1859, 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



91 



fact may be traced the cause of many conten- 

 tions. 



The mind being ever occupied, considers an 

 infinite number of subjects, flowing incessantly 

 through its avenues of communication with the 

 external world. It may detain, and concentrate 

 its powers on one, or allow all to float on, find- 

 ing its pleasures in novelty. Looking inward 

 it may gaze on memory's stores, or on wings of 

 imagination soar out in the boundless future. 

 Youth lives in the future, old age in the past, 

 and all in both. 



Turning our eyes toward that untried world, 

 we are dazzled by visions of beauty and happi- 

 ness. The gentle breeze wafts to us pleasing 

 odors. The star of hope sheds kindly beams on 

 our pathway, and we fondly dream it winds only 

 through flowery meads, shady gro%-€s, and by 

 murmuring rivuiets. Perchance memory comes, 

 gently takes us by the hand and leads us along 

 down the past. We review the scenes of child- 

 hood, visit our early home, the favorite haunts 

 of youth, and gaze once more on the happy faces 

 of those we loved. Our first great grief comes 

 fresh before us, as she leads us to the silent 

 room, and we gaze on a loved one struggling in 

 death. We again see the cold form shrouded for 

 the grave — take the last fond look — and follow 

 with breaking heart to its last resting-place. 



Though the mind meditates on the past and 

 present ; speculates on the future ; considers the 

 evil and the good ; things earthly and things 

 heavenly ; is absorbed in its own passions or 

 emotions ; or dwells much in the world without ; 

 yet man has the power of subjecting his thoughts 

 to his will. Let him, then, beware! For, "as a 

 man thinketh, so (s he." 



Vi/'ayland, Dec. 20. L. H. Sherman. 



TO MAKE GOOD "WINTEK BUTTEK. 



At the annual meeting of the JefiFerson Coun- 

 ty Agricultural Society, at Watertown, on the 

 14th of January, a tub of superior winter-made 

 butter was exhibited by Mr. Daniel Parker, of 

 that town, for which a premium was awarded by 

 the discretionary committee. "The butter," says 

 the Nortliern Journal, "was quite as yellow as 

 much of the fall-made sent to market, and the 

 flavor so fine that we obtained of Mr. Parker the 

 mode of manufacture. He states that as soon as 

 he has finished milking, the pails of milk are set 

 into kettles of boiling water, where they are al- 

 lowed to remain thirty minutes, then the milk is 

 strained into pans and allowed to stand until the 

 cream is ready to be taken off, which will depend 

 upou the temperature of the room in which it is 

 set. Before churning, the cream must be kept in 

 a warm room at least twelve hours ; then it will 

 require churning less than an hour. He washes 

 his butter immediately after taking it out of the 

 churn, and at the same time salts it. His cows 

 had been fed on clover hay, without grain or 

 roots, for six weeks previous to the time of mak- 

 ing this sample. Butter made in this way is per- 

 fectly sweet, of a good color, and will bring from 

 two to four cents per pound more in market, than 

 that manufactured in the ordinary way. It is 

 worthy the attention of farmers." 



NET T/WEIGHT OF HOGS. 



At this season the following table for deter- 

 mining the net by the gross weight of bogs, mav 

 be useful to dealers in pork. It is based upon 

 the Kentucky rule, that is, for 200 lbs. gross nett 

 deduct 26 lbs. ; for the second 100 lbs. subtract 

 12.^ lbs., and for the third 100 lbs. deduct Qh lbs. 

 All over 300 lbs. is calculated as net : 



100 gross will net 75 



l^" Dr. E. Holmes, Editor of the Maine Far- 

 mer, has been elected President of the Maine 

 Pomological and Horticultural Society, and D. 

 A. Fairbanks, Augusta, Secretary ; and Russell 

 Eaton, Publisher of the Farmer, Augusta, Treas- 

 urer and Librarian. 



COMPARA.TIVE VALUE OF ROOTS. 



Mr. Editor: — Will you, or some of your 

 readers, inform me what is the comparative value 

 of roots for cattle and hogs ? 



There are many farmers that practice feeding 

 roots that have never made any accurate esti- 

 mate of their value, compared with different kinds 

 of grain, hay, &c. 



In conversation with a gentleman upon this 

 subject he said, that he had practiced feeding his 

 horse with eight quarts of oats and eight quarts 

 of carrots a day, and that he performed more 

 labor and was in better condition than when fed 

 sixteen quarts of oats a daj\ In this case a 

 bushel of carrots is equal in value to a bushel 

 of oats. 



What is the value of ruta bagas, carrots, beets, 

 parsnips and potatoes, compared with rye, oats, 

 peas, barley, buckwheat, corn and hay, when fed 

 to cattle and hogs ? 



I want to investigate this subject, and take 

 this course, hoping to receive information from 

 those who have made accurate experiments ; and 

 any such information will be gratefully received 

 by a Subscriber. 



Fort Fairfield, June 23, 1858. 



Note. — We have several times given state- 

 ments of chemists and others, of their experi- 

 ments to ascertain the comparative value of the 

 diflPerent roots and other substances used for fod- 

 der — good hay being the standard. 



In No. 21, Vol. 24, we published the following 

 editorial upon this subject, which may give some 

 light to our friend by way of an answer to his 

 queries : 



It is a great object to the farmers of Maine to 

 raise a supply of the best kinds of fodder for 

 their stock during the winter. Hay, we all know, 



