and upright for a man who professes to be a disciple of Christ? We know that he stands high in the church militant, but if he follows this hypocritical course, will he ever enter into the church triumphant, to the general assembly, and church of the first born which is in heaven? I suppose Mr. Miller thinks it is all decreed so and that it is all glorifying to God.

Where the truth lies in this debate we may never know. We do know that into the 1880s, Alderneys and Jerseys were both common in Bovina, but by the end of that decade, Jerseys were winning out. The Watertown Times in 1887 gave a report of the State Dairymen Convention in Middletown, including this tidbit: “25 years ago in the town of Bovina there was only 125 to 150 pounds of butter made from each cow. Now when they use Jersey blood the dairies average 250 pounds, and often run as high as 300 pounds. But the feeding of grain has much to do with this increase.”

Thomas Ormiston in 1896 agreed that the increase in the production of butter went hand-in-hand with the improvement in feeding and care of live-stock. Formerly, all live-stock was driven out to a stack and there fed, every day during the winter, and, when hay was scarce, they were fed on ‘browse.’ No grain was fed, except, perhaps, a little rye bran to a cow that was a little ‘off.’ Ormiston when on to note that "some farmers used feed, but others did fine without. I know one man having a small herd who made and sold 215 lb. of butter per cow, without buying one pound of feed, and nearly all the grain raised on the farm was fed to the team; but the cows had all the rough feed they wanted."

Whatever Bovina farmers were doing individually, collectively, it was enough to make Bovina’s dairying noteworthy. It was chosen by the State dairying association in 1891 for a ‘cow census.’ An official with the association noted that “the census report of the town of Bovina, in Delaware county, [was] proof of what might yet be accomplished, and compared that town, with its rough, hilly location to other places with far more favorable surroundings, far behind. The cause of this is that the farmers of Bovina make the dairy their first work. They studied the cow, they thought of the cow, they made this their one business. Again, they were wise in selecting a breed of cows especially adapted to the making of butter, a breed that had been bred for years for that object alone-meaning the Jersey.”

The Andes Recorder in 1893 noted that “Bovina is noted for its great butter - pure Jersey butter that is a strong competitor of Elgin, [Illinois] and is growing in favor with the butter men every year. [Elgin butter in this time period was sort of the gold standard, sold in the sticks we see today, once referred to as Elgin sticks.] The paper went on to report that a correspondent to the paper wrote that:  When we were young 100 pounds of butter per cow was a fair average; now from 300 to 400 pounds per cow does not satisfy the Bovina dairyman.  We expect, if they keep on grading their stock, by the time of the next centennial the Bovina cow will be giving butter instead of milk."

Another newspaper, the Plattsburgh Republican reported that:

The greatest butter town in our State is unquestionably Bovina, in Delaware county. Of the 2569 cows in this town, all except four are Jerseys, or have Jersey blood in them. In this town creameries are not encouraged, and every farmer makes his own butter. … The census of the State Dairyman’s Association shows that the better the animals, the better they are cared for and fed, the larger will be the profit that can be made from them. According to the bulletin issued by the above-named association last winter, there was sold from this town in 1892, 591,325 pounds of butter, at an average price of 25 ½ cts. per pound, or a total of $150,861.55. The average yield of butter per cow for the whole town being 230 pounds a year.

Thomas Ormiston echoed the statement that ‘creameries are not encouraged’ in 1896. He had expressed some concern about establishing them, arguing that butter made in the home was superior. His argument was supported by the fact that at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, 20% of all New York farmers displaying butter came from the town of Bovina. And all the butter was made in the home.

Agitation for a creamery in Bovina was growing, however. In 1901, a creamery did come. In fact, two creameries were established within a few months of each other in Bovina. The creameries started mainly with butter production but this changed and expanded as the 20th century progressed, with the production of butter dropping off. With more transportation options allowing dairy products to get to the market faster, butter began to be replaced by liquid milk. This led many Bovina farmers to change breeds.

For straight-out liquid milk, the Holstein tends to be a bigger producer, so farmers began to move away from the Jersey. There had been an earlier attempt to bring in the Holstein in the 1880s, by Robert Livingston, when he gave a Thoroughbred Holstein bull to David Coulter, to be used by the people of the town. As Thomas Ormiston noted in 1896, “the farmers did not take to the Hollander.”

That all changed in the 20th century. In 1919, the Catskill Mountain News reported that “F.W. Hyatt of Bovina Center has a grade Holstein cow that this season produced 82 pounds of milk per day. She has been fed on coarse timothy hay and 25 pounds of grain per day. The milk tested at the Bovina creamery at 2.9.”

The Holstein is the cow I remember the most when I was growing up. It still is the definitive cow in my mind – cows to me are supposed to be black and white. But as several people told me, there were several farmers in Bovina who still favored the Jersey. Today’s dairy farmers in Bovina are about split between the Holstein and the Jersey. Jerseys from Cowbella just recently moved into Bovina.

So who will become the dominate cow in Bovina? The British born Jersey or the Dutch Holstein? We might not hear the history of this until the 50th Bovina Farm Day in 2058!

"Meet the Lady Cowculators" - Bovina Dairying Pioneer Beatrice Thomson

Seventy-five years ago, a Bovina woman was becoming a pioneer in the dairying industry. The newsletter of the American Dairy Herd Improvement Association, in its June 1942 issue, reported on its front page that "Women Fight Too!" The article noted that "There are fighters on the home front too, and none are more intrepid than the women who are stepping in to fill the gaps left by men who have gone to the service." Later in the newsletter was a page devoted to several women in the country who were becoming milk testers. Bovina's own Beatrice Thomson was one of the women featured. A life long resident of Bovina, she grew up on the Thomson farm on Pink Street. She had "recently graduated from the New York Agricultural College where she completed the Dairy-Commercial testing course that trained her in butterfat testing...." Here's the clipping from that newsletter about Bea.

Here's a clipping from the August 6, 1942 Waterville (NY) Times about "girl cowtesters," including Bea:

Bea continued to work at the Bovina creamery, later becoming the plant manager, until its closing in 1973. The Oneonta Daily Star in June 1968 had a short article by Jack Damgaard about the Bovina Center Coop Dairy and noted that "we are unique...in that we have a lady plant manager...." Here she is on the last day at the creamery.

Photo by Betty Elliott

After the closing of the Bovina creamery, Bea worked for Dellwood in Frasers as the bookkeeper, retiring from there in 1983. She died in 1986 at the age of 68 and is buried in the Bovina cemetery. 

Bovina at the World Columbian Exposition

One of the high points in Bovina's butter making history took place in 1893, when over twenty percent of all New York farmers exhibiting butter at the World's Chicago Exposition Agricultural Building came solely from the Town of Bovina.

Agricultural Building at the Worlds Columbian Exposition
Original postcard from the University of Maryland Digital Collections, National Trust Library Historic Postcard Collection

Michael Miller, one of the farmers who exhibited his butter, received this paperwork about his entry (though he was listed in the guide of exhibitors as Marshall Miller!).

Here's the list of the Bovina farmers who exhibited butter (several of the names were corrected from the original list).

Ada, Chas M., Bovina
Archibald, Geo, Bovina
Archibald, Jno. M., Bovina
Armstrong, Frank, Bovina Centre
Bailey, Jacob, Bovina Centre
Biggar, Robert, Bovina Centre
Black, Wm., Bovina Centre
Bramley, H.G., Bovina Centre
Burgin, H.C., Lake Delaware
Burns, Alexander, Bovina
Burns, J.D., Bovina Centre
Campbell, J.M., Bovina Centre
Clunn, A., Bovina
Davidson, D., Lake Delaware
Doig, W.A., Bovina Centre
Doig, W.J., Lake Delaware
Hilson, Thos, Bovina
Hobby, James, Lake Delaware
Hobby, Jno. T., Bovina
Jackson, T.R., Lake Delaware
Jarvin, Gilbert, Bovina Centre
Johnson, A., Bovina
Johnson, Alex A., Bovina
Johnson, J.H., Bovina
Lee, A.R., Bovina Centre
Lee, Chas R., Bovina
Little, D.D., Bovina
Ludington, B.H., Bovina
McFarland, A., Bovina
McFarland, J.T., Bovina
Miller, Michael, Bovina Centre
Miller, Wm. L., Bovina Centre
Mitchell, J.D., Bovina
Oliver, D., Bovina Centre
Ormiston, Thos, Bovina Centre
Roberton, M., Bovina Centre
Ruff, W., Bovina
Russell, A.T., Bovina
Russell, James, Bovina
Russell, Jno. A., Bovina Centre
Russell, R.N., Bovina
Russell, S., Bovina Centre
Scott, R.R., Bovina Centre
Strangway, Thomas, Lake Delaware
Thompson, Dickinson, Bovina Centre
Thompson, R.A., Bovina Centre
Thompson, W.A., Bovina
Thompson, Wm. S., Bovina Centre
Thomson, Mrs. A.D., Bovina Centre
Tuttle, C.A., Bovina Centre
White, W.S., Bovina Centre
Wilson, Alexander, Bovina Centre

From The Official Directory of the World Columbian Exposition, 1893, page 554-556

Be sure to come and celebrate Bovina Farming today by coming to Seventh Annual Bovina Farm Day on Sunday, September 6 on Crescent Valley Road.  

Dairying in Bovina by Thomas Ormiston

This report was published in Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York, Volume 14, 1897, page 385-389, as part of the Fifty-sixth Annual Report of the New York State Agricultural Society for 1896.  It is presented in its entirety.  I found this on Google Books.  Thomas Ormiston is the grandfather of Ed, Dick and Alan Davidson and of Lauren Monroe and Frances Burns, among others. 

Dairying in Bovina
Especially Prepared for the Annual Report, by Mr. Thomas Ormiston, Bovina Centre, Delaware County, N.Y.

As many dairymen throughout the State are interested in this town, on account of the “Cow Census,” taken a few years ago, by Messrs. Powell and Jennings, for the State Dairymen’s Association, perhaps a brief account of the work will be of interest.  We do not presume that we have the best individual herds in the State, but we do believe that there is no township in the State – or perhaps in the U.S. – where the average is so high, or where it would be so hard to find a scrub cow. 

The town is situated on the headwaters of the Little Delaware, which enters the West Branch of the Delaware, at Delhi, and is made up of thirteen little valleys or hollows, divided by small creeks, beside the Moon Valley, which is not large. Being so situated,— at the headwaters,— there is an abundance of good spring water, and, in favorable seasons, there is plenty of sweet, native grasses, on the pastures. For the above reasons, making it a natural home for cows,— the town was named by Gen. Root "Bovina."

The foundation of the present high standard of the Bovina dairy cow was laid by the sturdy characters of the first Scotch and Scotch-Irish settlers, who redeemed the town from the “squatter sovereignty" that prevailed at the beginning of the century. Many of these men and women were born under the same roof with the cow; thus they were early associated with dairying, generally on a small scale. Nevertheless, they knew how to feed and care for a cow so as to get good results, for, in many cases they obtained a good part of their food from her. According to Burns, their bill of fare was:

"The halesome porritch, chief of Scotia's food;
The sowpe their only hawkie does afford,
That 'yont the hallan snugly chaws her cood."

This town was settled almost entirely by that class of people. They began on a small scale, with one cow, generally. If she proved to be a good one, all her offspring were saved, and, before an Ayrshire or a Jersey was brought in, there were some herds that might well have been called Thoroughbreds, as great care had been used in selecting and breeding. When Thoroughbred bulls were brought in and bred on their animals, excellent results were obtained

There has been a tendency on the part of our breeders, recently, since they began breeding registered stock, to give too much attention to color and pedigree, and, in some cases, they have kept animals not up to the standard as producers. But, the past two years of drouth and pestilence have done the town good, in ridding us of nearly all such live-stock, and I'm afraid that some of our western friends who bought animals that went from here during that time, will find some very poor cows among them, but no man who knows his business will buy breeding animals in that way, although there were some first-class cows sold last fall, as most herds had been thoroughly weeded out a year ago.

The breeding of stock, according to the general acceptation of that term, began about 1860. David Coulter and J. G. Ormiston went to Unadilla and bought a Thoroughbred Ayrshire bull from C. I. Hayes. Some years later, Thomas Miller imported two cows and a bull of the same breed, from Scotland. The Ayrshires were beauties and took the eye of a Scotchman, but they could not compete with Alderneys and Jerseys when it came to making butter, and there is none of that blood in town now, except what has been graded up on the Jerseys. A few years later, Robert Livingston, wishing to encourage the farmers, gave a Thoroughbred Holstein bull to David Coulter, to be used by the people of the town; but the farmers did not take to the Hollander.

I am not aware of the causes that led to the enterprise of introducing blooded stock into the town, but there seems to have been a general awaking in the years from 1858 to 1860. About this time, John Hortings* went to Red Falls, Greene County, and bought an Alderney bull of B. G. Morse, paying $100 for him. He was a pedigreed animal, but not registered. His color was yellow and
white — about equally divided — not a beauty, at least in the eyes of the Ayrshire men, as he was very pointed, with thin quarters and very large digestive organs. It is conceded by all, now, that he was the best stock getter that was ever brought into town, and no other bull was used to such an extent, as farmers for miles around drove their best cows to him, and as many as one hundred were served in one year, beside Mr. Hortings' own herd. Every heifer calf was raised, and many of the bulls, for breeding. Mr. Hortings kept him four years, and, during that time, he stamped his individuality on much of the live-stock of the town. He became very cross and was killed one year after Mr. H. let him go.

James E. Horting — a brother of John's — and A. Archibald, bought the next three bulls from Morse; all were kept on the old Hortings Homestead. These were all Alderneys of the same type as the first one; and breeding from these, extended over a period of ten years. Distance may lend enchantment to the view, but most of our dairymen insist that those first crosses have never been equaled as butter producers.

The first Jerseys were introduced in 1879, by a farmer, Duncan Campbell, and J. G. Ormiston. Two bulls and one heifer were bought of Thomas Fitch of New London, Conn. The year following, W. L. Rutherford and Mr. Campbell bought ten heifers and a bull from the same person; and again, the next year, Mr. Rutherford made another purchase of eight or ten heifers of Mr. Fitch. In 1870, James E. Hortings bought a three-year-old heifer, with calf by her side, from W. B. Densinore, of Dutchess County, N. Y. None of the " Fitch stock " or Mr. Hortings' heifer were registered; but all had pedigrees tracing to importations. A few years later, Mr. Rutherford and Mr. Hortings both went to Mr. Densmore's and bought heifers that were registered, and each a registered bull, and began breeding registered stock. Mr. Rutherford, being old, and having no children, sold his entire stock and his farm to Wm. L. Ruff who has, since 1880, carried on the business, introducing new strains of blood from time to time.

J. D. Mitchell was the last to enter the field as a breeder, but he did more than any other man in the county to raise the standard of registered animals. He sold a fine herd of grades and invested $3,000 in cows and heifers at sales in New York city and New Jersey, The venture was not a financial success, but he introduced the best Jerseys ever brought into the town. The herd of 12 cows — while used especially for breeding — when the calves were fed some new milk — made 365 lb. of butter per cow, that was sold. That yield has never been equalled by any registered herd in the town. He sold his entire herd, two years ago, to Mr. Rychmire of Richmondville, N. Y.

There are several other farmers in town who are breeding registered stock, but, as I said before, Bovina's notoriety was not gained through its registered herds, but through careful breeding by nearly all our farmers; and, it is a notable fact, that the largest yields have not been from the registered herds. I do not mention this fact to deprecate the value of breeding, but I think that it does show that there is danger of attaching too much value to pedigree and color. One of the breeders of registered stock admitted, a few days since, that he had kept poor cows for years, because they had good pedigrees and were nice looking, and he felt that he could not sell them to the butcher, where they should go. I doubt not this has been done by other breeders as well.

With the improvement in breeding, began the improvement in feeding and care of live-stock. Formerly, all live-stock was driven out to a stack and there fed, every day during the winter, and, when hay was scarce, they were fed on " browse." No grain was fed, except, perhaps,a little rye bran to a cow that was a little "off." They generally dropped their calves about the time they were turned to grass. One hundred pounds of butter to sell, was considered, a large yield in those days. Now the average yield per cow in town is over 200 lb. in a good year, but not such as the last two have been.

I have no means of knowing just how much feed is brought into the town and fed now, but I know some men who buy a ton per cow. Not all the improvement is due to buying feed, for I know one man having a small herd who made and sold 215 lb. per cow, without buying one pound of feed, and nearly all the grain raised on the farm was fed to the team; but the cows had all the rough feed they wanted. I recall one other case where an old Scotchman kept a few cows in fine condition without feeding any grain.

The butter is all made in private dairies, except six farmers, who sell their milk. Until 1870, the small pans were used, and a few are still in use. The large, shallow pans with water around and below, were just introduced, though some were superseded by the deep-setting process, and, in a few instances, these have been exchanged for the separator. There is another thing in which the town stands ahead, the average high quality of its dairy butter. Rev. W. L. C. Samson has been living here over one year. He made the statement the other day, that he had always used the best “Elgin Creamery" until he came here, but had never eaten such good butter as he found in Bovina.

It is a very difficult task to give any adequate idea of how dairying is carried on in Bovina, in such an article as this. Not all of our farmers have been successful, but those who have, were very careful about the little things, in all the details in every department; in the selection of the cows; their care and feed; and in the care of the milk, cream and butter.

*The reference to John and James Hortings is some kind of typo that got into the publication.  The last name should be Hastings. 

Another American Tragedy - The Closing of the Bovina Center Co-op Creamery

It was 40 years ago today on March 31, 1973 that the Bovina Center Co-op Creamery closed, after being in existence for 72 years.  This was reported in several local papers.  Here's the article from the front page of the Walton Reporter from April 5, 1973.  [See the blog entry for January 26, 2012 for some photos taken by Mrs. William Elliott on the last day the creamery operated.]

Bovina Center Co-op Closing Is Blow to Town and Farmers

     An era has ended.  After 73 years of operation, the Bovina Center Co-op Dairy is bowing to "progress" and closing its doors.
     It was the last plant in the county to handle exclusively canned milk, this out of an undetermined number over 50 which once operated.  It is known that nearly every village and hamlet in the county once had at least one creamery and some of the larger communities had four or more. 
     A twinge of sadness comes to one's heart when it is realized that anything is becoming extinct, but a special touch of remorse in this case is felt by anyone who grew up hearing the clanging sound of the cans.  The saddest thing of all, though, is that fact that it cannot help but adversely effet the small farmer, who must either convert to expensive bulk equipment or go out of business, if they do not desire to haul their milk to the Dellwood plant at Fraser. 
     It must be noted, of course, that New York State as a whole is declining in influence as a dairy producer, as its market is now controlled by Midwestern prices, a further blow to the little guy.

Had Long History

     The closing of the co-op means that the Town of Bovina, for the first time since its founding over 150 years ago, is now without an industry (other than tourism).  This is a blow to the town and to Bovina Center village which will be hard put to recover for a while. 
     The Bovina Center Co-op was banded together in 1901 by a group of 48 farmers and was, at the time of its demise last Saturday, reported to be the oldest existing co-op in the country, if not the world.  The original farmers had been coming together to make butter for a year or more, but realized need for some sort of organization to benefit them all, hence the co-op.  
     The plant produced exclusively butter until 1906, when a milk sugar-making process was installed.  Shortly thereafter, Bovina became one of the early producers in the United States of powdered milk.  Smaller rollers than one normally would think did the job - they were sometimes no more than two feet in length. 

Operations Change Often

     In 1922, the creamery switched to a drying box and the spray process for the milk and were pioneers at this also.  Skim powder was made until World War II, when they fulfilled a goverment contract (as did many other area plants) to make dried eggs.  
      Early power there, as in all such enterprises, was a team engine, but in 1924 they converted to electricity.  One of those who wired the plant was current county historian Fletcher Davidson (who lives just outside the village and who made a living doing electrical work on area creameris as well as providing much of the historical info herein). 
     The old wooden plant was razed and the present one built, primarily for its wartime contract, in 1942.  The operation of late has been carried out by four people, chief of them being Miss Beatrice Thomson.  Miss Thomson has been at the plant for 25 years and its manager for the last 10. 
     Floyd Aitkens has been a co-op empolyee since the dry milk days of World War II.  Marvin Archibald has been at the plant for about 15 years and Herman Archibald about 10.  

Served Wide Area

     Before the Mar. 31 closing, the co-op at Bovina Center served 43 farmers directly, several of whom may opt to close rather than to adapt to bulk operations or cart their milk all the way to Fraser.  
     One of the producing and hauling farmers is Roscoe Brink, who has been hauling milk everyday from the area of Durham, near the Albany-Greene-Schoharie county border and who serves several other farmers.  He has come to Bovina for a year, since the closing of a similar plant in Blenheim, Schoharie county and will now have to truck to either Worcester or Cobleskill with his load.  
     Most of the Bovina producers will be able to haul their milk to the Dellwood plant, which is the only plant now in the county to handle cans (most of its business comes from the bulk milker but it will accept all can dairies which meet its quality standards).  They will take cans at Fraser only so long as it is profitable for them to do so, but David Jones of the Dellwood operation added that closing of their can operation and deck will not be in the immediate future. 

Vote Near Unanimous

     The 43 farmers in attendance at the Friday night meeting voted with only one dissension for closing.  Thirty-three of the group also voted to dissolve the co-op and the board of directors was designated to do as they saw fit along these lines.  Charles McIntosh Sr. is president of the board, which also includes Jack Hilson and Millard Russell Jr. 
     All parties concerned are still wondering what can be done about saving the small farmer, who once was the backbone of the country, but is now being pushed out of existence by financial and other woes.
     It is another American tragedy. 

Farm Feast on December 3

The Friends of the Bovina Public Library are sponsoring a Farm Feast at the Bovina Community Hall, running from five until eight.  The food that is being provided is mostly locally grown, including beef, pork, chicken and veggies, mostly through Farming Bovina.  Advance tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children under 12.  They will be $15.00 & $7 at the door.   Entertainment will begin at 6:30, featuring Hilt & Stella Kelly, Ira & Lori McIntosh.  Tickets are still available at the library, Russell's Store and the Bovina Post Office.  Call 607-832-4884 for more information. 

• If you are interested in knowing more about Bovina's Community Hall, built in 1930, look back at my March 19, 2011 blog posting.  
• The Bovina Public Library's official history goes back almost 95 years, when it was officially established, but it got its start before that through the Bovina United Presbyterian Church.  The first library was in the basement of the church.  It later was moved to a building donated by James and Elizabeth Coulter.  The library moved to its present location, the Bovina District 4 school house, in 1971.  The library will be celebrating its 95th birthday next year, so I'll share more history at that time.  The library's website is at http://www.bovinalibrary.org/bovina/index.asp.  
• Farming Bovina is sort of the new kid on the block.  Just created this year, Farming Bovina was formed to aid local farmers achieve sustainability and economic stability. It is a not-for-profit charitable and educational corporation working for the preservation, protection and stewardship of agricultural and cultural resources in and around the Town of Bovina, New York. Check out their website at http://farmingbovinany.org/.  

Come on Saturday the 3rd to support your local library and taste what your community farmers have to offer. 

American Success Story

To celebrate the third annual Bovina Farm Day tomorrow, I've posted here an article from 1963 about Jack and Eleanor Damgaard's farm.  The magazine is the Metropolitan Milk Producers' News.  Click on the image to see a larger (and readable) version. 

  

Be sure to come to Bovina Farm Day tomorrow from 10 to 5 on Crescent Valley Road (http://www.bovinafarmday.com/).  Our local farmers took a hit from Hurricane Irene.  Please come and show your support for them. 

Bovina Farms by the Numbers

A lot of the information I have found over the years about Bovina farming has come from 19th century census records. I thought I'd share some of the more interesting and telling numbers.  Though Bovina is historically known as a dairying community, these numbers reflect that milk and butter were not the only products of Bovina farms.  Though Bovina farmers probably wouldn't have used the term back then, diversification was a noted feature of farming - families did what they could to feed themselves and make a living.

The information that was collected over the years varies significantly. New York collected and reported ag data down to the town level in 1821, 1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, and 1875. The earliest numbers provided for Bovina came in a special 1821 agricultural census. That year, the town had 4,876 acres of improved land (at a time when the potential acreage was around 26,000). By 1865, the improved acreage was almost 20,000.

Livestock

Bovina had 219 horses in 1821. The number of horses fluctuated, though not dramatically. In 1835, there were 542 horses, but by 1875, that number was down to 329. Bovina used to have a lot of sheep - that number rose then dropped significantly. In 1821, the town had 2,229 sheep. The number of sheep reached a peak in 1845, when there were 6,718. Ten years later, that number was almost halved. Ten years after that, it was halved again and by 1875, Bovina had only 677 sheep. Census records also record that Bovina farmers had some swine or pigs. In 1825, there were 1,653 pigs. The number dropped to half of that in 1840 and by 1875, was down by half again to barely 400. As reported in past blogs, the number of cows was not recorded until 1845, when Bovina had 1,959. The number did not vary dramatically. In 1875, there were 2,304 cows, with about 160 farms. In 1892, the town was reported to have 2,600 cows, owned by 117 farmers.

Grain

Census takers started recording farm products in 1840. That year, Bovina farms produced a variety of grain: 207 bushels of barley, 1,642 bushels of buckwheat, 31,245 bushels of oats, 8,179 bushels of rye, 3,907 bushels of wheat and 69 bushels of corn. These numbers varied over the next 30 years. By 1875, wheat production was down to only 96 bushels. Rye also dropped dramatically, down to 355. Oat production, on the other hand, remained very steady, with 31,934 bushels produced in 1875. Barley production varied a bit more but by 1875, it was down to 49, while buckwheat was up to 5,562 bushels.

Animal products

In 1840, Bovina farms produced 9,570 pounds of wool. The number was up to 13,263 five years later, but ten years after that, it had dropped to 5,966. By 1875, it was down to 2,943, but farmers were getting more wool per sheep (4.3 pounds vs. 2 pounds in 1845). Of course, the big animal product for Bovina came from cows, and the vast bulk of that was butter. From 223,092 pounds in 1845, Bovina farms reached a peak of 380,591 in 1875. That same year, farmers only sold 120 gallons of milk. Butter was easier to transport in the pre-automotive age.

Other products

In 1845, farmers produced 44,540 bushels of potatoes. By 1875, that was down to 15,282. Maple sugar production was at 23,301 pounds in 1840 and after a drop in the 1850s, was at 43,708 by 1875. In 1855, 4,500 pounds of beeswax and honey were produced. This was down to 1,315 by 1875. Bovina farms also produced some cider, with 25 gallons in 1855, 170 gallons in 1865 and 63 gallons in 1875.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, Bovina became noted primarily for its dairy products.  In the 21st century, as the town strives to maintain its agricultural heritage, diversification is once more the word.  Today's Bovina farmers offer a wider range of products, including beef, pork, eggs, and organic vegetables.  Mark September 4, 2011 on your calendars for the third annual Bovina Farm Day and see for yourself the variety of what Bovina farmers have to offer.

Bovina Earmarks

No, I'm not talking about something in Congress that directs tons of money to Bovina (unfortunately). What I am talking about are earmarks that Bovina farmers used to make sure they could identify what sheep belonged them. These earmarks were registered with the town clerk. In the records of the Town of Bovina there is a book of these earmarks dating from the town's creation in 1820 to 1836. There were more farmers in Bovina than this list demonstrates. In 1821, there were probably 150 farmers, while this list, covering a 16 year period, shows 68 farmers (and some are on here more than once). So why only some Bovina farmers show up here is anyone's guess. It could be these were the larger farms or maybe the farmers not on this list always kept their animals securely penned, negating the need to distinguish their sheep from others. Here are the 68 earmarks registered with the town clerk from 1820 to 1836:

• Bailey, William - Swallow fork on the left ear and a square crop and a hole through the right ear
  
• Balentyne, Robert - A half penny on the under side of each ear
• Bassett, Francis - Swallow fork on the left ear and a half crop on the right ear the upper part cut out
• Brush, Alexander - A crop on the left ear and a slit in the same and a half crop on the foreside of the right ear
• Brush, Joel - His sheep mark two half pennys under side of the right ear
• Cambers, Dan H. - Square crop on each ear & a halfpenny on the underside of the right ear
• Carman, Joshua - A crop on the right ear
• Carman, Sr. James - Three halfpennys on the underside of the right ear
• Cline, Adam - A square crop off the left ear and Halfpennys on the right one on the upper and the other on the lower part of the same
• Conor, Francis - A crop on the right ear and a hole in the same
• Croziers, Walter - A half penny on the upper side of the right ear
• Davis, Alban - One hole through the right ear
• Davis, Benjamin - A slit in each ear
• Davis, Samuel - Two half pennys on the underside of the left ear
• Dean Jun, John - A crop in the Left on a slit in the Right ear
• Doolittle, William - Sheep mark is a crop on the Right ear and a slit on the left
• Elliott, John - A crop on the left ear and halfpenny on the underside of the right ear
• Erkson, John - A halfpenny on the underside of the right ear
• Halstead, William - A crop of the left ear and a half penny on the underside of the same
• Hamilton, Robert - A crop on the left ear
• Hamilton, Thomas - Letter T branded on their face or forehead
• Hastings, John - A slit in the left ear
• Hilton, Nathan - Sheep mark is a slit in each ear
• Jones, George - Half crop on both ears
• Jones, George - his brand on the head of the sheep mark I between the eyes
• Jones, George - His sheep mark a crop of the Right ear and a hapenny under side of each ear
• Jones, William - Crop on the right ear and a halfpenny on the underside of the left ear
• Jones, William - A half crop on the upperside of the left ear and a halfpenny on the underside of the same ear
• Ladd, John - Swallow for on the left ear
• Ladd, Thomas N. - Hole through the left ear and a swallow fork on the right ear
• Landon, Thomas S. - Two slits on the right ear and a crop on the left
• Landon, Jr, Thomas - A swallow fork in each ear and a half penny on the foreside of the Right Ear
• Leet, Charles - A crop on the right ear and a half penny on the underside of the left ear
• Light, Close - Sheep mark is a crop on the left ear and a halfpenny on the front on upper part of the right ear
• Ludington, Henry - his cattle mark is a slanting crop of the left ear
• Maynard, Elisha B. - a swallow fork in each ear
• McCumber, Christopher - A square crop on the left ear & a half crop on the underside off the right ear
• McFarland, Thomas - A slit in the right ear
• McNaught, Duncan - Swallow fork on the left ear and a half crop on the upper part of the right ear
• McNaught, Hecter - his sheep mark half crop in each ear and a hole in each ear
• McNaught, John - Mark is altered to a half crop on the lower part of the right ear and a crop on the left ear
• McNaught, John - A half crop in the right ear and a hole in the left
• McNaught, Malcom - A crop on the right ear and a hole in the left
• Minzee, Robert - a half crop on both ears and branded across the nose
• Mitchell, Robert - Sheep & cattle mark is a swallow fork over the right ear & a crop on the left
• Nelson, James R. - A hole in the left ear
• Nesbitt, George - Sheep mark is a swallow fork on the left ear and a crop on the right ear
• Paterson, Joseph - A half crop on underside of the Right Ear and the upper side of the left
• Purdy, Frederick - A square crop on the right ear and a half crop on the under part of the left ear
• Raitt, John - Swallow fork on each ear
• Renwick, James - A half penny on the underside of the left ear
• Reynolds, Daniel - A slit in the left ear and halfpenny on the underside of the same
• Reynolds, John - Two half pennys on the upper side of each ear
• Reynolds, Stephen - A crop on the left ear and a nick in the side of the same
• Rider, John - Sheep mark is a crop on the right ear and halfpenny on the upper side of the same
• Russell, Jr., James - Sheep mark is a hole through the left ear & a swallow fork on the right ear.
• Rutherford, John - A slit on the left ear and a halfpenny on the underside of the right ear
• Scott, John - Sheep mark a notch under part of each ear
• Scott, Robert - Farmer, A half penny on the upper side of each ear
• Scutt, Jonathan - A crop on the rear or left ear and a slit in the right ? Ear
• Sopers, Peleg - Crop on the right ear and an oblique slant on the left ear on the front part thereof
• Storey, Widow Mary - A crop on the Right ear and 2 halfpennys on the underside of the left ear
• Thomson, James - a half crop on the left ear
• Thomson, John - Sheep and Cattle mark is a crop on the right ear & a halfpenny on the underside of the same
  
• Tuttle, Solomon - The left ear half cut off
• Wooden, Orrin - Sheep mark is a crop on the left ear and a half penny on the upperside of the same ear

Here's one of the early pages from the register of sheep marks. After about three pages, they stopped including the drawing of the sheep's head noting which ear had the mark.

Past and Future of Bovina Farming

Bovina, as any community, has had occasions over the years to review its livelihood. In the late 19th century, the reduced demand for butter, a major product of Bovina farms for much of that century, led to an address by Bovina farmer Thomas Ormiston in 1896. Mr. Ormiston, the father of Lois Davidson and Ruth Monroe, spoke at the annual meeting of the New York State Dairymen's Association in Delhi. He sounded the alarm about the reduced demand for Delaware County butter and suggested some ways to deal with it. Ormiston noted that “the demand for dairy butter is growing less and less every year. Last fall having lost an old customer...I went to New York to try and get another place for the butter. I found that the majority of the stores were overstocked with butter. With this condition of affairs, and the extremely low prices for other farm products, the dairymen of Delaware County are in a bad way.” Ormiston put some of the blame on the farmers themselves for keeping the butter too long before selling it. He also noted that “there are too many persons between the producer and the consumer.” He noted that “there are three classes of men who have been taking from the consumers in the butter trade. They are the creamery man, the creamery supply man and the hocuspocus man." Ormiston had nothing against the creamery man but said that "The second is a shark to do the farmers and the last man is seeking to steal the reputation of the others.”

Ormiston noted that "there are a good many farmers who are very sensible as producers, but who would utterly fail as salesmen in working up a trade." He suggested working cooperatively. "Cooperation in producing, cooperation in selling, cooperation in buying." In this way, he hoped to avoid the middle man.

Ormiston suggested a cooperative creamery, though with caveats. He noted that at the 1893 World's Fair, "old fashioned dairy butter (i.e. butter made at home) was proven to be the best." His remedy for that was to have each cooperative member still make butter at home, but follow rules for its production. In this way, butter from Delaware County would be of a uniformly good quality.

Six years after Ormiston's speech, the Bovina Center Cooperative Creamery was established. Milk was processed and contrary to Ormiston's advice, the butter was made at the creamery by a butter maker. In 1905, the butter maker was paid a salary of $800. The creamery operated until 1973.

Over the past few years, Bovina farmers and those interested in the future of the town have again looked at cooperation as a way to save Bovina farming and thus preserve the community's rural and agricultural flavor. In Tom Ormiston's time, and well before and after his time, Bovina's primary farming activity has been dairying. Today, farming in Bovina has a more eclectic mix. While there still are three dairy farms in the town, there also are farmers dealing in beef, pork, eggs, Christmas trees, organic vegetables, maple syrup, hay and agri-tourism.

On Saturday, January 15, I attended a meeting organized by Evelyn Stewart at which the creation of a not-for-profit organization to help farmers in Bovina was discussed. The goal of this effort is to keep the over 200 year old tradition of farming in Bovina going well into the 21st century. This new cooperative venture is following the historic footsteps of people like Thomas Ormiston. Come back to this blog for updates on Bovina's rich farming history - and its farming future.

Prosperous Bovina Farmers

Just over 100 years ago, the Catskill Mountain News of February 25, 1910 reported on a speech by Dr. Powell of Columbia County at a dinner in New York. The paper noted that Dr. Powell "has long been prominently connected with the agricultural interests of the State." Powell had been Director of the Farmer's Institute in the 1890s and served as Treasurer of the New York State Dairymen's Association. His speech included remarks about Bovina and his experience there in the early 1890s while conducting a farm census of the town.

"It has been said that you never know the best qualities of a man until you have put your feet under his table, and in making a dairy census of the town of Bovina several years ago, I met the farmers and their families in their homes and had the most favorable opportunity of becoming intimately acquainted with their character, and found in them most excellent qualities.... "

Dr. Powell recalled arriving at the farm of William Black, who also happened to be Bovina's town supervisor. William Thompson Black was born in Beetown, Grant County, Wisconsin in 1861 but grew up in Bovina. He took over the family farm on Coulter Brook Road on the early death of his father, making it one of the leading farms in Bovina. In 1885, Black married Bell J. Irvine, a daughter of Henry and Jeanette (Ainslie) Irvine, of Delhi.

Powell arrived at the Black's around 5 pm on a hot July day. He was invited to stay over and provide Mr. Black with a little instruction on how to use a new milk tester. After about an hour learning about the tester, Black realized that he still needed to milk his herd of 33 cows. Because his hired men were away for the day, he asked his wife Bell to help. Powell felt guilty sitting in the Black's sitting room while Mrs. Black, who he noted did not weigh more than 100 pounds, was milking over a dozen cows. Powell asked her if she was going to milk half of the cows. She replied, 'Oh, yes, I have done that before.' Powell responded 'If you will give me an apron I will help you." He was somewhat surprised when the offer was immediately accepted. He ended up milking a third of the herd - 11 cows.

Powell noted that "After milking was over cake and milk and fruit were served after which Mr. and Mrs. Black provided some good music for nearly an hour, and I shall never forget the excellent type of life which those young people represents in their home and the very delightful evening I spent with them."

The story went out that the man who was taking the census actually knew how to milk a cow, and that he had milked 11 at Supervisor Black's. It likely worked in his favor as he continued his census work.

Powell left Bovina at the end of the census with a very favorable impression of the town and its farmers. He stated in his final report on the census that "I believed that the town of Bovina was the richest town in the United States." He said that he had never seen "so large a number of high producing herds of cows" as he found in Bovina. He noted that Bovina farmers had introduced well bred Jersey bulls and had built up an exceedingly good class of diary cows. He also noted very nutritious pastures and a productive soil.

Powell speculated as to why "this one small isolated town differ[ed] from many sections of the State where the land was more level, more easily worked and with more convenient transportation facilities." He felt it was in the better system of farming. In much of the state, the fertility of the soil has been depleted, "while in Bovina it has been such as has conserved and improved the soil." He noted that the main produce of Bovina farms, namely butter, removed the smallest portion of the elements of soil fertility while the by products, such as skim milk and butter milk, were fed to chickens and pigs.

In a future blog entry, I'll report on the results of the Bovina Cow Census that Dr. Powell was speaking about.

Note: William Black became Delaware County Clerk and moved to Delhi in the late 19th or early 20th century. He also ran unsuccessfully for the State Senate in 1912. He and his wife both died in 1938 and are buried in Delhi.

2nd Annual Bovina Farm Day is Sunday

Yep, come to Crescent Valley in Bovina to enjoy the second annual Bovina Farm Day on Sunday, September 5. It's a great chance to see what local farmers are producing. And I'll be there with a display or two and a scanner for anyone who has pictures of Bovina people or places that they would like to share.

For more information on the various activities taking place and for directions, go to http://www.bovinafarmday.com/

Don't rely on this map for directions - it's a tad old. It dates from 1793 and shows lot 108 in Great Lot 41 of the Hardenburgh Patent. Most of the Bovina Farm Day activities essentially will take place within this lot (and lot 110). This map is from the Cockburn Family Papers at the New York State Library's Manuscripts and Special Collections (my thanks to the library staff for allowing me to take digital photographs of these and the other Great Lot 41 maps that related to Bovina). William Cockburn was a surveyor who did numerous surveys in the Hardenburgh Patent. He surveyed all of the lots in Great Lot 41, which belonged to James DeBrosses. Lot 108 was surveyed for Aaron Buckley. A few months later, 100 acres of the 316 and a half acre lot was split off for Joel Beach. These surveys were done for the first settlers on this land. Today, the Lester and Junior Stewart Farms as well as the old Trimbell Farm are in Lot 108.

So come to Bovina Farm Day on September 5 and you'll be in lot 108 too. Hope to see you there.

Bovina Farm Day 2010

In a little less than one month, the second annual Bovina Farm Day will be held up Crescent Valley. It'll happen on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend - September 5 to be specific. I will be there again this year with a display and my scanner - I'm always looking for pictures of Bovina farms, people, events - well, anything related to Bovina.

Go to http://www.bovinafarmday.com/index.html for more information on Bovina Farm Day. I've been asked to write up a brief history of the farms up Crescent Valley. I will share that at my display booth on Bovina Farm Day - and share it on my blog shortly after.

Hope to see many of you on the 5th!

Maple Syrup Production

My aunt Valerie LaFever sent along this link to the Watershed Post about this year's maple syrup production: http://www.watershedpost.com/2010/catskill-maple-syrup-production-down-80-percent

I'm sending it along because maple syrup used to be a big spring time activity in Bovina (and still is in a few places) and Bovina natives George and Duane LaFever (my uncle and cousin respectively) are featured in the article and on the YouTube clip. The gist of the article and the video clip is that maple syrup production was down significantly this year.

While maple syrup was never a leading money maker in Bovina, 19th century farmers did take advantage of the abundance of maple trees to satisfy whatever sugar fixes people had in those days. Until the advent of the railroads, cane sugar generally was too expensive for most households. In 1840, farmers produced 23,000 pounds of maple sugar. Production was down to 10,000 pounds by 1855 but back up to 43,000 in 1875, the last year for which I have found data for the town. In the 1870 census, over half of Bovina's farmers produced at least 50 pounds of sugar that year, including at least two of my (and George's and Duane's) ancestors. In the 20th century, my grandfather, Ben LaFever and his three sons, Howard, Charlie and George, produced syrup. The tradition continued with Howard and his sons and with George and his son Duane. For more information on Duane's Delhi based maple sugar operation, go to http://www.maplewoodfarmny.com/aboutus.html

Duane is carrying on something our forebears did over 150 years ago. Let's hope this downturn in production is a seasonal issue and that he'll be at full production next year.

And since I'm talking about Bovina farming, I should mention that September 5 has been set for the Bovina Farm Day. Stay tuned for more details as the date gets nearer.

How Did Bovina Get Its Name?

I've been a bit behind on this blog lately. I'll blame a brief trip to Ireland last week and the impending holiday season. This brief entry speculating about how Bovina got its name was written a bit ago but not posted - until now.

I've already explained in a past blog how Bovina got its name, but the story has always struck me as a bit off. The information in some of the old histories says that Bovina, created in 1820, got its name from the fact that it was a pioneering town in dairying. And yes, Bovina did become a noted dairying community in the region. In 1875, Bovina produced more butter per acre than any other town in the Delaware County. But that was later. In 1820, Bovina did not have much dairying other than what was needed for the farmer's immediate needs. At Bovina's founding, it appears that the main money making livestock was not cows but sheep. And it stayed this way into the 1850s.

My speculation is that the term 'bovine,' the root of 'Bovina,' was not meant to refer to dairying but to a more generic term akin to 'pastoral.' One of the earliest references I can find to how Bovina was named comes from the 1860 Historical and Statistical Gazetteer of New York by J. H. French, LL.D. In its entry for Bovina, the gazetteer said that General Erastus Root, who came up with the name, noted the area's fitness for grazing as the reason his suggestion. No reference was made to dairying. Bovina at its founding had many more sheep than cows - and people. Maybe General Root was being rather forward thinking and saw the potential of the area for larger scale dairy farming, but I suspect it was all those grazing sheep that put the idea into his head.

Now one can speculate as to whether or not the naming of the town helped to set its destiny as a dairying community, but keep in mind that the surrounding towns' farmers also saw dairying as their main livelihood. Still, it can't have hurt Bovina's butter industry to have such an appropriate name - maybe it gave Bovina butter makers a bit of an edge in the marketplace.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And as prepare your holiday meal, whether it's the stuffing, rolls, or that yummy homemade apple pie, think of Bovina butter!

Bovina Farm Day

It's a cloudy morning in Bovina as I sit in Russell's Store. Bea is getting things up and running and I'm catching up on a day and a half worth of Internet stuff.

So Bovina Farm Day. What a major success it was. At least 700 people headed up Crescent Valley Road for the day's festivities. The absolutely gorgeous weather (not like today's clouds) certainly helped, but so did the advertising. My role was to have a display about Bovina farming and to scan any pictures people cared to bring. No one brought any pictures, but I got a good amount of traffic from people with questions. And I had some aerial pictures taken in 1946 by Bob Wyer to share. People enjoyed those and were very helpful in identifying a couple of my mystery photos. And a classmate of mine, Marie Menke, noted that one of my pictures in the Cape Horn area was printed backwards!

Here are my semi-raw notes I took yesterday as the day unfolded:

10:45 am. It started out a bit chilly - 45 degrees at the house. I headed up Crescent Valley at 8:30, stopping at the Maynard School to leave off with Jan Bray a notebook of tidbits about the school. Evelyn Stewart, one of the organizers, got me set up in the big tent while others arrived with maple syrup, flowers and herbs (the dill smell is great), corn, onions, eggs, beef, and holiday trimmings. People came with pigs, rabbits, chickens (with some baby chicks), horses, cows and goats.

12:02 pm. The crowds so far have been very healthy. Donna Weber, another of the organizers, is thrilled and somewhat surprised at the numbers. She noted that yesterday, crowds started coming in response to a notice with the incorrect date. So there was some clue that there would be interest, but would they come a second day all the way up Crescent Valley? Yes they did.

1:09 pm. The crowds keep coming. It certainly appears that this has been a runaway success. No two ways about it. I’m not getting heavy traffic, but a fair amount of interest. The scanner so far is inactive, but this isn’t really a problem. There’s plenty to see, do and eat!

1:45 pm. Just had a debate over whether or not the 1946 picture of what was mislabeled the John Burns farm is actually the Draffen farm. We’ve confirmed it’s not the John Burns farm but no agreement has been reached as to whether it is the Draffen farm or where the heck it is. And the crowds continue to come. I’m just totally thrilled for the folks who worked so hard to organize this event.

3:30 pm. It’s actually starting to wind down a bit though folks are still visiting the vendors and I continue to get some traffic. It’s clouded up some, but still is lovely. I’m going to be really tired, but happily so.

3:51 pm. Speculation starts about how many came. It was $5 a car, so the car count is key. The official word from the folks collecting the money was 140 cars but likely more. That means over 500 people. All I know is that the hay wagon taking people down to see the Maynard School has been running almost continuously.

5:00pm Breakdown time. Everyone agrees that this was wildly successful. A final count of the money collected per car indicates that it is likely that over 700 people came. Vendors did a brisk business (including some from yours truly). I made a number of contacts and have already asked to be invited again if they do this next year. Today’s success likely will lead them to give it a try again in 2010.

So now it's on to Columbus Day weekend and the celebration of the Bovina UP Church's Bicentennial. But I'm also already thinking about what I might bring to share for the Second Annual Bovina Farm Day!

Bovina Farm Day is Coming!

Just a quick entry to remind everyone one more time about Bovina Farm Day this Sunday up Crescent Valley Road - once you get to Crescent Valley, just drive until you see all the activity! I'll be there with a display about Bovina agriculture and my scanner. If you have pictures of old Bovina Farms (or not so old Bovina Farms) please bring them to share. More information is at http://www.bovinafarmday.com/index.html.

Was Bovina Butter Served at the White House?

When Bovina’s first settlers starting arriving in 1792, they were attracted by what the land agents for Janet Livingston, the then owner of much of present day Bovina, said was an area good for grain and excellent for meadow. What was they didn’t mention was Delaware County’s rather rocky soil – ‘two stones for every dirt.’ In this rocky soil, farmers tried to grow grain. Over the years, Bovina farmers grew a variety of grain, including barley, oats, rye, wheat, buckwheat and corn. Wheat was the predominant grain, as it was the way many farmers paid the rent on their farms to Livingston and her successors.

It became obvious, however, that growing grain was not going to be Bovina’s farming future. When Bovina was created in 1820, Erastus Root suggested naming the new town Bovina in honor of its local dairy farms. This tells us that there were enough dairy farms to cause Root to make this suggestion, though early census data do not tell us the population of cows or the number of dairy farms.

Early records do tell us that in 1821, Bovina’s livestock included 219 horses and 2,299 sheep (Bovina’s human population was around 1200). Bovina’s sheep population reached a peak of 6,700 in 1845, just as Bovina’s population reached its peak of 1,436. That same year, Bovina's wheat production was 2000 bushels and its farms had almost 2000 cows (this first year the number of cows was reported). Within a decade, wheat production had dropped to merely 50 bushels. Bovina's sheep population also dropped, though more slowly. In 30 years, the sheep population was down to ten percent of its 1845 number. The number of cows, however, remained relatively steady throughout this period as Bovina found its farming niche.

Bovina was considered a model dairying community, cited in a number of references for the quality of its product. What was that product? It wasn’t liquid milk – in 1875, only 120 gallons of milk were sold. Before the days of refrigeration and easy access to the railroads, most of the milk had to be converted to butter or cheese in order to not lose the product of the dairies. Bovina favored the production of butter.

Butter production in general was very much women’s work. John Burroughs noted that “Every housewife [in Delaware County] is, or wants to be, a famous butter-maker.” The women skimmed the cream from the milk and churned it, working it into butter. They packed the butter into barrels or firkins. Bovina butter production was at 223,000 pounds in 1845, rising to 380 thousand pounds in 1875. Bovina butter became particularly noteworthy in the late 19th century, partly due to the introduction of the Jersey cow. John Hastings and Andrew Archibald introduced the first Jersey stock into Bovina in 1863. Other farmers were skeptical at first, but the Jersey proved to be superior for the production of butter.

About 1870 William L. Rutherford, whose farm was up Crescent Valley where the Weber farm is located, purchased a herd of twenty head from a Connecticut stock dealer. Not only did he do well producing butter, but the herd proved to be profitable in sales. James Hastings also was successful selling stock, selling to farmers as far away as Iowa and Wisconsin.

The heyday of Bovina butter came at the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893. At the New York pavilion at the fair, twenty four percent of all New York farmers exhibiting butter came from Bovina. Bovina had around 120 dairy farms at this point.

So, was Bovina butter served at the White House? And when? The section about Bovina in the Centennial History of Delaware County, New York: 1797-1897 states: “Its enterprising citizens are justly proud of the flattering appreciation of the excellency of Bovina butter, and the reputation it has gained. Upon two occasions Bovina dairies have supplied the tables of the presidential mansion at Washington, being recommended as the finest flavored butter made in the United States.” There are other similar references, but all of them rather vague as to when this actually happened.

Given the high quality of Bovina butter, it is quite possible that some of it found its way, at least a few times, to the tables of the White House. Not necessarily on any kind of regular basis, since there certainly were other butter producers significantly closer to the nation’s capital, but maybe for some special occasion. The President who brought it there maybe had New York connections.

My quandary is finding the documentary evidence of Bovina butter finding its way to the nation's capital. The next step is to see what White House records may be at the National Archives, but knowing under what administration or administrations Bovina butter is supposed to have been served will make the research a bit easier. If anyone has any other evidence concerning Bovina butter, whether in paper form or something heard at grandpa’s knee, please let me know.

Stay tuned for further developments.

And don't forget on September 6 to come Bovina Farm Day, to be held up Crescent Valley right within sight of the farm that very possibly was the source of that White House bound butter. Visit http://sunflowerfarmofbovina.com/index.html for further information. And I'll be there with a display on Bovina farms and to scan any Bovina farm pictures people care to share with me.

Update on the Blog

I'm a bit off my schedule of trying to post at least once a week. Several factors I won't go into, but I expect to have something this weekend.

On Sunday, I did meet with my high school classmate Donna Weber and her husband, who are among the few farmers still in Bovina. They will be part of the group on September 6 hosting Bovina Farm Day. Bovina Farm Day will take place up Crescent Valley at Sunflower Farm (the corner of Crescent Valley Road and Weber Road). Their website is http://sunflowerfarmofbovina.com/index.html.

The Weber farm has been in the Weber family for over 80 years. This was once the Ruff farm, which was noted for its high quality Jersey cows, which in turn were noted for their excellent butter production. I will be writing a couple of posts during August about Bovina butter. It is said that the quality of Bovina butter was so high that it was served at the White House. Stay tuned to find out if this is a 'rural legend,' fact or something in-between.

Bovina Farm Day

On September 6 from 10 til 5, Bovina Farm Day will take place up Crescent Valley at Sunflower Farm. Their website is http://sunflowerfarmofbovina.com/index.html. I have been asked to set up a display about farming in Bovina (one more thing on my plate) and hope to set up a scanner and computer and scan pictures people bring of Bovina farms. A great opportunity to celebrate what made Bovina Bovina.

I'll be doing some further entries on Bovina farms on this blog during the next couple of months, so stay tuned.