278 



Cattle. 



Vol. in. 



from it slowly and with difficulty, it acquires 

 a bitter and disagreeable taste, the butter can 

 scarcely be made to come at all, and when it 

 is obtained is so pale in the color, so small in 

 quantity, so poor to the taste, hard and brittle 

 of consistence, and of so little value in every 

 respect, as to bring a very low price at the 

 market, compared to what it would have pro- 

 duced had it been preserved in a proper de- 

 ^ee of warmth. To avoid, therefore, as 

 much as possible, both these extremes, the 

 milk-house, properly so called, is here placed 

 in the centre of the building, into which there 

 is no access directly from the open air; nor 

 even from the porch, but through a double 

 door, one of which ought always to be shut 

 before the other be opened, when either the 

 heat or the cold of the weather is excessive, 

 though at other times this precaution may be 

 omitted. The walls of this part of the build- 

 ing are made of earth so thick, and the roof 

 of thatch so thick also, as directed, because 

 it is found these substances transmit heat or 

 cold with less facility than any others that 

 can easily be had, so that a very long contin- 

 uance either of hot or cold weather, would 

 have no sensible effect in altering the temper- 

 ature of this chamber ; and if it should at any 

 time acquire a small degree of heat or cold 

 more than was desirable, and this were cor- 

 rected by artificial means, it would retain that 

 artificial temperature for a long time. These 

 are the advantages proposed to be derived from 

 this simple mode of. construction. 



Experiments have not yet been made to as- 

 certain what is the precise degree of heat 

 that is the most favorable for the different op- 

 erations of the dairy. From the trials I have 

 made myself I have reason to believe, that 

 when the heat is from 50 to 55 degrees on 

 Fahrenheit's thermometer, the separation of 

 the cream from milk, which is the most im- 

 portant operation of the dairy, goes forward 

 with the greatest regularity. I am therefore 

 inclined to think, that this will be found to 

 be the temperature that ought to be aimed at 

 in the dairy ; but I do not here pretend to de- 

 cide with a dogmatic precision ; a considerable 

 degree of latitude in this respect may perhaps 

 be allowable ; but from the best observations I 

 have been able to make, it seems to me highly 

 probable, that when the heat exceeds 60 de- 

 grees, the operations become difficult and 

 dangerous, and when it falls below the 40th 

 degree, they can scarcely be carried forward 

 with any degree of economy or propriety. — 

 Till farther experiments, therefore, shall as- 

 certain this point, we may take it as a safe 

 rule, that the heat should be kept up, if possi- 

 ble, between tlie 50th and ,'")5lh degree ; and 

 to ascertain this point, a thermometer, grad- 

 uated by Fahrenheit's scale, should be hung 

 up perpetually in the milk-house, to give no- 



tice to the owner of any alterations in the 

 temperature that might affect his interest. — 

 Luckily it happens that this is very nearly 

 about the average temperature that a building 

 so well secured as this is from the external 

 air would naturally bear at all seasons of the 

 year in this climate, were it not to be affected 

 by external objects. But as the heat of the 

 milk, if it were in considerable quantities, 

 would tend in summer to affect the tempera- 

 ture of the air, there is no impoFsibility but 

 it might thus be raised on some occasions to 

 a higher degree than v/aa proper. It was to 

 have at all times at hand an easy cure for this 

 disorder that 1 wished to call in the assistance 

 of the ice-houee, as a small quantity of ice, 

 brought into the milk house at any time, would 

 quickly moderate the heat to a proper degrf.'e. 

 In the two small chambers adjoining to the 

 ice-house too, or in the passages around the 

 ice-house, the butter would be kept even 

 cooler than in the milk-house itself. Other 

 advantages that would arise from this small 

 additional building will appear obvious. 



In winter, should the cold ever become too 

 great, it might be occasionally dispelled, ei- 

 ther by placing a barrel full of hot water, 

 close bunged up, upon the table, where it 

 might be allowed to remain till it cooled — or 

 some hot bricks might be employed for the 

 purpose. This I should prefer to any kind of 

 chaffing-di.sh, with burning embers in it, as 

 the vapor from the coals (wljich very soon 

 affects the taste of the milk)* would thus be 

 avoided. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. , 

 The following has been extracted from a ver>' recent 

 English publication of merit, written by A. Walker, 

 and forwarded for publication in the Cabinet. 



Cattle. 



The best cattle have the face rather short ; 

 the muzzle small: the horns fine; the neck 

 light, particularly where it joins the head; 

 the chest wide, deep and capacious ; the tail 

 broad and flat towards the top, but thin to- 

 wards the lower part, which it will always be, 

 when the animal is small boned ; the lower 

 part of the thigh small ; the legs short, straight, 

 clean, and fine boned, though not so fine as 

 to indicate delicacy of constitution; the flesh, 

 rich and mellow to the feel ; the skin of a rich 

 and silky appearance; the countenance calm 

 and placid, denoting the evenness of temper, 

 essential to quick feeding and a disposition to 

 get fat. 



Every breed of animals which has, through 

 a few generations (two or three is sufficient) 



• Where a house is not well arconiniodated with ctt. 

 lam, it is sufliciently obvious that tlnvv nii^'ht In: built 

 upon the same plan, auil thus at a small expense might 

 he reared cellars, that would be, in every respect, as 

 good as the best vaults sunk deep under ground. 



