316 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



APRIL, r, l';4I. 



For the N. E. Fanner. 



BERKSHIRKS YET AGAIN! 



Cambridge, Pine drove, March 25. 

 Mr Editor — I liave just left my plough, takeu 

 my supper, and read tlie N. E. Farmer. My ntten- 

 tion was drawn to an article headed "The lierk- 

 shires," in which the writer complains that his 

 Berkshire pig gained only " lid lbs. in 275 days." 

 I have rfad and re-read the controversies about 

 the Beikshires, and had determined to stand aloof 

 from the contest— but as this is so hard a story to 

 digest, and as " A Beginner," admits that "facts 

 are stubborn things," and that " there are always 

 two sides to a story," I will merely give him the 

 facts relating to some pigs from my stock. On the 

 13th of November. 18-10, I sold to a neighbor two 

 Berkshire sow pigs — they were at that time five 



weeks old one weighed 15 1-2 lbs , the other 



20 3-4. They were fed on house swill, and not 

 like those of "Beginner," "with squashes boiled 

 with meal four times a day ;" they never had a 

 particle of meal. In 90 days they were weighed, 

 and their weight was, one 126 lbs. — the other U9 

 lbs., being a gain of one pound and nearly one filth 

 per die.m." JOS. A. VVILLARD. 



For the New England Farmer. 



RHODE ISLAND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 Report of tht Committee on Butter. 

 The Committee on Butter beg leave on this oc- 

 casion, respectfully to present both their general 

 and particular views to the Society on the subject 

 of their appointment. 



They are of opinion that the effect of altering 

 the time first fixed by the standing committee for 

 the inspection of butter, rendered it impossible for 

 the owners of small dairies to be prepared on so 

 short a notice, and thereby surrendering the whole 

 field of competition to the owners of large dairies, 

 who could avail themselves of this advantage by 

 bringing their butter sweet and fresh from the 

 churn, which circumstance might exert such an in- 

 fluence over the mimls of the examining committee 

 as to make them overlook defects in the paramount 

 poinls in its manufacture. Its further efliect was, 

 to arrest the progress of many who had purposed 

 entering their butter for a premium. 



When it was again made known th.it the origi- 

 nal plan was still to ba carried out, the season had 

 80 far advanced, that very severe frosts had destroy- 

 ed the sweetness of the grass, without which de- 

 licious butter cannot be made. Of this tiie appli- 

 cants (who were in consequence but few,) very 

 justly complained, as no skill of theirs could reme- 

 dy such an evil. 



None of the butter that passed under our inspec- 

 tion, either at the last annual meeting or since, 

 was considered of that high order of excellence, 

 which should entitle it to the first premium of $20. 

 So long as we aim at perfection,' let us make no 

 compromise by rewarding comparative merit. 



The use cif a thermometer is strongly recom- 

 mended to those who attend to or direct the labor 

 (jf a dairy. 



Having carefully examined the subject, we, with 

 great respect to public oinnion, give the following- 

 outline, in our estimation as indispensable in mak- 

 ing good butter, viz: Good cows, sweet feed, good 

 water and air, and cleanliness in every depart- 



ment. The teniijjerature of the milk room, if possi- 

 ble, should never rise above 66° or sink below ,50°. 

 It is' therefore necessary that the ir.ilk be kept in 

 a cellar from ten to twelve feet deep. A room 

 above ground is too warm in summer and too cold 

 in autumn. Flat stones are better than clay, and 

 clay better than brick for a cellar bottom. Brick 

 absorbs impurities and cannot be easily cleansed. 

 The cream should not be allowed to rise more than 

 thirlysix hours; it should be sweet when taken off, 

 and sweet when churned. (Butter will come quick- 

 ly at all seasons of the year, if the cream be churn- 

 ed at a temperature between (W and 00°. ) Ice, 

 or warm water put into it, will give the desired 

 temperature. The inilk cellar should be frequent- 

 ly whitewashed, and the air kept perfectly pure. 



E.xternal cause.s often have a prejudicial effect 

 on the flavor of butter; such as sink drains, hog 

 pens, hen roosts, stables, barn yards, and the growth 

 of cucumbers, tomatoes, and other plants which 

 give out an odor in the immediate vicinity of the 

 windows of the milk apartment. For tiiis reason 

 spring-houses, after the fashion of the farmers in 

 the Middle States, are the most perfect repositories 

 for milk. As it is well known that butter put into 

 strong, tight kegs, will acquire an unpleasant taste 

 from an impure atmosphere in which it may have 

 been kept, how much more exposed is the extend 

 ed surface of cream while rising ; therefore noth- 

 ing should be permitted to taint the air of the milk 

 room. As the air smells, so will the butter taste; 

 hence the taste of onions, turnips, cabbage, &C., 

 and of cheese, when butter is made from cream 

 raised on milk set in a cheese room. 



Salt. The Liverpool bag or blown salt is fre- 

 quently so impure as to render it unsuitable for 

 the purposes of the dairy. Syracuse dairy salt will 

 answer well when made very fine, but Rock salt 

 or the lumps of Turks Island salt, washed, dried 

 and thoroughly pulverized to a perfect powder, is 

 best. Less than an ounce to a pound of butter is 

 sufficient to make it keep, provided the buttermilk 

 is perfectly worked out. Butter firkins should be 

 made of white oak ; it would be convenient to have 

 them contain from 25 to 30 pounds only. Before 

 they are used, let them be soaked a day or two in 

 strong, pure brine ; then emptied and wiped dry ; 

 this will keep them cool, tight and sweet, and pre- 

 vent injustice in the tare. In putting down butter 

 no salt should be put on the bottom, on the sides 

 or between the layers. It is well, if it be expected 

 that it will stand sometime before it is used, to 

 cover the top with a cloth and this cloth with fine 

 salt, to keep out the air more perfectly. The prac- 

 tice of washing butter, as it is termed, is disap- 

 proved of both in Europe and in this country, by 

 the best judges. The Dutch wash in strong, limp- 

 ed brine, only the butter that is designed for ship- 

 ment to warm climates. It aids in getting out the 

 buttermilk, but a portion of the fine fiavor goes out 

 with it. Tiie brine should be cooled down to .50°. 

 Fresh water is by far more injurious than brine. 

 We are of opinion that all the buttermilk should 

 be extracted without washing. The sweet flavor 

 of new butter is often lost by permitting a piece of 

 ice to melt upon it while on the table. 



When all is right in butter it will yield to the 

 pressure of a knife like wax without adhering to it. 

 There were a number of applicants for premi- 

 ums, some of whom presented butter very well 

 made in many respects, but all had some marked 

 defect ; such as being oversalted, or the grains of 

 salt were perceptible, like grit between the teeth ; 



others appeared to have been made from cream 

 that had been exposed to a bad atmosphere, or it 

 was slightly rancid; and in one instance there was 

 a distinct taste of cheese. Generally the butter- 

 milk was well extracted, but it was nearly all de- 

 ficient in fragrance and sweetness. 



The butter piesentedby George Smith, of Smith- 

 field, appeared in all respects well manufactured, 

 but it was deficient in flavor. He keeps his milk 

 in a cellar ten feet deep; used rock salt, at the 

 rate of two thirds of an ounce to a pound of butter, 

 i'o him we award a premium of four dollars. 



The butter presented by John A. Mowry, of 

 Smithfield, was salted with Syracuse dairy salt, at 

 the rate of one ounce to the pound : it was defi- 

 cient in flavor, and the particles of salt were per- 

 ceptible; in other respects it was well made. He 

 keeps his milk in a cellar eleven feel deep. He 

 also presented an inclined table and butter-worker, 

 by the aid of which, with less labor, the buttermilk 

 is taken out, and the salt incorporated, without 

 touching the butler with tlie hands. For this very- 

 useful invention (a model of which may be seen at 

 Wm. Bradford's seed-store,) we recommend a pre- 

 mium of four dollars. 



All of which is very respectfully submitted. 

 STEPHLN H. SMITH, 

 MOSES B. IVES, 

 WILBUR KELLY, 

 GEO. W. COMSTOCK, 

 Committee. 



For the New England Farmer. 



DECOMPOSITION OP BONES. 

 Mr Putnam — Sir — On reading in your Farmer 

 of 17th February last a Mr Jones's very valuable 

 experiments on bone manure, I was reminded of an 

 idea I have often thought of, viz : If some easy 

 plan of decomposing bones witliout grinding, could 

 be adapted so that every farmer could have the 

 advantage of using all the bones he may collect 

 about his own house and neighborhood, a great 

 many bones that are now useless might be collect- 

 ed and become a very valuable source for manure. 

 Now, Mr Editor, in hopes some of y<iur intelli- 

 gent correspondents will give what infoniation 

 they can on the subject, I will give you what I 

 know accidentally. My wife puts all her refuse 

 bones into her ashes, thinking they may be of some 

 use to her soap : she makes lier soap every spring, 

 and sometimes let her leach stand six or eight 

 months. On removing the ashes I have found 

 nearly all the bones decomposed, or become, in 

 appearance, like a white jelly. 



In a report of the agriculture of the House of 

 Industry at S. Boston, published in the Fanner of 

 May 20th, 1840, it is stated, that mixing bone ma- 

 nure with earth as follows, one part bone and two 

 parts earth, laid in a heap and moistened with cow- 

 yard wash or water and turned over often, the bones 

 will become completely decomposed in about two 

 months. A MECHANIC. 



It is not the nursling of wealth or fortune, who 

 has been dandled into manhood on the lap of pros- 

 perity, that carriers away the world's honors cr wins 

 Its mightiest influence ; but it is rather the man 

 whose earlier years were scarcely cheered by a 

 single proffer of aid or smile of approbation, and 

 who has drawn from adversity the elements of 

 greatness. 



