112 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



for several Sabbaths — the distance being three 

 or four miles — his carriage horse bejame dissat- 

 isfied, and o" Sunday morning, when people were 

 going in various directions to their various meet- 

 ings, he jumped out of the pasture and sped away 

 to church, took his place beside the post where 

 he had usually been tied, and waited until the 

 close of service ; when he turned his attention 

 homeward, going directly like a serious-minded 

 horse, well aware of the importance of observing 

 the Sabbath. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have 

 that old horse commissioned to preach to some 

 people. . , . 



In one of the towns of this county, some years 

 ago, "as history relates," the dogs of a certain 

 community became so great church-goers that 

 the minister found proper occasion to suggest to 

 his parishioners that if the people wovdd learn 

 from the example of their dogs he should have 

 many more attendants upon his ministry. Men 

 of Avisdom may learn lessons from poor puppies. 



I have taken some pains, since writing my last, 

 to ascertain, as definitely as possible, about the 

 products of milk and butter. At a station on 

 the branch railroad, running from Chester to New- 

 burg, and connecting at the former place with 

 the Erie railroad, I learned that about 2000 gal- 

 lons of milk were sent daily to New York. This 

 was said to come from the farms included in about 

 six square miles of territory, that is, along the 

 road perhaps three miles, and extending back 

 from the road about a mile on each side. This 

 would give to the farmers, at three cents per 

 quart, the sum of sixty dollars per diem, for milk 

 alone. This winter product bears no comparison 

 to the amount produced in summer. The sum- 

 mer crop sells at a lower figure than that of win- 

 ter, but not a less jirofitable. It is easy estimat- 

 ing the income from milk, to a town of six miles 

 square, supposing $60 a day to describe that of 

 six square miles. The daily income of the town 

 would be $360, for milk alone. Its yearly income 

 for the same would be no less than $130,400. 



The milk-sales do not take away the floods of 

 milk, by any manner of means. .Butter-making 

 is generally considered more profitable, and those 

 who sell milk also make immense qualities of 

 butter. The fair product of a good butter mak- 

 ing cow is about two firkins, say 168 pounds. — 

 Some extra dairies make three firkins, or about 

 250 pounds. But this last is too high to found 

 any estimate upon. At 168 ])ounds, as they have 

 sold their butter for several years past at 25 cents 

 per pound, a cow gives $42 worth of butter. — 

 What is said to be an average product of butter, 

 per cow, is about 150 pounds per year. The ad- 

 ditional credit to the cow is for the buttermilk, 

 for feeding hogs, the calf and the manure for the 

 land. Some high farmers estimate the proceeds 

 of their cows at $65 per year, each. Upon some 

 of the large farms, from fifty to near one hundred 

 cows are kept. 



In making butter, they churn daily, sometimes 

 twice a day, some by horse-power, some by dog- 

 power, some by sheep-power and a few by water- 

 j)ower. It is done with a dash churn ; the size 

 of churn said to secure most butter from cream 

 being of about 24 gallons. Larger churns are 

 not thought to gather the butter so well. 



When the butter is gathered, it is taken from 

 the churn and worked over, to get out the 



buttermilk. Then it is washed. Some pure cold 

 water is applied to it, perhaps a quart to five 

 pounds, and immediately worked through it, to 

 remove what remains of buttermilk. It is then 

 salted, packed down solid in the firkin, which, 

 when full, is covered with a prepared brine, to 

 exclude the air and keep it sweet. 



The butter made in October is here generally 

 preferred. Some prefer that made in May. 



I would say something further about the habits of 

 farming here, but I am admonished by the length 

 of this letter, that I shall surely fail of that vir- 

 tue of good sermonizers and scrap-writers, hrev- 

 ity. So I will not attempt to tell how dogs, sheep 

 and horses handle a dash-churn. c. 



Orange Co., N. Y., Dec. 23, 1857. 



A THOUGHT FOK YOUNG MEW. 



^lore may be learned by devoting a few mo- 

 ments daily to reading, than is commonly sup- 

 posed. Five pages may be read in fifteen min- 

 utes ; at which rate one may peruse twenty-six 

 volumes of two hundi'ed pages each in a year. 

 You say you have none to guide you. The best 

 scholars and men of science will tell you that by 

 far the most valuable part of their education is 

 that which they have given themselves. Vol- 

 umes have been filled with the auto- biography of 

 self-taught men. Think of Franklin, the printer, 

 of Linne, the shoemaker, of John Hunter, the 

 cabinet-maker, of Herschel, the musician, of Dol- 

 land the weaver, of Turner, the printer, of Bur- 

 ritt, the l)lacksmith. Love learning and you Avill 

 be learned. When there is a will there will be a 

 way. 



Begin at once, take time by the forelock, and 

 remember that it is only the first step that costs, 

 and having begun, resolve to learn something 

 every day. Strike the blow, and avoid the weak- 

 ness of those who spend half of life in thinking 

 what they shall do next. Always have a volume 

 near you, which you may catch up at such odd 

 minutes as are your own. It is incredible, until 

 trial has been made, how much real knowledge 

 may be acquired in these broken fragments of 

 time, which are like the dust of gold and dia- 

 monds. — Dr. Alexander. 



SAVING CABBAGES. 



The best way to preserve cabbages green all 

 winter, so that their good qualities shall in no 

 manner deteriorate, is as follows : As late this 

 month as the weather will allow, dig out your 

 cabbages that you have set apart for winter use 

 — dig trenches say eighteen or twenty inches 

 apart, and from twelve to twenty feet in length, 

 as may be most convenient, and in accordance 

 with the quantity to be preserved, — transplant 

 your cabbages firmly in these trenches, as closely 

 as they will stand together. When your bed is 

 finished, raise a platform some eighteen or twen- 

 ty inches high over them, which can be made of 

 any refuse posts, rails or boards about a place ; 

 across this place a few bean poles or lath, and 

 upon the whole throw a quantity of bean haulm, 

 cornstalks, straw or any other material of this 

 kind, as a protection against wet and frost — and 

 you can eat green cabbage up to April, finer than 

 if plucked from the garden in October. — Ger. Tel. 



