172 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



at which they iiitrst be sold to compete with such 

 Avorks as cost little more than the paper on Avhich 

 they are printed, would not warrant the labor. A 

 man of sufficient talent can use his time to better 

 advantage. Hence it is that many of our books 

 are scissored from the current agi-icultural litera- 

 ture of the day, or transcribed from English cyclo- 

 paidias. All that some of our book-makers claim 

 Is that they have '■'■ Americanised'''' the writings of 

 foreign authors. Friend " B." will agree with us 

 that the less said about most of what are claimed to 

 be American agricultural books, the better for our 

 literary reputation. 



Before a man can teach, he must learn. Before 

 we can have a high order of American agricultural 

 literature — of books or periodicals — Ave must have 

 priA-ate or public institutions for the development 

 of facts — experimental farms, where practical 

 problems can be solved, and the suggestions of 

 science tested. Our agricultural information must 

 be more accurate and extensive before we can have 

 books that will • satisfy the intelligent American 

 fanner. 



One of the most noteworthy of American agri- 

 cultm-al book-8 is^ iTasTi's Progressive Farmer.* — 

 "Written in an easy, genial style, with no unneces- 

 sary use of scientific terms, savoring more of the 

 quiet homestead than of the scrutinizing laboratory, 

 "we know of no Avork of the kind that can be pe- 

 rused Avith greater pleasure and profit. It is not a 

 profoiTud treatise. It never exhausts the patience 

 —rarely exhausts the subject; selecting the most 

 salient points, it pleasantly impresses them on the 

 memory. It contains much that is true — little that 

 is ncAv ; many things that are doubtful, and some, 

 of course, that are erroneous. It is better calcu- 

 lated to engender a love for scientific and progress- 

 ive farming than to satisfy the careful student. 



The first chapter treats of the fifteen elements 

 which compose all fertile soils, plants and animals. 

 Of these it is said : 



"If we analyze a stone, a handful of earth, a 

 plant, a floAver, a bone, a drop of Avater, a piece of 

 iiesh, almost anything we can think of, it is found 

 to consist of one, two^ three or more, of the^e ; sel- 

 dom of one, oftener of tAvo, very often of three, less 

 frequently of four, and rarely of more than four," 



It Avould be nearer the truth to say that a hand- 

 ful of earth, a plant, a floAver, almost anything we 

 can thinh of, contains oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen 

 and carbon, potash, soda, lime and magnesia, plios- 

 phorous, sulphur, iron, silicon (sand), alumina 

 (clay), manganese — all fifteen — with the exception 

 perhaps of the four last. 



*The Progressive Parmer : A scientific treatise on Agricultural 

 Clicmistry, the Geology of Agriculture ; on Plants, Animals, Ma- 

 nures, and Soils. Applied to Practical Agriculture. By J. A. 

 Nash, New York : A. 0, Mooek Price $0.00. 



" Phosphorous is said to form a part of the seeds 

 of many plants." Doubtless it does of all seeds 

 used as food. 



" If lime, after being taken from the kiln, is ex- 

 posed to the air, it first absorbs moisture, then 

 crumbles to powder, and in a feAV days takes car- 

 bonic acid from tlie air, and becomes carbonate of 

 lime, (air-slacked,) just Avhat it Avas in the quarry, 

 except in structure." 



This is calculated to convey a wrong impression. 

 It is true that air-slaked lime is not as caustic as 

 water-slacked, but it is by no means the mild car- 

 bonate of lime it Avas in the quarry, before the car- 

 bonic acid AA'as driven ofi" by burning. Only a little 

 more than half of it is converted back into the mild 

 form, (5V.4 per cent.) The remainder (42.6 per 

 cent.) is still caustic lime. 



Chapter 2, on the Geology of Agriculture, con- 

 tains much that is interesting and useful. HoAvever 

 great may be the infiuence of geological formation 

 on the soil, nearly all Avill agree with the author 

 that " more depends upon the farmer on a farm than 

 upon the rocks under it." 



The chapter on "Vegetable Physiology in its re- 

 lations to Agriculture"' is a pleasant statement of 

 the principal changes which take place during the 

 germination and growth of plants ; the nature and 

 sources of their food; their structure, &c. 



The chapter on " Animals and their Products" is- 

 alone worth the price of the book. Some of the 

 statements in regard to butter we should place 

 under the head of '■'■ doubtfuV For instance — 



" The sugar of milk gives a peculiar sweetness tO' 

 the butter, * * This is an important considera- 

 tion ; for it is this sugar of milk that performs the 

 double oflBce of giving to the butter a Inscious fla- 

 vor, and of causing it to keep well. * * Washed 

 butter may have a tolerable flavor at first, for it Avill 

 retain a part of the sugar of milk in spite of bad 

 management. But it Avill ha\'e given up to the 

 Avater too much of its sugar of milk to allow of its 

 keeping for any considerable time." 



Whether it is best to wash out, or to work out, 

 the buttermilk from butter, is a point we do not 

 propose to discuss. It seems to be the opinion of 

 the majority of experienced butter-makers, that 

 Avhen buttei- is intended to be kept for a consider- 

 able length of time, it should not be Avashed, On 

 the other hand, it is quite certain that washed but- 

 ter will keep veiy Avell. In 1850, we sold a con- 

 siderable quantity of butter that was sent to Cali- 

 f.irnia. It stood the long voyage well, and was 

 pronounced excellent. This butter Avas tcashed. 



But whether the practice is to be condemned or 

 commended, the reason urged against the practice 

 by Prof. Nash, is to us anything but satisfactory. 

 Butter contains a small quantity of casein or curd, 

 and sugar of milk. It is owing to the presence of 

 these two substances that butter becomes rancid. 



