190 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Aug. 



MAKING AND PRESERVING EUTTER. 



The following' article was commmunicated to the 

 Farmer's Monthly Visitor, by one of the sisters of the 

 United Society of Shakers at Canterbury, N. H. — 

 The excellent economy of this Society gives an im- 

 portance to their recommendations: — 



" The pans or other vessels in which the milk is to 

 be set, should be made perfectly sweet by scalding, 

 previous to putting the milk into them. A room in 

 a basement story, where the air will circular^ freely, 

 is preferable to a cellar for setting milk; forty-eight 

 hours is a sufficient length of time to raise cream 

 for making butter to keep through the winter season. 



"After this cream is taken off, the milk may stand 

 the same length of time, but the cream that rises af- 

 ter the first forty-eight hours, will uot make butter 

 60 palateable as the first which rises, and should be 

 churned separate. 



"As soon as the cream is taken from the milk, it 

 should be put into a tin pail, and set into a kettle of 

 scalding water, taking care to stir the cream after, 

 otherwise it will turn oily at the top. It should re- 

 main in the kettle till the cream is scalding hot, be- 

 ing careful to place it in a tub of cold water imme- 

 diately. Stir it often until it is nearly or quite 

 cold: if it remains long after hot, it will be injured 

 much It will be necesary to change the water once 

 or twice before the cream can be perfectly cold. It 

 may then be kept three or four days without injury. 

 After churning, the buttermilk should be partially 

 worked out; then add one and one-half ounce of 

 salt to one pound of butter. 



"It may then be covered tight and stand till the 

 following day; then work it over again, taking ev- 

 ery c-are to work out all particles of buttermilk, which 

 will prevent the butter from growing rancid by age. 

 It may then be formed into cakes, or packed solid in 

 a cask, which should be perfectly sweet and well 

 dried. 



" The inside should be sprinkled with a little fine 

 salt. After the cask is filled, dip a cloth in melted 

 butter, and spread it snugly over the top — cover it 

 with fine salt, and fasten up the cask sufficiently 

 tight to keep out the air: it should then be set in a 

 cool place, to remain through the winter. 



"A cask made of red oak staves is preferable to 

 any other, for preserving the original sweetness of 

 butter. It will add to the flavor of butter to work in 

 a little sugar at the last working over — say a table- 

 spoonful to every four or five pounds of butter." 



A SUGGESTION FOR AGRICULTURAL CLUBS. 



The " New York Columbian Farmer" suggests 

 what is, one might suppose, not only wise, but very 

 practicable for all who have the self-command and 

 resolution to do any thing for improvement in their 

 line of business. It says: 



Let each member of the club procure a good sized 

 blank book; commence, say in the spring; write 

 down all matters which relate to the operations of 

 the farm, viz.: number of feres, the soil, manner of 

 tillage, quantity and kind of manure; the time of 

 seeding of all kinds of grain and vegetables, quanti- 

 ty of nerd per ncre: the situation of the land, as to 

 wet or dry; making suitable entries during the sea- 

 son, as to the weather, the growth of crops, whether 

 doing well or not, and the probable cause; the time 

 of harvesting, yield per acre; if good or poor, the 



probable cause; the time of selling, the price, high 

 or low. A memorandum somewhat similar as to the 

 stock; the disease with which they are attacked, if 

 any, the remedy used, and the effect. Let an exact 

 account be kept of the outgoes and incomes, and a 

 balance be struck at the end of each year; taking- 

 special pains through the year to ascertain causes 

 and their effects; and be not afraid of writing too 

 much. By this course they would soon acquire the 

 habit of putting their thoughts on paper in a system- 

 atic way. At the end of each year, these papers 

 could be presented to the club, and examined by a 

 committee; and all matters worth remembering, put 

 into a condensed report, and recorded. By this 

 course, a comparison could be made between the dif- 

 ferent systems practiced, and the best could be adopt- 

 ed. By this it is believed every important improve- 

 ment would soon become general; errors would be 

 detected and abandoned. 



PASTERNS OF THE HORSE. 



The following sensible remarks, on the form of 

 the pasterns, are copied from Youatt's work, "The 

 Horse." 



"In proportion to the obliquity or slanting of the 

 pastern, will be the stress on the fetlock-joint, 

 and, therefore, the liability of that joint to injury 

 and strain; and also the liability to ' sprain of the 

 back sinews,' from the increased action of the flexor 

 tendons; and likewise to injuries of the pastern- 

 joints, for the ligaments will be weak in proportion 

 to their length. The long and slanting pastern is 

 an excellency in the racehorse, from the springiness 

 of action, and greater extent of stride by which it is 

 npanied. A less degree of it is necessary in 

 the hunter, who is to unite continuance of exertion 

 with ease of pace, and who, in his leaps, requires 

 almost as much springiness as the racehorse; but 

 for the wear and tear of the hackney, a still less de- 

 gree of obliquity should be found. There should be 

 sufficient to give pleasantness of going, but not 

 enough to endanger continuance and strength. Ex- 

 perience among horses will alone point out the most 

 advantageous direction of the pastern, for the pur- 

 pose required; but the slightest observation will 

 prove the necessity of considerable variety in the 

 structure of this part. Let the reader imagine the 

 heavy dray horse, with his short and upright pas- 

 terns, contending, in the race; or the race-horce v. ith 

 his long and weak pasterns, endeavoring to move 

 some heavy weight. The concussion is little in a 

 cart-horse, because his movements are slow, and 

 th refore the upright and strong pastern is given to 

 him, which he can force into the ground, ami on which 

 he can throw the whole of his immense weight." 



Guano. — The most economical application of guano is di- 

 rectly under or upon the seed where the roots will be sure to 

 find it. It should be covered with earth, and slightly separa- 

 ted from the seed. Sowing broadcast, in damp weather, up- 

 on the growing grasses or grain, is a good mode of applica- 

 tion, but it should iirst bo intimately mixed with several 

 times its bulk of garden mold or well-rotted peat, swamp 

 muck, and some plaster. 



Save the Ukink. — The urine from cattle is worth aa 

 much as the solid droppings. Any farmer in easily seme 

 the whole, both in summer and winter, by having a bed of 

 turf or vegetable matter deep enough to catch and retain the 

 liquid. The watery portion soon evaporates, while the i lid 

 matter, amounting to about L2 percent., is incorporated with 

 the turf, and held till needed for use. 



