340 



Early Weeding — Stirring the Soil. 



Vol. XII. 



same length of time, and a severe drought 

 for some five weeks, and I believe I have 

 enumerated all the disadvantages under 

 which I laboured. 



The feed of the cows was hay, grass, and 

 dry corn stalks, with the exception of 30 

 two-horse wagon loads of pumpkins. The 

 product was as follows : 



8,189 lbs. of butter, sold in Boston 

 market, at an average price of 

 19f cents per lb., which price 

 perhaps is a fair criterion by 

 which to judge of its quality, $621 84 



20 calves sold and two raised, 91 50 



Cream and milk used in a family 



of 10 persons, at 15 cts. per day, 54 75 



Skimmed milk and buttermilk fed 

 to the hogs 215 days, at $1 30 

 per day, 279 50 



$1,047 59 



The average quantity of milk from each 

 cow per day, for 215 days, 26 lbs. Aggre- 

 gate quantity for each cow, 5,590 lbs. Quan- 

 tity of butter to the 100 lbs. of milk, 3 lbs. 

 3 oz. Gross quantity of milk and butter, 

 109,395 lbs. 



Method of making. — Room used, kept as 

 near a temperature of 60° as may be. Milk 

 strained into a large can placed in the milk- 

 ing yard, which adjoins the milk room, in- 

 side of which it is drawn by means of a con- 

 ductor and faucet into the pans, usually 

 about eight quarts into each pan; it is drawn 

 over ice placed in the can whenever the tem- 

 perature requires, consequently the cream 

 rises in much less time than when cooled in 

 the ordinary way. It ought to stand thirty- 

 six hours before being skimmed, but this 

 time must be varied occasionally, as the 

 weather changes. It should be skimmed 

 when the milk is slightly changed and be- 

 fore it is coagulated. The cream is put into 

 stone jars and placed in a refrigerator in 

 contact with ice, until it is churned, which 

 is done every second or third day. Churn 

 used, a circular one with revolving arms or 

 paddles, framed into a shaft of wood; cream 

 should never come in contact with iron. 

 The motive power is a platform wlieel turn- 

 ed by a small horse. The butter is salted 

 with ground rock talt, passed through a fine 

 sieve, that there may be no lumps or parti- 

 cles that will not dissolve. (How often have 

 you had your teeth set on edge by coming 

 in contact with a lump of salt, in otherwise 

 good butter 1) It is salted to suit the taste 

 and the market, — which requires it very 

 mild unless it is designed tor keeping a 

 longer time than usual it is then placed in 

 the refrigerator and kept cool until it is 



taken out, worked on an inclined table with 

 a break, packed in new tubs containing 25 

 lbs., and sent to market, which is done every 

 week, always using ice in every part of the 

 process, the weather requiring it. 



The committee will be better able to judge 

 of the value of the milk and buttermilk, for 

 hog feed, when I state that I have sold pigs, 

 pork and lard, to the amount of $1,063.09, 

 at an expense of $667, for purchase money 

 and feed, other than milk, and that my hogs 

 have made, of the feed and materials given 

 them to work, near 300 half-cord loads of 

 manure ; the value of which every farmer 

 ought to know. 



All of which is respectfully submitted. 

 B. H. Hall. 



New Lebanon, Jan. 8th, 1847. 



Early Weeding— Stirring the Soil. 



A GREAT deal is gained by early weeding. 

 When weeds first start they may be easily 

 destroyed, and if the land has been recently 

 ploughed and planted, it will be light and 

 mellow, and the hoeing it an early period 

 requires but little time, compared to what is 

 necessary when the weeds have become 

 large and almost formed a sward, and the 

 earth has become compact and hard. An- 

 other disadvantage in delaying weeding till 

 late, is the hiding of the plants by the luxu- 

 riant weeds. In some cases the plants can- 

 not be found without diligent search, and 

 then, perhaps, the weeds cannot be removed 

 without radically Axsiuxhmg the plants, which 

 from their fragile forms, growing in the shade 

 of tall weeds can hardly stand alone. 



Besides the great saving of labour in weed- 

 ing early, there is a great advantage to the 

 crops, for most all plants that stand in a good 

 soil, free from weeds, will grow twice as 

 fast for stirring the soil around them. When 

 there are no weeds, plants will come up, 

 grow a little, and then remain almost sta- 

 tionary for weeks, when a little stirring of 

 the soil around them would give them a 

 start and cause a luxuriant growth. This 

 is often shown by part of a row or piece of 

 land being hoed while another part is left. 

 So great a diflerence is sometimes produced 

 by merely stirring the soil, that the casual 

 observer has supposed that there was a dif- 

 ference in the manure, time of planting, or 

 something else which he would regard as 

 more important than the mere stirring of the 

 soil, as he would regard it. 



We have an account of a trial between 

 two cultivators who competed for the greater 

 success under the same circumstances as to 

 soil, manure, seed, &lc. One thought to ex- 

 cel by hoeing his lot twice a week, aware of 



