AGRICULTURAL HEAD-WORK. 31 



matters of no less interest and curiosity as well soliciting his 

 thoughts; or, rather, perhaps, the thought of his " better half" 

 and her helping daughters. From the cellar to the attic, there 

 are matters which need a little application of science. Perhaps 

 you have noticed what is the temperature most favorable to 

 preserving apples and potatoes from decaying, and that a tight 

 box has some advantage over an open one ; and that when 

 apples keep well, potatoes may not do so ; and, vice versa. Is 

 it not worth while to know why ? 



The dairy department is one about as difficult as any, to man- 

 age successfully. And there are a good many things about it 

 needing much study. It would be desirable, for instance, to 

 know why milk curdles so rapidly after a tempest ; because, if 

 the cause were well known, it might be possible, perchance, to 

 apply a suitable remedy. In like manner, you wish to find out 

 to what the spontaneous acidity of milk is due, and what are 

 the chemical changes which take place, and how they are 

 affected by heat ; and, by knowing these, you might very likely 

 hit upon some rational expedient for always keeping the milk 

 sweet until the cream has a chance to rise well upon its sur. 

 face ; this it cannot do in hot weather, because it gets entangled 

 in the caseous formation, or curd of the milk. Then, again, 

 there is something mysterious in the process which converts 

 sweet, rich cream into hard butter or sour whey, or butter- 

 milk ; and I should not think much of the mental activity of 

 a dairy maid who did not catch herself, in the midst of the 

 churning, uttering to herself if not aloud, that very significant 

 word, wh'i/. 



Almost every one, now-a-days, knows that the milk-room 

 should have a temperature not exceeding 60°, Fahrenheit, nor 

 below 50°, for the most economical production of cream. But 

 why ? And, that at about the same temperature, churning 

 most speedily converts the cream into butter. But why, again ? 

 There would be no hap-hazard in managing this department, 

 and no rancid butter thrown into the market, if these trouble- 

 some ivh/js were suitably answered. Scientific men found out 

 these things long ago, and their books are waiting to tell those 

 who wish to know. But the persons who should be most inter- 

 ested in putting the knowledge into practice, have too much to 



