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BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



to be the preferable oue,) the daity expense of fuel would be much 

 less, all risk of explosions or other accident from steam wholly 

 avoided, as .well as the loud and very disagreeable noise caused by 

 the steam as it is driven into the water of the outer vats. 



The factory of Mr. Spencer Allen, near Rome, is supplied with 

 Ralph's Patent Vats. There were three of them which I saw in 

 operation when there the past summer. Their capacities were sev- 

 erally six hundred gallons, five hundred and forty gallons, and four 

 hundred gallons, which served to make up the milk of four hun- 

 dred and ninety-six cows. Only one of these had the hot water 

 tank attachment, which was found to suffice for all three. My 

 observation of the working of these vats led me to coincide fully 

 with the opinion expressed by Mr. Allen of their superiority over 

 the vats heated by steam. 



For a detailed description of tliese Vats, see report for 1862, pages 9d1-100. 



The presses at these establishments are of the simplest char- 

 acter, and consist in nothing but a stout iron screw, with the 

 proper wood work attached for holding it in position, and a plat- 

 form on which the hoop holding the curd rests when put in press. 



Several of these presses are frequently connected together by 

 framing the uprights of each press to. stout beams, or squaro pieces 

 of timber running nearly the whole length of the press room. The 

 screws when turned up pass through the upper beam and are 

 turned down on the cheese with an iron lever, from time to time, 



