ON THE DAIRY. 61 



I put about twenty loads of swamp muck in the barn-yard in the fall, 

 where it remains until the following fall, when I spread a part on the 

 land which I then lay down to grass. The balance, with my winter 

 and hog manure, I spread on my planting land, and either plough, or 

 harrow it in. On land newly broke up, I prefer harrowing to turning 

 under the furiow. 



I have hired from sixty to one hundred dollars of labor a year, ex 

 cept the first year. I have built over and moved about one hundred 

 and fifty rods of wall. I have also built about thirty rods of post and 

 rail fence, and there are one hundred fifty rods of ditch that serve 

 for fence, one half of which I have re-opened myself. 



DANIEL PILSBURY. 



West Newbury, Sept 28th, 1847. 



ON THE DAIRY. 



The committee were highly gratified to witness the contiuued in 

 terest and improvement which is manifested in this very important 

 part of domestic duty in this county ; and though many of our farm- 

 ers' wives and daughters are entitled to much credit for the neat- 

 ness, good taste, and skill which they have evinced in the management 

 of the dairy, the committee are of opinion that there is yet room for 

 much improvement in this branch of industry. Doubtless, many of 

 the fair manufacturers of butter are more competent to give instruc- 

 tive suggestions respecting it than your committee are, yet the place 

 they occupy will be a sufficient apology for a few remarks upon a 

 business in which this county, and almost every individual in the 

 county, is interested. It is a trite adage that "nothing is worth do- 

 ing that is not worth well doing." If this maxim will hold good 

 any where, it will in butter making. Like Jeremiah's figs, the good 

 is very good, but the bad too bad to be eaten. 



Many bestow seven-eighths of the time, care, and labor, in produc. 

 ing an article which is worthless for the table, which it would require 

 to make butter which would do honor to any farmer's wife in the 

 county, and to this society too if it were exhibited at our annual fair. 



One of the greatest errors of butter-makers is thought to be that 

 of suffering the butter-milk to remain incorporated with the butter. 

 Butter which is not thoroughly wrought well, if not kept extremely 



