537 



to cause the oil (wliich woakl otherwise remain on the surface) to mingle 

 with the milk, so that it may be caught and held in the concrete mass 

 by the sudden coagulation. In about twenty minutes after putting in. 

 the rennet the cutting of the curd begins. Being cut and worked by 

 hand into pieces about as large as " good-sized dice," it sinks beneath 

 the surface, upon which a coating of the oil appears. This is skimmed 

 off, and used, as at first, in the next manufacturing process. The man- 

 ufacture of the curd into cheese does not differ from the ordinary mode. 

 In the particular process witnessed, 2,o00 pounds of skimmed milk took 

 up 28 pounds of the oleo-margarine. 



As to the quality of the cheese, Mr. Willard reports that there were 

 about 3,000 on hand which were examined " very thoroughly," with the 

 following conclusion: "The curing seems to be delayed longer than in 

 full cream cheese ; and the greater age given, the more perfect seems to 

 be the incorporation of the oil and the smoother and sweeter the body of 

 the product. The cheese at McLean is above the average of the full 

 cream cheese, which we have inspected this season, in marketable 

 qualities." 



The milk is bought according to a plan by which the patrons are 

 credited one pound of cheese for every ten pounds of milk, and are paid 

 for the cheese thus credited " the highest Xew York quotation, less 2 

 cents " per pound. The alleged result is, that the dairymen of McLean, 

 by supplying the factory at this rate, have received more for their milk 

 than ever before. 



The short-horn convention. — The association so named recently 

 held its annual meeting at Springfield, 111., and elected the follow- 

 ing officers : President, J. H. Pickrell, Harristown, 111. ; vice-presidents, 

 William Warfield, Lexington, Ky., David Christie, Paris, Canada ; sec- 

 retary, S. F. Lackridge, Indiana ; treasurer, Claude Matthews, Indiana; 

 directors, Lucius Desha, Kentucky ; T. C. Jones, Ohio ; M. Miles, Mich- 

 igan ; J. E. Page, New York ; Stephen White, Ontario ; M. H. Cochrane, 

 Quebec ; Clinton Babbitt, Wisconsin ; A. J. Dunlap, Illinois ; George 

 Sprague, Iowa ; J. H. Kissenger, Missouri ; Harvey Craver, Indiana ; 

 Cyrus Jones, California; D, W. Crane, Kansas; M. S. Cockrill, Ten- 

 nessee. 



Committees were raised to collect short-horn statistics, and to urge 

 upon breeders a more general su^jport of the association. It was voted 

 to hold the next meeting, December 2, 1875, at Toronto, Canada. 



Rapacity of middle-men. — A casual correspondent in Lincoln 

 County, Mississippi, reports the following facts : In May, June, and 

 July, good flour could be bought at New Orleans at $7 to $8 per barrel, 

 while in his own county middle-men were paid $12.50 to $13 cash, or $16 

 on time, with good mortgage. Bacon, ribbed sides, sold at New Orleans 

 at 8 to 9 cents ; at Brookhaven, Lincoln County, 15 cents cash, or 16 to 

 17i on time. Corn-meal quoted at the former place $4:.50, sold at the 

 latter for $6 cash, and $7.50 on time. 



Another ramie-machine. — M. Felix Roland, of Paris, has invented 

 a machine for decorticating the ramie plant, which is spoken of by 

 French journals as very satisfactorily answering the much desired end 

 of separating the fiber from the bark and the bark from the stalk. The 

 difficulty of such separation has been a serious drawback to the culture 

 of this unquestionably very va,luable plant. The East Indian govern- 

 ment, in view of the great desideratum, offered, several years ago, a prize 

 of $25,000 for a machine or process that would accomplish the object. 

 The liberal offer has brought out many competitors, and machines of 



