THE GENESEE FARMER. 



149 



NOTES FOR THE MONTH BY S. W. 



I HAVE read twice over in tlie March Farmer 

 Mr. RussEix's remarks and your rejoinder on the 

 *' Action ot Manures." So far as Indian corn is in 

 question, I think Mr. R. is not borne out in his 

 theory that "kite crops require less ammonia in 

 the soil tlian early crops;" nor that Indian corn 

 requires, for a maximum crop, more phosphoric 

 acid than is contained in stall manure sufficient to 

 supply irs ammonia. I invariably plant sweet 

 corn, early and late, for family use, planting the 

 earliest on the soil rhat is least manured, and late 

 on the richest, well-manured soil, yet the early 

 planted always attains the most stalk and the 

 largest ears. I have had corn planted on the 5tli 

 of July perfect its ears before the frosts of Octo- 

 ber, but it was not as tall nor were the ears so 

 large as the earlier planted : had the soil been 

 pooi-er it would have been a failure. In fact, I 

 have found tiiat success in growing a late crop of 

 Indian corn depended more on the season than on 

 the manure; and that a deeply-tilled and well- 

 manured soil alone enables the late i)lants to stand 

 the drouths of July and August. It is evidently 

 Nature's design that Indian corn should be forward 

 enough fur the drouths of summer to aid and per- 

 fect its cereal yield. I have often seen the growth 

 of late planted corn retarded by the same hot, dry 

 weather that was perfecting the early-planted corn. 

 Mr. R. is undoubtedly right in saying that roots re- 

 quire as much aminonia in the soil as the wheat 

 crop. A soil may be too rich in ammonia for a 

 maximum wheat crop, but not for Wuzrel beets or 

 Indian corn. 



"shall we keep sheep or cows?" 

 The "leader" in the March Farmer is a full and 

 condensed argument in favor of both. One word 

 more may be said in favor of making cheese on 

 grain farms: In the first place, they will sell green 

 from one to three cents a pound higher than in the 

 dairy districts, for home use; then to make up for 

 the green pastures of the dairy region proper: a 

 patch of Ohio corn, sown in drills for soiling, 

 would be an inexpensive equivalent for good pas- 

 turage. Again, as much clover and timothy ha}' 

 may be cut to the acre in the grain region as in 

 tlie grass, if the soil is as well treated. There are 

 two reasons why so little cheese is made in a 

 grain-growing region: one is the want of knowing 

 how and the lack of conveniencies; the other, the 

 habitual neglect of the cows. Many farmers keep 

 their cows half the winter at the straw-stack; 

 hence tliey come out spring poor, and before they 

 recuperate so as to give a full mess of milk, the 

 drouth comes, pasture dries up, and four or five 

 0OW8 are often milked into one pail. 



HOW TO GEOW SOUND PEAS — PEA COFFEE. 



A farmer who has grown the best imitation of 

 Java coifee in the shape of peas, says tliat his seed 

 peas were large and white, but full of bugs. Before 

 sowing he put them into a basket and dipped them 

 into boiling water; as the basket was directly 

 lifted and the water drained off, the animal life 

 only was killed. The peas were sown the next day, 

 pretty thick. The result was that he had a good 

 crop of beautiful white peas, entirely free from 

 bugs. The small gray pea is not lit for coffee. 



Tlie white field pea and the larger Marrowfat are 

 mucli riclier. The coffee flavor is only obtained 

 from peas thoroughly parched and not burned. 

 With cream and sugar, such coffee will agreeabhr 

 disappoint old coffee-drinkers long confined to tlub 

 ground coffee of the sliops. But "those who drink 

 cofiee for its stimulus alone, should, like the 

 Spanish sailors, put, a little rum '■'■ agnadente" in 

 it. They say it thus " cheers without'inebriating." 



THE "farmer's" subscribers. 



An old reader of the Farmer^ who once prized 

 its truly practical lessons on farm economy above 

 those of any other paper, now ceases to subscribe 

 for it, although he confesses that it is at the head 

 of the agricultural press in the late discoveriea 

 which have added so much to the science of true 

 farming. His sole excuse for not now taking the 

 paper is, that he has quit farming and gone into 

 merchandise. Per contra: Here is a man who 

 has sent for the back volumes of the Farmer that 

 he may have at band the best authority in practi- 

 cal farming and gardening. This man, call him 

 " fancy farmer," if you please, or "book farmer," 

 he will always have fancy and enthusiasm enough 

 to lighten his labors, while the mere drudge, who 

 sees nothing worth having in growing the fruits of 

 the earth but the dollars they are to put in hia 

 pockets, will go down to his grave a poor creature, 

 unwept and unhonored even by those who inherit 

 his dear-bought wealth. 



TESTING THE QUALITY OF MILK. 



A SIMPLE and reliable method of ascertaining 

 the amount of butter in milk would be of great 

 service. Many lactometers have been invented, 

 but upon trial have proved unreliable. M. Mak- 

 OHARD has lately devised a method which will de- 

 termine the amount of butter in milk with great 

 accuracy. It is as follows : 



To a certain volume of milk in a long glass tube, 

 closed at one end, and of about half an inch in 

 diameter, add an equal volume uf ether (having 

 previously rendered the milk slightly alkaline by 

 the addition of a few drops of a solution of caustic 

 soda or potash.) The same volume of alcohol as 

 that of the ether employed is then added, the 

 proper quantities of milk, ether and alcohol to be 

 used being indicated by three mfwks on t)ie tube. 

 After each addition to the milk, the tube is to be 

 well shaken for a few moments, during which time 

 it is to be firmly closed with the thumb of the 

 hand holding it. The alcohol having been added 

 and the contents of the tube finally well shaken it 

 is then only necessary to immerse the tube for a 

 few minutes in a vessel of warm water (the tem- 

 perature of which is about 100 ^ F.), when an oily 

 layer will form on the surface of the mixture in 

 the tube, and its thickness will be in direct pro- 

 portion to the richness of the milk in butter. By 

 having a graduated sliding scale, whose divisions 

 bear a certain relation to the volume of milk em- 

 ployed, and this latter to a pint or quart, the 

 amount of butter in either quantity of milk can be 

 known in a few minutes. 



