36-2 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MAY 19, ti4I- 



very fair butter, by John Prcstini, of Danvers, Mrs | 

 M. Wardwell, of Andover, and others. 



For September butter, your committee recom- 

 mend that the first proniium of ten dollars be 

 awarded to Daniel Putnam, of Danvers. They 

 would, if guided solely by the quality of the but- 

 ter, recommend the second premium to Peabody 

 Haley, of West Newbury ; but as no statement of 

 cows and process of making accompanied this but- 

 ter, the committee recommend that the second pre- 

 mium of eight dollars be given to Mrs R. Buttricli, 

 of Haverhill. Specimens of good September bul- 

 ter were offered also by Mrs M. Wardwell, of An- 

 dover ; Mr John Preston, of Danvers ; and very 

 fair butter was offered by many others. 



On cheese, your committee were not so heavily 

 tasked. There were four entries. We recommend 

 the first premium of ten dollars, to Isaac Carrulh, 

 of Andover. The second would be properly be- 

 stowed upon James Peabody, of Georgetown, had 

 lie given us the statements which tlie rules of the 

 society require. This omission of Mr Peabody 

 causes us to recommend the second premium, of 

 eight dollars, to Mrs William Thurlow, of West 

 Newbury. A sample of good cheese was exhibit- 

 ed also by Mrs R. Butterick, of Haverhill. 

 JOSEPH HOW, 

 ALLEN PUTNAM, 

 JOSHUA BALLARD, 

 BENJAMIN SCOTT. 

 Georgetown, Sept. 30, 1840. 



ter also. The kind nf food used is also to be re- 

 garded. Every dairy-woman knows that the milk 

 will indicate tiie kind of food used ; therefore those 

 kinds of food which leave the best flavor in the 

 milk should be selected. When cows have been 

 fed on cabbages or on turnips, who has not tasted 

 the peculiarities of these vegetables ? When they 

 are fed on Indian meal, on carrots, or on beets, — 

 it is fair to presume that these articles become in- 

 corporated with the milk also. I do not presume 

 to say which of these articles is the most valuable 

 to bo cultivated for the feeding of cows ; though I 

 hope in this age of experiments, with so many in- 

 ducements as are now held out for the trial, it will 

 not be long before some of our farmers will give us 

 satisfactory information on this subject. 



The manner of mi/Aing also demands attention. 

 Cows should be milked about the same time each 

 day ; and they should be milked quick and clean. 

 If a portion of their milk is suffered to remain, this 

 will soon diminish the quantity, and the cows will 

 dry up. It is bad policy to trust milking to chil- 

 dren, for they usually do it moderately and imper- 

 fectly, and more is lost thereby than would pay 

 the best of laborers. 



The place for the seltini; of the milk, is 



To J. IF. Proctor, Esq. — Sir, having been una- 

 ble to attend the meeting of the board nf trustees 

 in December, I submit the following considerations 

 relating to the management of dairies. 



The first and most essential point to be gained 

 13 to procure good cows. It costs no more to feed 

 a good cow, than a poor one. And the compara- 

 tive result of their produce at the close of the year, 

 makes a most essential difference in the profits of 

 the farmer. Suppose one cow to give one quart at 

 a milking, or two quarts per day, more than another, 

 the milk being of equal quality ; and this milk to 

 be estimated worth two and a half cents per quart, 

 and this to continue 200 days — here would be a 

 difference of ten dollitrs in the produce of the two 

 cows. This rule applied to a dairy of fifteen cows, 

 would be equal the sum of iBLlO — half as imich as 

 the net annual income of a majority of the farmers 

 in the county. 



The quality of the milk is a consideration not 

 less important than the quantity. Those, who 

 never have tried the experiment of setting different 

 cows' milk separate, have very imperfect ideas of I 

 their comparative value. I have known some cows 

 that five or six quarts of tlieir milk would raise 

 cream sufficient to make a pound of butter. I be- 

 lieve this was stated to be true of the Oakes cow, 

 from the milk of which was made twenty pounds 

 of butler a week for several successive weeks ; and 

 I have heard the same of others. But ordinarily, 

 it lakes ten quarts of milk to yield a pound of but- 

 ter. It therefore beciuue a point of great impor- 

 tance, in selecting cows for the making of butter, 

 to obtain those whose milk is adapted to this pur- 

 pose. 



The mantier of feeding coius is a point not to b« 

 neglected, in the management of a dairy. Good 

 feed not only increases the quantity of the milk, 

 but it improves the quality ; and of consequence 

 tho butter and cheese produced therefrom are bet- 



also 

 worthy of attention. This should be cool, well 

 ventilated, and exclusively appropriated to this pur- 

 pose. For ii it is permitted to be occupied in part 

 for other purposes, some things will find their way 

 there which will be injurious to the milk. It 

 should also be properly lighted. Cream will rise 

 more favorably in a light than in a dark room, and 

 the quality of it will be better. Therefore a dairy 

 room above ground is preferable to a cellar. The 

 room should be carefully guarded, by the use of 

 wire gauze, or some other substance at the win- 

 dows, against the approach of insects or intruders 

 of every kind. The milk should be set in pans un- 

 covered ; as the cream will not rise so freely when 

 there is a cover over the pans. Care should be 

 taken not to fill the pans full, especially in warm 

 weather, as the cream will rise quicker and better 

 when the milk is spread over a larger surface. 

 The sooner it rises and is removed from the milk 

 the better ; and this should always be done before 

 the milk begins to turn sour. When the cream 

 is taken off, it should be kept in tight covered ves- 

 sels, in cool places, until the churning process ; 

 and this should always be before any sourness or 

 mould is discoverable. 



Much care should be taken to separate the but- 

 ter-milk thtroughly from the butter. More de- 

 pends on this than any other part of the pro- 

 cess in making good butter. Unless this is done, 

 it will be impossible to preserve it sweet and good. 

 If our dairy women would apply double the la- 

 bor to half the, quantity of their butter, and there- 

 by thoroughly remove all particles of butter- milk, 

 this one half would be worth more than the whole 

 in the condition it is usually sent to the market. 

 As this is a mat er that interests every farmer, and 

 every lover of good butter, (and who does not love 



to such butter as had the proper previous manage- 

 ment. For if the butter comes soft, it may be 

 worked ever so long, and not become hard and 

 good ; although it may be improved by working. 

 Butter that comes well will be fit for immediate 

 use with very little working. But if it is to be 

 kept, care should be taken that the buttermilk is 

 thoroughly removed. 



It was my intention to have said something on 

 the feed of cows. But my remarks have already 

 extended so far, I will simply say, that there is no 

 feed on which cows can be kept, that will make 

 belter butter, than a first rate pasture ; such as 

 abounds with English grasses. When this supply 

 fails, let the deficiency be made up by green corn- 

 stalks. Farmers will do well to plant some corn 

 extra, fijr this purpose. 



'I he present winter, I have boiled roots for my 

 cows, such as turnips and sugar beets, to which I 

 add a little Indian meal. This food when properly 

 prepared and seasoned with salt, is well received 

 by the cows, and improves the flavor, and increas- 

 es the quantity of their milk. J. H. 



Having been a member of the Committee on the 

 dairy, and knowing nearly how the cows were fed 

 on four out ofllie five farms from which our best 

 butter was brought, we were at the time of the ex- 

 amination, satisfied that the quality of the food 

 given to the cows, showed itself in the color and 

 flavor of the butter. Being the son, brother, cousin, 

 or near neighbor and friend of these claimants, we 

 withelil the expression of our opinion — and when 

 our associates had made up their judgment, we 

 thought that it would give no indication of the com- 

 parative merits of the dairy-women, for the prefer- 

 ence of the several parcels of butter was in exact 

 accordance with what we supposed to be the rich- 

 ness of the food given to the cows. Since in 

 the country "every body knows every thing" we of 

 course knew that Daniel Putnam fed beller than 

 Jesse, Jesse better than William; and William 

 better than John Preston — and the Committee 

 placed their names in the same order when arrange 

 ing, according to the excellence of the butter.— 

 Ed. N. E. F. 



From the Farmer's Cabinet. 



it when it is fair and nice .'J I have presumed to 

 forward those remarks. You will use thorn as 

 you think proper. 



Respectfully, Yours, 



JOSEPH HOW. 

 Methuen, Jan. (>, 1841. 



Note. — What I have said in relation to the 

 working of butter, is to be understood, in relation 



ON PRUNING FRUIT TREES. 

 Mr Ediior — This is a subject which merits our 

 deep regard: to the neglect of this necessary ope- 

 ration might be attributed many of the evils whic|^ 

 infest our orchards in the shape of canker, blight, 

 and rottenness, proving in the end tho destruction 

 of thousands of our finest trees. I have lately 

 made some extracts from a foreign work, which 

 appear to contain much valuable instruction and 

 many new ideas on this very important branch of 

 rural affairs, and by giving them a place in the 

 Cabinet, I think you would be serving a valuable 

 cause. '. I 



"Some persons prune off all the fibres of thfe " 

 main roots of the trees before planting, supposing 

 that they must perish and become mouldy ; but 

 this pruning is, to say the least, entirely useless; 

 but if any large roots are bruised or lacerated, the 

 injured parts must be removed, as they are too 

 large to heal, although they might not wholly de- 

 cay. 



"To secure the proper direction of the roots, 

 every tree must be deprived of those which tap, 



