82 



yll)c iTarmcr's iUontljlij bisifov. 



inches wide, ruerely railed losether square— the 

 ed'.'e of llie boards on two sides jirooved— tlie 

 miTlinct drawn over and fiislencd liy tongues 

 driven into the giooves'. Tfii-y should lie larv''? 

 pnoiigh to fiiirly cover the hill wiihoiit croudin^. 

 Plaster, coal, ashes, or leached wood ashes, scat- 

 tered over the plants while the dew is on, have 

 some tendency to keep the Imss fioni eating' 

 then), but are not altogether effectual prevent- 

 ives. 



Several years n!;o wo tnade trial of water mi 

 which heii-dnti'; had been snaked until the water 

 fermented, fi)r ki'epni^' off bii'.'s IVoin vines. An 

 old hoji-trough was carried to llie piece, two i,r 

 three sliovels full ol'clean manure fioin the hen- 

 roost thrown into it, with three or four gallons of 

 water. It soon fermented, and the odor from it 

 was very offensive. A half pint of this liquid 

 was pniiied on cacli hill oaih alteinat(! day. It 

 kept off the buss almost entirely, r.nd made the 

 vines grow asionishiiifily. Tliey were melons, 

 and produced the heaviest crop we ever saw. — 

 Alb. Cull. '_ 



An experiment conducted by the President of 

 an agricidtiual society in England, shows that 

 manme which was kept covered by nine inches 

 in depth of earih, so that no evaporation escaped, 

 jirodiiced four bushels more of grain per acre, 

 than the same (juantity and kind of manme .-ip- 

 plied to the same kind and extent of land, but 

 which had lain from the JStli of Jan. to the 4lli 

 of April, expos;;d to the weather. 



Thinning Plants. — 'Jlie thinning of seeding 

 crops is a very necessary thing to be done in 

 time, before the young plants have drawn up so 

 iriiicli as to become weak. All plants grow 

 stronger, and ripen better, when the air circtdates 

 freely around iliem,and the sun is not jjreveiited 

 from an immediate influ.-nce. 



In thimdng close crops, as onions, carrots, 

 turnips, &,c., be sure tliey are not left too near, 

 for instead of reaping a greater produce, it would 

 assuredly be less. When they stand too close, 

 they will make larte tops, but smaller roots. — jV. 

 Y. Farmer. 



The annexed article (says the Providence 

 Transcript, from w hich we copy) is from one of 

 om- most expcrivncei! and intelli/jent agricultur- 

 ists. Of his successful practice wc can attest, 

 as we never saw finer butter, not even in Phila- 

 delphia, than v.e have eaten at liis lios))ilable 

 mansion. 



Butter Making. 



Milk Apartments, &,c. — The milk cellar 

 shoidd be deep, well ventilated, and dry; the but- 

 ton) covered with stone flagging. iJricks will 

 absorb milk, ami other lirpiids that may (all upon 

 them; and will soon contract nfihlew, the smill 

 of which, like the odor of cheese, vegetables, 

 fish, or foul air of any kind, will be imparted to 

 the cream and butter, ther this cellar should 

 stand the dairy room, wiili shclveri to set uulk 

 upon in coot weather; the cellar to be used diu"- 

 iiig the extremes of heat and cold. The tem- 

 peralme of the milk apartment, if possible, should 

 tievcr 1)0 above (i5' nor luiow 15". !^ei kettles 

 shoidd notstand in the dairy room; neither should 

 churning, cheese making, nor cleansing milk- 

 vessels he done there, but in a convenient room 

 near by. 



Cream may be kept good much longer, if it be 

 kept in a white oak vessel, with a tight cover, and 

 a timcet or tap ne.ir the button), to (haw off the 

 milk when it settles, beH)ri! the customary daily 

 stirring. The quality of the butter is mucli iui- 

 • ])rovd by this nianagenient. Jf the milk he not 

 dr.iwii ofl", anil it he churned with the cream, the 

 bulter will be longer in coming, and it will show 

 specks (if sour cujd, t.isle like cheese, ami will 

 soon become ra.ncid. JJuiter will come qni(d<ly 

 at all seasons of the year, if the cieam be of u 

 tempeialure of from (iO" to 7.')° ; to this end, 

 use hot water ill wiiitei-, and ice in summer; but 

 never mid eitttcr to the creum, in or out of the cinirn. 



Salt.— Pure salt (^hrysializi's into piMlc'ct cubes. 

 All other forms of chrystalizatioii found in com- 

 mon salt, arise from impurities ; ihose of ii needle 

 shape in Liverpool hag, or blown salt, indicate 

 the presence of lime, ni.-ignesia, &.C. One great 

 cause of the (iiilure in making good bulter, may 

 be traced to the use of impure salt. Kock salt, 

 and the large lumps of Turk's Island, washed, 



dried, and finely pulverized, are prelerahle to all 

 other kinds, being liigbly preservative, and hard- 

 ening the liuttei-, so that it will be sooner ready 

 to work over in warm wciUhtr. The Liverpool 

 bag or blown sail, the Salina salt, in small bags, 

 fro"i) New York, and the line part of every kind 

 of imported salt, contain a gieat portion ofim- 

 puritv. Less than one ounce of ptiie salt is suf- 

 ficieiit for a pound of butter ; (many put in but 

 half an ounce;) in all cases leave out sugar ami 

 saltpetre. 



Ill the nianuractme of cheese, a preference is 

 snmciimes given to Liverpool bag or blown salt. 

 This contains salts of lime and magnesia, which 

 aiti-act moisture IVmii ilie »ii-, and have the de- 

 sirable effect of solti'uiiig the cheese; !md the 

 pungent liitter taste which they impart to it, is an 

 improvement in the estimation of some. 



GFNt:RAL IIemarks.— The cieam slionid not 

 lise more than thirty-six hours; itshoiild be sweet 

 when taken olf, and sweet when churned; \el 

 there is a degree of nmlmily, to he acqwired by 

 keeping. 



The kegs for packing butter shouhl lie made 

 of while oak, bil-iiig in the liirm ol casks, lor 

 the more perfect exclusion of air, ami conveiii- 

 eiicc of Iraiisportaliou. Il the butter is not to he 

 sent to a warm climale, or a foreign iiiaiket, let 

 the bilgi'nn; kegs have iDoveable covers, to accom- 

 miidate iirsjieclioii; they should be soaki;d in u 

 strong brine, iiuide also'of pure salt, in orilerthat 

 j'lsiice may be done to the purchasers in t.are, 

 and to save the bulter from being spoiled for one 

 or two inches deep all around, from ils contact 

 with dry wood. In case the wood is anything 

 but white oak, there is danger of its giving an 

 unpleasant taste to the whole. For the conveni- 

 ence of families, the size should vary lioni ^5 to 

 50 pounds. A large keg of butter is exposed to 

 the air for a long time, w bile on broach in a sui.-JI 

 fiiniily, and the bottom, in consequence, becomes 

 rancid. 



The consumer will cheerfiilly pay an extra 

 l)ri(!e for 100 pomuls of liuiiei', packed in lour 

 kegs instead of one. No salt sin-ulil be put en 

 the sides, bottom, or between the layers. If the 

 kegs are made will) covers, jiut a clolli over the 

 top, and cover that with pure fine .salt. Keep a 

 cloth wetwilb strong brine, over the bnltrr, while 

 the keg is filling, toexclude the air. The prac- 

 tice of washing the butter is not approved of in 

 Europe; it destroys its fragrance and suei-tiiess 

 by dissolving the "sugar of milk, which ii is said 

 is'alw.-iys present in good butter. It is practised 

 in Holland, when the article is designed for ex- 

 portation to India; then the operation is usually 

 performed v/nli cold strong limpid lirine matleot 

 puie salt, and pure water: water ihat lias lime in 

 it will not answer, as the lime is readily absorbed 

 by the butter. 



"'J'o exclude the air more effi;ctnally durintr the 

 |)rocess of putting down, let a little melted sweet 

 butter be run into the cavity, whei'e the bottom 

 head and slaves come together, then after each 

 laver is completed, let the daily-woman pass her 

 finger round so as to press the butter hard and 

 close against tlie side. 



?r. Y. State Asricultural Society. 



The next annual Cattle Show and Fair of this 

 spirited Society, will hi; held at Utica, Sept. Ifi, 

 17, and 18. Among the subjects for preiiiiuais, 

 we notice the following: 



On Essays. 

 For the best series ol Essays, on the impor- 

 tance of scientific knowledge in prosecu- 

 ting successfully theordinaiy pursuits of 

 agriculture, §100 



For the best agricultural Text Hook for 



schools, 100 



For the best Text Book on Horticiilliire, ."iO 



For the best essay on Subsoil Pluiighiiig, 

 with the results of actual cxperimeiils in 

 the Stale of New York, 20 



For the best essay on Draining, with details 

 of ihe results of actual expi'rinients, show- 

 ing the expeiiso and supposed increased 

 value of till' land, 10 



For the best essay on Irrigation, 10 



For the best essay on the Culture and Man- 

 ufacture (d' Silii, 20 

 For the best essay on the prevalent Disease 

 in Potatoes, 90 

 The above premiums are open to citizens ol 

 any State. 



Improved Mode of Ciiltivatiug Grass. 



The lidlouing is abridged li(mi an address de- 

 liveieil befiire lln- .Middhsi-x Society of Hnsbaiid- 

 iiK-ii and IMirliaiiii-s, by FJias Pbiuney, F.sq.: 



" In May, 1b-J!I, the field having lain three years 

 to grass, 1111(1 the crop of hay so light as to he 

 wurlli not more than the expense of making, 

 with a view of ascertaining the quantity of vege- 

 table matter on the surface, I look a single liiot 

 sqiiarf; of greensward, and after separ.iting ihe 

 roots and lops of the grasses from the loam and 

 vegetable mould, it was liiund on weighing, to 

 coiitain nine ounces of clear vegetable snbslance ; 

 giving, at that rale, over twelve and a (piarler 

 tons to the acre. This convinced me of the iiii- 

 poilaiice (d' taking some course by which ibis 

 v.-diiable treasure might be turned to good ac- 

 count. That a great part of this iii.iss lA' vege- 

 table mailer is exposed lo useless waste, by the 

 usual mode of ploughing, cross-ploughing and 

 harrow iiig, innsi he obvious to any one. In oi iler, 

 tlii-reforc, to Eecnr(; this, as well as the light veg- 

 etable mould at and near the snrliice, I had two 

 acres of the grei:n sward of this field turned over 

 with the plough, as smontbly as possible. After 

 removing the outside furrow-slices into the centre 

 of the plough land, and thereby effecting the 

 double purpose of covering the vacant space in 

 the middle, and preventing ridges at the sides and 

 ends, the fi.dd w.is I'olled hard with a lo.aded roll- 

 er, by which the niieven parts of the furrows 

 were pressed down, and the w Inde made smooth. 

 It was then harrowiil lengthwise the furrows, 

 with a horse h.irrow, but so lighily as not to dis- 

 turb the sod. Twenty curtk^ads of compost ma- 

 nme, n;.ide by mixing two parts of loam or peat 

 mud with one of stable dung, were 'hen spread 

 upon each acre. It was then harrowed again, a.s 

 belbre, and the poorer part of the soil, which b.id 

 been turned np, was thereby mixi'd with the com- 

 post manure. Corn was then plained in diilir) 

 upon the tiurow, the rows being at the usual dis- 

 tance and parralt 1 wiih the nnro\\s. At hoeing 

 time, the siuliu-o was stirred by riinnin:" alight 

 plough between the rows, but not so deep at ibis 

 or the sidiseqnent |ilougliiug, as to disturb the 

 sod. U'lial Mr. Lnrr.-iin calls the ''savage prac- 

 tice" of hilling up ihe corn, was cautiously avoid- 

 ed. As the season advanced, 1 c.irefidly watched 

 the progress of my com-fielil. In the early part 

 of ihc- srason it did not exiiibit a very promising 

 apiM-arance ; hut as soon as the roots had exieiid- 

 ed into the (iirirhing matter beneath, and began 

 to expand in the decomposing swanl, the growth 

 became vigoroii.s, and the crop, in the opinion of 

 those who examined the field, not less than sev- 

 enty bushels of cnrn to the acre. As soon as the 

 corn was harvested, the stubble was loosened np 

 by rumiing a light horse-plough lengthwise 

 through the rows, the surface then smoothed with 

 a bnsli-!iairow, and one bnsiiel of rye, with a 

 sufiicieiil quantity of herd's-grass and redtop seed 

 to the iicre, was then sosved, and the ground ag.ain 

 harrowed and rolled. The crop of rye was har- 

 vested ill .liily following, and the two acres yi'dded 

 sixly-niiii; and a half bushels of excellent grain, 

 and over five tons of straw. The grass sowed 

 with the rye tool; well, and the present season I 

 nioucd, what those who secured ihe crop judged 

 to he, two and a lialf tons of the very best hay 

 lion) each acre. 



Thus, will) one ploughing, with the aid of 

 twenty c,iiilo;id< of compost manure to the acre, 

 I have obtaiueil two crops of grain, and slocked 

 the land don u lo grass." * 



Ma. Cm.uoln's Farm.— Mr. Calhoun, like Mr. 

 Clay and Mr. Weli^ter, is tinnd of agricniiural 

 lifi! ; — and, when not engaged in professimial du- 

 ties, he occupies himself on his estate at Fori Hill. 

 ,\bout forty cuhivated acres surround his man- 

 sion,— and other sections of his grounds, accord- 

 ing to the Kxpress, are occupii d wiili cotton, 

 corn, peas, and various other crops. He has 

 drained his grounds, and introiluccd rotation in 

 ojops— according to the rcpori of a committee 

 who visiled it— with an niiexanipled degree qf 

 success. The slock on his liirin consists of liog.s, 

 hors(!s, and catth< of good blood, and in excel- 

 lent condition. His negro house is a spacious 

 stone building •'iOO feel long, divideil intospacious 

 and coinforl.-ihle ap.-irtnienls. In all pans of bis 

 estate he has bleiiih'd the useful and ornameiilal, 

 introducing admirable tillage with great horticul- 

 tural taste and beauty. 



