1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



469 



ihing however, the brip;htness of the colors of a 

 flower is injured by enrichino; the soil in which il 

 <^rows; and hence Horisis, when lliey wish 1o pro- 

 cure tulips o{" very brijriu colors, prefer plantino; 

 the bulbs in a light sandy soil, which is rather poor 

 than othervvicje. 



4th. Grafting., budding and pruning. — The 

 object of all these operations is the same. viz. to 

 secure to some part ol" a plant a greaier quantity 

 of nourishment than would otherwise fall to its 

 share, and thus to produce a more full and perfect 

 developement of that part. Where a young shoot 

 is grafted upon a stock three or lour years old, it 

 will evidently receive a much greater quantity ol" 

 nourishment, than it would in its original posi- 

 tion or its parent stem. The rules to be observed 

 in grafting and budding, have been mentioned, 

 and the reasons on which they are founded given 

 in a previous chapter. It will be sufficient here, 

 merely to advert to them. The most important 

 are, 1st, that the bark of the graft should have its 

 cellular or vascular tissues, arranged in the same 

 Avay with that ol the stock; 2nd, that the graft should 

 be so placed that the inner surlace of its bark shall 

 correspond precisely with that of the bark of the 

 stock. The proper season for gralting, is in the 

 spring, just as the buds begin to swell; the reason 

 for tliis is, that at that season, the graft is just 

 commencing the period of its most rapid irrowih, 

 and it will, of course, sooner unite with the stock 

 at that season, than at any other. The object of 

 piuning, is, to remove such branches and boughs 

 as are not wanted, in order that the whole vital en- 

 ergy of the plant may be expended upon such as 

 are lefu Of course, which shall be removed, and 

 which left, must be determined by the judgment 

 of the pruner, in the case of each tree. The only 

 general rule, is, that in the case of li'uit trees, what 

 are termed water-sprouts, (a class of straight 

 shoots which seldom bear any thing but leaves) 

 should be removed. The proper season for pru- 

 ning trees, is when the leaves are just I'ully form- 

 ed, because in this way, you avoid exposing the 

 lieart-wood to an attack of the dry-rot, and more- 

 over inflict the necessary wound at at a time when 

 the tree is growing most rapidly, and when of 

 course the wound will soonest heal over. 



5th. Cross-fecundation and blancliing. — Both 

 of these operations have been ILilly treated of in 

 ihe preceding chapters of this essay. 



6th. Propagating from select seed. — There is 

 perhaps no general principle of veixetabie physi- 

 ology, which it is more important lor the aixricul- 

 turist, who seeks to improve the character of cul- 

 tivated plants, to bear in mind, than that the otf- 

 spring will always partake of the characrer of the 

 parent plant to a greater or less extent. This 

 same general principle applies to animals as well 

 as vegetables, and it has been by keeping it dis- 

 tinctly m mind, that the stock of our common do- 

 mestic animals has been so much improved as it 

 has of late years. In the case of animals, the 

 results have been so striking, that they have 

 awakened general attention to the subject ; but in 

 the case of vegetables, although I suppose there 

 are none who would deny its correctness, yet it is 

 generally neglected, or regarded with comparative 

 indifference. Plants, as a general thing, resemble 

 their parent plants in form, in texture, in the abun- 

 dance, richness, and flavor of their fruit, the lime 

 at which they ripen their fruit, in their liabiliiy to 



disease, and in fact, in almost every particular 

 which can aflect their value to man. 



As this subject will be more liilly trenled of in 

 a subsequent chapter, we will dismiss it lor the 

 present. 



(To he continued.) 



SALTIKG BUTTER. 



From Anderson's Essays. 



On some occasions, a part, or the whole of the 

 butter may, perhaps, be disposed of fresh ; but in 

 jreneral it must be salted belore it can be carried 

 to market. And as this part of the process re- 

 quires as great nicety as any other, a few remarks 

 on the subject shall be added. 



Wooden vessels are, upon the whole, most pro- 

 per to be employed lor containing salted butter. 

 These should be made ol cooper work, very firm, 

 and tightly joined with strong woof/cvi hoops. It 

 will be advisable to make ihein very strong where 

 circumstances permit them to be returned to the 

 dairy ; (or as it is a matter of considerable difliculty 

 to season new vessels so well as that they shall 

 not aflect the taste of the butter, it is always ad- 

 visable to emi)loy the old vessels rather than make 

 new ones, as long as they continue firm and sound. 

 Oak is the best wood lor the bottom, and staves, 

 and broad Dutch split hoops are to be prelerred to 

 all others, where they can be had. Iron hoops 

 should be rejected, as the rust from them will 

 in time sink through the wood, though it be very 

 thick, and injure the color of the butter: one iron 

 hoop, however, should be put at the top, and an- 

 other below beyond the bottom, the projection be- 

 low the bottom being made deep lor this purpose. 

 No lijrm IS more convenient than that ol' a barrel, 

 unless, ])erhaps, it be that of a truncated cone, 

 with the apex uppermost ; as in this case the but- 

 ter never can rise from the bottom and float upon 

 the brine, which it will sometimes do in the under 

 part of a barrel when brine is necessary. But 

 ihis inconvenience may be easily obviated, by 

 [driving a wooden peg, with any kind of a head, 

 irito the bottom before it be filled, as the butter, 

 closely embracing the heail all round, will be kept 

 perfectly firm in its place. 



An old vessel may be prepared for again receiv- 

 ing butter, by the ordinary process of scalding, 

 rinsing, and drying; but to season a new vessel re- 

 quires greater care. This is to be done by filling 

 it frequently with scalding water, and allowing it 

 to remain till it slowly cools. If hay, or other 

 sweet vegetables are put into it along with the wa- 

 ter, it is sometimes thounrh to facilitate the process. 

 But in all cases frequent efl'usions of hot water 

 are very necessary, and a considerable time is re- 

 quired, before they can be rendered fit for use. The 

 careful dairy-man ought to be particularly guarded 

 with respect to this particular, or he may soon 

 lose his character at market. 



After the butler has been beaten up and cleared 

 from the milk, as before directed, it is ready for 

 being salted. Lei the vessel into which it is to be 

 put, after beinir rendered as clean and sweet as 

 possible, be rubbed all over in the inside with 

 common salt, and let a little melted butter be run 

 into the cavity between the bottom and the sides 

 at their joining all around, so as to fill it and make 

 it every where flush wilii the bottom and sides. 

 It is then fit to receive the bullcr. 



