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THE GENESEE FAEMEE. 



also check decomposition. Yet it is desirable that the manure should ferment, and the 

 bulk and weight be considerably reduced, without losing any of its elements of fertility. 

 This can be done by preventing leaching and the evaporation of ammonia. The latter 

 is a somewhat difficult operation, and various plans have been recommended without 

 much success. Sulphate of lime, or })laster, when dissolved in water, will decompose 

 carbonate of ammonia, the sulphuric acid of the lime uniting with the ammonia, forming 

 sulphate of ammonia, while the carbonic acid attaches itself to the lime, forming carbon- 

 ate of lime; and as sulphate of ammonia is an involatile salt, and of great value as a 

 manure, sulphate of lime has been repeatedly recommended for this purpose. But it 

 will only act in this way when in solution ; and as it requires 460 lbs. water to dissolve 

 one pound of sulphate of lime, its beneficial effect is very limited, and it can only be 

 recommended as useful to fix the ammonia in cess-pools, sewers, and other liquid 

 manure, and not to scatter on the surface of fermenting horse dung, &c. Sulphuric acid 

 in a pure state, mixed with water, has also been recommended ; and the acid undoubt- 

 edly will "jf^j;" the ammonia already formed in the manure ; but as it will check any 

 further decomposition, it cannot be recommended. Superphosphate of lime has been 

 used for this purpose with the most complete success. Scattered under the horses, or 

 upon a fermenting manure heap, it immediately prevents the escape of ammonia. The 

 high price of the article, however, is against its economic use for this purpose ; yet 

 if farmers would only save all the bones in the neighborhood, and learn how to manufac- 

 ture the superphosphate themselves, it would be found the cheapest and best of all 

 ammoniacal fixers. Finely pulverized clay is a great absorbent of ammonia, and the 

 covering the manure heap with a loam containing considerable clay, would retain a greater 

 part if not all the ammonia, if decomposition was not allowed to proceed rapidly. 



CHEESE -MAKING FROM A SMALL DAIRY. 



We have received requests from several of our lady correspondents, to write a short arti- 

 cle on cheese-making especially in reference to that large class of farmers who keep but 

 few cows. It always gives us pleasure to comply with the requests of the ladies, 

 especially of those who are good house-keepers — know how to milk a cow, make good 

 butter and cheese, and cultivate a small flower-garden. 



First rate cheese can be made from a few cows, but it is attended with more labor in 

 proportion to the amount made, than in a large dairy, inasmuch as the curd has to be 

 made every morning and placed aside till you have sufficient to make a good sized 

 cheese. The milk is placed in a tub, and warmed to the proper temperature (95 deg. 

 Fahr., or about as warm as when taken from the cow,) by adding a portion of heated 

 milk. The rennet is then added, the milk well stirred, and afterwards let alone till the 

 curd is well come. The time this occupies varies from fifteen minutes to two hours, 

 according to the amount of rennet, the temperature, &c. — the hotter it is put together, 

 and the more rennet there is added, the quicker will the cheese come. As a gcnel-al 

 thing, the longer it is in coming, the tenderer and sweeter will be the curd. If it comes 

 too quickly, it is owing to an excess of lactic acid being formed from the sugar of milk, 

 so that the curd has that hard, tough, white appearance that is the case when the curd 

 is precipitated by vinegar, or any other acid ; but if there is a very slow formation of 

 lactic acid, the curd is gradually lu'ccipitated in flocks, is less dense, and very sweet and 

 tender. It is then broken up quite fine, either by hand or a curd-breaker made for the 

 purpose, which cuts it into very small pieces. After this it is allowed to stand and 

 settle. The whey is then drawn ofi" and passed through a seive, to remove any cui-d 

 there may be in it. The curd is then placed in a strong cloth, and well pressed, to 



