1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



5-27 



in very warm weather, ii i'? sonieiiines suliiiiilled 

 10 the cold haih lo reilace the heat. Tlie huHer, 

 when taken lioin llie cliurn, is put in a siialiow 

 vessel and carelully washed with pure cold water, 

 and then worked with a shght pprinkiinj^ of (ine 

 salt, whether intended far rolls, or lor barreling. 

 The butter is considered best, when tlie cows have 

 been at grass a'lout three weeks; it is then delicious 

 — is made into lanciliil forms of animals, pyramids, 

 &c., and stuck over with 11-agrant liowers, and 

 sells as hliih as sixteen or seventeen cents per 

 pound. Wiien intended lor packing, the butter is 

 worked up twice or thrice a day, wiili soli, fine sail, 

 lor three days, in a shallow tub; there being about 

 two pounds ol this salt used lor lijurteen pounds ol 

 butter. Alter this thorough preparatory working, 

 the butter is then hard packed in thin layers into 

 casks made perli^ctly sweet and clean. The wood 

 preferred is oak, smoothed careliilly inside. Three 

 or liiur days before they are used, the casks are 

 filled with sour whey, and this stands until ihey are 

 emptied and cleansed lor the packing of the but- 

 ter. It is clear, li'om this description, thai inde- 

 pendent of the perlect neatness observed in every 

 part of the process, the excellence of the Dutch 

 butter, and the ease wiih which it is kepi in its 

 orifrinal sweetness when packed, is owing to the 

 nianni?r in which it is Ireed li"om the leasl pani- 

 cle of buttermilk, by the first washing and ihe sub- 

 sequent repealed workings, as well as lo the perlt;ct 

 incorporation ol'thesalt by the same process. 'I'liere 

 are many of our American dairies that produce su- 

 perior but;er; but as a whole, that m our markets 

 is a miserable article, destitute of that ricli flavor 

 belonging to good butler, and owing to the great 

 amount of buttermilk left in it, utterly unlit li.)r 

 keeping. We believe a relbrm in these respects, 

 would add materially to the profit of all those 

 who should attempt it, as well as add greatly lo 

 the comfort of the great mass of purchasers and 

 consumers. 



MILK SICKNESS. 



From tlie Genesee Farmer. 



A gentleman at the west has announced, that 

 he has discovered the cause and the cure of this 

 Ibrmidable disease, which has been so destructive 

 in some parts of the western states, and has, in 

 some lew instances, destroyed or driven the inhab- 

 itants from some of the most Itjrtile sections of the 

 country; He is claiming considerable sums from 

 the state legislatures |i)r the promulgation of his 

 specific, and should there be no hum buggery 

 aboiil it, he will certainly be entitled to a haiidsome 

 reward, in those states wiiere the losses from this 

 cause have already been so great. 



There are no traces of a similar disease in any 

 other part ol the world ; and in the United Slates 

 it has been princippally confined to Tennessee, 

 Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, though it 

 is believed some few instances have occurred in 

 Wisconsin, and west of ihe Mississippi. A mul- 

 titude of speculations have been made as lo the 

 probable cause of this liital complaint, both among 

 medical men and others ; and there is scarcely a 

 poisonous mineral or plant (o which it has not in 

 turn been attributed. Public opinion at the west 

 seems to have settled on the opinion, that it was 



produced by a low shrub or vine assuming at times 

 ihe form of a climher, and bearing biTnches of 

 brown berries. Whatever ihe poison may be, 

 it causes cattle to quiver, siagger, and die vviihin u 

 ihw hours. Ifcows eat of it, ihe milk is i)oisoned, 

 ihebuifer is also poisoned, and ihose who partake 

 of either, are as surely injured, as if ihey had par- 

 taken of the original cause ilself. The slightest 

 symptoms are vonuiing, and this more severe as 

 the quantity of poison is greater, until violent 

 spasn's and death ensues. Dogs and wolves who 

 fend on animals ihat have died with this disease, 

 share ihe same late; and lo prevent Ihe extending 

 of the evil to dogs and swine, cattle that die with 

 the poison are buried carefully to avoid such re- 

 sults. 



In districts where the disease prevails, great care 

 is necessary in killing beef animals, as sometimes 

 Ihe beef will produce vomiting, when the animal is 

 so little effected as lo escape'nolice. To test the 

 presence of ihe disease, some bulrhers are in the 

 habit of driving the animal a mile to heat its blood; 

 when if it is poisoned ii will exiiibit that peculiar 

 trembling so certainly indicative ol the presence of 

 the com[)laint. 



In remarking on the formidable nature of this 

 complaint, a writer from ihe west says, — 



"1 have seen many farms wilh comliiriahle buil- 

 dings and improvements, entirely abandoned, and 

 iheir owners fled to other quarters, to avoid this 

 dreadful curse." 



But perhaps the most signal instance of its fatal- 

 ity is given in the following extract of a paper 

 from Col. Hindeol Illinois, who has given much 

 attention to the topic : 



"Calling to see a friend on Darby Creek, Ohio, 

 whom I had not seen for Iwenly years, he pointed 

 to his wife and remarked — 'she is my third wife; I 

 am her third husband ; and in yon grave yard lie 

 fifteen members of our families taken off by Ihat 

 dreadful disease, the puking complaint." 



Surely ihero must be some unusual fiiscinations 

 in any place that woukJ lead an individual for so 

 many years lo encounter so fatal an enemy lo life. 

 Should the announcement of the discover}' alluded 

 to, prove well lijuiuled, it will be a valuable boon 

 lo the west, ana save annually great numbers of 

 cattle and many valuable lives. 



NATHARIEK BACON. KEPLY TO STUICTLKKS. 



To tlie Editor of tlio farmers' Register. 



Two papers appeared in your July number, 

 dated at Williamsburg, one cuiitled 'Rorninis- 

 cences of James Town,' the olher 'B.iic;ii's Re- 

 bellion,' which latter commences as follows : "An 

 article under this head, published in the Peters- 

 burg Intelligencer, states that Nathaniel Bacon 

 (called the rebel) was a member ol the council. 

 I doubt it. Where is the evidence?" Having, ( 

 believe, contributed that article to the journal men- 

 tioned, I think, it may be worth while, to make 

 some inquiry into the grounds on which the state- 

 ment objected to resls. And as among other au- 

 thorities, I shall rely upon the Stafibrd manuscript,* 



* This manuscript may be fbuml jiublisliecl in Ker- 

 clicval's Hist, of the Valley of Virginia, Intioduc. p. 

 XX., Rich. Enq. vol. 1. iios. 31. 5, 6 & 7, and in Lit. 

 and Evaijg. IMag., vol. 3. p. 130. 



