Lee Historical Society
Farming
How much can a farmer love one of his hens to actually write a poem to it? Marion Foote Carrington’s grandfather, who farmed his acres in East Lee, loved his little white hen so much that he actually did:
“Only a little white hen, tired of life.
Then she quietly lay, on a pallet of hay.
My little white hen.”
Lee farmers have always been a mixed bunch, from High Lawn Farm’s prize Jerseys, (see separate button) to Alonzo Bradley’s famous Holstein cow, Pieterje 2d, the holder of a world milk-producing record.
It seems that may have been disputed by a certain John G. Ellis of Fairview Street whose Highfield Colantha Mooie held another world record for milk production. It was estimated her total milk supply, if placed in 40 quart containers, would be eight times higher than the Washington Monument, though this has never been proven.
Bradley Bros. Barred Plymouth Rocks (hens to the uninitiated) were consistent prize winners. Representative Charles H. Shaylor also kept prize winning poultry in the early 1900’s up on Golden Hill, renowned for its magnificent views as well as its herd of adorable Hereford cattle which now graze up there.
Florence Consolati’s “See All the People” gives much interesting information on Lee’s farms and farmers, starting on Page 96.
