Brainard Dairy01

Waupaca Republican

March 13, 1885

Milk Dairy

The Brainard farm, partially in and the balance just outside of the west city limits covers a tract of about 200 acres. The Waupaca river winds through the southeastern half of the farm making it one of the most desirable stock farms imaginable. The old pioneer of the place, Dr. Brainerd, a few years ago began to see that he could not look after patients as of old, or at least his better half and faithful helpmate saw it, so they started a creamery and made butter to sell. But the growing demand for milk in our city and the discontinuance of the public streets for cow pastures, caused Mrs. Brainard to think that supplying milk would be more profitable than making butter. So about four years ago the sound of the first milk bell attracted the attention of Waupaca families, and from the first day of opening to the present, Mrs. Brainard, over sixty years of age, has not missed a day from giving her personal attention to the business and delivering the milk to her customers. It is certainly fortunate in the failing health of her husband that she should have been blessed with such good health and indomitable energy.

A stroll over there, the other day, revealed to one scribe where the hundreds of loads of corn cobs from the mills were being hauled to. Here was a barn yard filled knee deep with nice white crushed corn cobs. All the litter of the yard was placed in piles to be carted away, and the cows walking or laying down on these cobs are kept comparatively clean.

The REPUBLICAN reporter was shown a row of about 30 cows in the stalls, all looking sleek and healthy. Every stall was filled with these same “cobs”. We were told in answer to the question how they managed to have their cows, that were stabled the better part of the time look so sleek and clean. “Well” says Mrs. B., “I won’t milk a cow until they are as slick as a glove. I get up every morning at four o’clock. The cows lying in these cobs get up pretty clean, but every udder is washed clean with warm water and a cloth before a cow is milked. That’s the secret of the whole thing.”

All the cows that do not give milk are kept in the basement of the barn. The young calves are kept but a few weeks, when they are sold to those who wish to buy. Calf raising cannot be carried on very well in a milk dairy.

Mrs. Brainard says she feeds her cows about a ton of tame hay and two thirds to a ton of corn meal each week.

While it is a business requiring a constant outlay of money, if carefully managed, good returns can be realized from it, because good milk always sells. In fact it is one of the necessaries as well as luxuries of life.

Mrs. B. says she has advertised her business for sale, but she does not intend to let it go down. As long as she enjoys good health she is able, and rather attend to it than any other business. She has a nice pair of ponies for her milk delivery, and a span of mules are kept entirely for the farm and chore work.

The fast increasing population of our city will always make the business profitable.