1S36.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



155 



immedialely during cloudy weather, or in the 

 evening, and copiously watered. The second 

 method of planting, with a view to ibrcing, will 

 be described hereafter. I deler any farther obser- 

 vations lor tiie present, as respects the general 

 routine culture, merely reniarlcing that, from seed- 

 beds, in carefully prepared ground, 1 have cut very 

 good asparagus in two years, that is, in the third 

 season alter the sowing. 



From the Farmer's Magazine. 



MKTIIOD OF ASCERTAINING TIIE RICHNESS OF 

 MILK. 



Many considerations render it a matter of great 

 importance, in rural economy, to ascertain the 

 richness of milk with facility and precision. The 

 richness of this fluid de()ends principally on the 

 ■quantity of oil or butter, and curd or cheese, which 

 it contains. 



The relative quantities of these valuable ingre- 

 dients, in the milk of differont cows, may be dis- 

 covered, with an accuracy more than suffiiient for 

 all useful purposes, by ascertaining the specific 

 gravity of the milk, in different states. The beads 

 invented and manufactured by Mrs- Lovi, of Ed- 

 inburgh, aflord the readiest way of trying these 

 specific gravities; and the method of using them 

 is the f()liowing: 



Pour Iresh drawn milk into a glass vessel, and 

 as soon as its temperature falls to the 60th degree, 

 as shown by a thermometer plunged into it, dis- 

 cover, by trial, a bead which will remain sus- 

 pended in any part of the liquid. For this pur- 

 pose, first introduce number 24 ; and if it rise to 

 the surface, remove it, and try 25 ; if it swim, try 

 26, and so on, until a bead is found which does 

 not rise to the surface, nor yet sink to the bottom, 

 but continues stationary in any part of the liquid. 

 The number upon that bead denotes the specific 

 gravity of the milk, and is to be carefully noted. 

 A quicker way consists in throwing all the beads 

 at once into a larger vessel of the milk ; probably 

 some will sink, and some swim. The. one which 

 remains suspended, indicates the specific gravity. 

 If none be in that situation, then observe the last 

 bead that swims ; and the first which sinks, and 

 the number intervening between them, is the spe- 

 cific gravity. Thus, if 25, 26, and 27 swim, and 



28, 29, 30, &c., sink, 27^, which is the number 

 intermediate between 27 and 28, expresses the 

 specific gravity. Next, allow the milk to stand for 

 24 hours, or till all the cream has risen ; after re- 

 moving it, bring the skimmed milk to the tempera- 

 ture ol" 60*^, and ascertain its specific gravity in 

 the manner already described. 



As the oil, which has separated in the form o 

 cream, is the lightest ingredient, the specific gra- 

 vity of the skim milk will be found greater than 

 before ; and the larger the quantity of cream, the 

 greater will be the difTerence of specific gravity. 



This ditlerence, therefore, affords a sure indica- 

 tion of the relative quantities of oily matter or 

 butter. 



Thus, if entire milk possess a specific gravity of 



29, arid the skimmed milk, on one occasion, have 

 a gravity of 35, but on another of 32 only, the dif- 

 ference, in the first case, amounts to six degrees, 

 andj in the second, to three degrees; and the milk 



of the first example will aflfbrd nearly twice as 

 much butter as that of the other, and so on, in 

 every other proportion. 



Or, if one milk at 30, have its specific gravity 

 increased to 34, by the removal of the cream, and 

 another- at 28 rise to 32, then, as the differences 

 are the same, the quantity of butter which they 

 will afford, will be nearly the .same. 



In this manner, the relative quantities of oil, 

 contained in milk, is discovered; and, to ascertain 

 the proportions of the curd or cheese, curdle such 

 a quantity of the skimmed milk as will afford a 

 sufficient quantity of clear whey ; then bring it to 

 the temperature of GO degrees, and ascertain its 

 gravity. 



As the curd is a heavy ingredient, the specific 

 gravity of the whey will be found to be less than 

 that of the skimmed milk; and the larger the 

 (luantity of the curd, the greater will the decrease 

 be.' 



The -difference, consequently, in the gravities, 

 affords an indication and measure of the relative 

 quantities of curd. 



Thus, if skiratned milk stand at 36, and the 

 whey in one instance at 32, and in another at 34, 

 it may be interred that the first will yield about 

 twice as much cheesy matter as the second, and 

 so in all other proportionst 



It is most accurate to try the specific gravities 

 of the milk, in all its states, at the temperature of 

 60- But, if any circumstance prevent this being 

 done, and they are tried at any other temperature, 

 then, for every lour degrees of d(?viafion from the 

 60th degree of temperature, make an allowance 

 of one degree of specific gravity ; and, if the tem- 

 perature be above 60, add the allowance to the 

 nutiiber actually found ; if the temperature be 

 below 60, deduct it. 



Thus, if the milk possess, at temperature 68°, 

 a specific gravity of 28, as the excess of tempera- 

 ture above 60'^ amounts to 8 degrees, or twice 4, 

 make an allowance of two degrees on account of 

 the temperature, and add them to the 28; conse- 

 quently, 30 will be the number of expressing its 

 specific gravity, at the standand temperature of 

 60°. 



Again, if the trial be made when the milk is at 

 temperature 52, and the specific gravity be f(jund 

 to be 32, make the allowance of two degrees, but 

 deduct them fi-om the aiDount found, and the re- 

 mainder, or 30, will denote the specific gravity. 



It has been found, from experiment, that the 

 Beads applicable to the different kinds of milk 

 examined, are the following. 



Womens' milk, from - - 30 to 38 



Cows - - - - 24 to 34 



Asses' - - - - 34 



Goats' (house-fed) - - 34 



Cows's milk, when the cow was fed 



on grass, before being creamed, 



was 32; after the cream was taken 



olf - ... - 40 



The milk of ewes, also grass-fed, 



was 36 bel()re it was creamed ; 



and afler the cream was taken oil', 



it was - - - - 48 



Marcs' milk was found to be - 36 



Note. — It appears that womens' milk, and asses' 

 milk afib'rd scarcely any cream. 



