D2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 24,1981
Wollaston continues 100-year
By M. Joan Mclntire
TOUGHKENAMON - Charlie
Wollaston is a dairy fanner who
operates a 70-acre farm in
southern Chester County. Maple
Lawn Dairy Farm has been in the
Wollaston family for 81 years.
Recently, this veteran dairy
farmer was honored by the
Unionville Community Fair
directors for his voluntary efforts
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Pouring the milk into dumping station. Wollaston proceeds
with the twicfra-day ritual. Helping out with the workload on
the Chester Count/ farm are daughters Cathy and Elizabeth
and Wollaston’s sister and brother-in-law.
Wollaston compares his sixty cow milking string to a
compact car. “The Jersey’s milk is richer, it will make more
cheese per gallon than lower protein milk."
in coordinating <botli the Open and
Youth Dairy competition.
“Because he has given un
selfishly of his time to our fair, has
motivated our youth’s interest in
dairy farming and has served his
school and community generously,
we dedicate the 1981 Umonville
Community Fair .to Charles
Thomas Wollaston,” the directors
proclaimed. “Thank you.
family tradition of Jerscsys
Charlie.”
Back home on the farm,
Wollaston spends tus time building
a herd of Jersey cattle. Presently
he has 100 head with 60 cows on the
milk string that have a rolling herd
average of 8,500 pounds milk and
450 pounds fat.
Raising Jerseys has been a
family tradition. Wollaston recalls
his grandfather bought his first
Jersey in 1876.
“I think more people would raise
Jerseys if they analysed all the
facts. They are putting a lot more
feed into other breeds and taking
out more manure than with Jer
seys.
“It is similar to a compact car.
The Jersey’s milk is richer, it will
make more cheese per gallon than
lower protein milk. We now get 16
cents more a point for milk over 3.5
percent butterfat. Jersey produce
smaller quantities of milk, but net
more per hundredweight. It’s
better quality milk. ’ ’
Wollaston explains he invests
less in feed because of the Jersey’s
smaller size. A 900-pound animal
produces about 9,000 pounds of
milka year, he says.
Daily, from the middle of May
until November, Wollaston feeds
the herd greenshop, a grass-clover
mixture fed on wagons, which he
raises on the home farm or on
neighboring land, tie raises corn
and barley for feed, also; And,
from November until May, he
feeds com silage and haylage from
a conrete-botiom, plastic-covered
french. The cattle also receive a
protein supplement throughout the
year. ■
“1 love farmland, and 1 couldn’t
stand it when the land nfext to me -
had the topsoil taken off to be sold
to mushroom producers. Later
spent manure was put back on the
land. Now, I grow barley there for
feed and straw.”
Wollaston has some help keeping
his dairy operation prospering; His
sister and brother-in-law who live
on the farm help with the milking
and feeding, along with two of his
daughters, Cathy and Betsy.
The cows are milked and fed in
the barn equipped with both
stanchions and comfort stalls.
About 40 years ago, a Penn State
Extension agent designed - the
comfort stalls so that the cows’
heads were not held between the
bars of the stanchions.
"He (the agent) loved cows so
much, he couldn’t stand to see
that,” Wollaston recalls. “In 1950,
the Gertin Company manufactured
th§m. They are designed so that
you can put hay in the racks above
and grain in the bins below. They
are adjustable and wider than
stanchions.”
Wollaston also uses wooden calf ~
hutches designed by the same
man. They are designed to keep'
the calf up off the floor, and have a
unique feeding box which is easily
removed for cleaning or filling but
cannot be knocked off by the calf.
In his breeding program,
Wollaston makes use of tup studs
through artificial insemination.
When an animal is pregnancy
checked and determined safe in
calf, Wollaston gives her a special
look. He uses a large red wax .
livestock crayon to mark pregnant
cows with a highly visible ‘D’, for
dry. This signals the milking hands
that thdse cows should not be
hooked up by mistake.
One of Wollaston’s top cows, Top
Cat Maple Lawn. Nellie, con
sistently milks 9,000-pound
records. This 4-year-old daughter
of Topcat captured senior and
grand champion honors in the All-
American Junior Dairy Show this
past September in Harrisburg.
(Turn to Page D 3)
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Chester County dairyman Charlie Wollaston continues the
100-year.family tradition of raising and milking Jerseys on his
70-acre farm near Toughkenamon. Wollaston’s grandfather
purchased the first Jersey cow back in 1876.
Maple Lawn’s barn is equipped with both stanchions and
comfort stalls. Wollaston explains these comfort stalls were
designed by a Penn State engineer and feature an overhead
hay rack and grain bins below.