No. 11. 



Horticulture. — Butter. 



347 



Horticulture. 



If the admiration of the beautiful things 

 of nature has a tendency to soften and refine 

 the character, the culture of them has a still 

 more powerful and abiding influence. It 

 takes the form of an affection ; the seed 

 which we have nursed, the tree of our 

 planting, under whose shade we sit with 

 delight, .are to us as living, loving friends. 

 In proportion to the care we have bestowed 

 on them, is the warmth of our regard. They 

 are also gentle and persuasive teachers of 

 His goodness, who causeth the sun to shine, 

 and the dew to distil ; who forgets not the 

 tender buried vine amid the snows and ice 

 of winter, but bringeth forth the root long 

 hidden from the eye of man, into vernal 

 splendor or autumnal fruitage. 



The lessons learned among the works of 

 nature are of peculiar value in the present 

 age. The restlessness and din of the rail- 

 road principle which pervade its operations, 

 and tlie spirit of accumulation which threat 

 ens to corrode every generous sensibility, 

 are modified by the sweet friendship of the 

 quiet plants. The toil, the hurry, the speeu 

 lation, the sudden reverses which mark our 

 own times, beyond any which have preceded 

 them, render it particularly salutary for us 

 to heed the admonition of our Saviour, and 

 take instruction from the lilies of the field, 

 those peaceful denizens of the bounty of 

 Heaven. 



Horticulture has been pronounced by me- 

 dical men, as salutary to health and to cheer- 

 fulness of spirits; and it would seem that 

 this theory might be sustained by the happy 

 countenances of those who use it as a relax- 

 ation from the excitement of business, or the 

 exhaustion of study. And if he, who de- 

 votes his leisure to the culture of the works 

 of nature, benefits himself — he who beauti- 

 fies a garden for the eye of the community, 

 is surely a public benefactor. He instils into 

 the bosom of the man of the world, panting 

 with the gold fever — gentle thoughts, which 

 do good like a medicine. He cheers the 

 desponding invalid, and makes the eye of a 

 child brighten with a more intense happi- 

 ness. He furnishes pure aliment for that 

 taste which refines character and multiplies 

 simple pleasures. To those who earn their 

 substance by labouring on his grounds, he 

 stands in the light of a benefactor. The 

 kind of industry which he promotes, is fa- 

 vourable to simplicity and virtue. — L, H. 

 Sigourney. 



Lime that is the most profitable for mak- 

 ing mortar, is the most valuable for agricul- 

 tural purposes. 



Butter. 



There are few departments of rural in- 

 dustry in which there is so much room for 

 improvement, as in the business of convert- 

 ing milk into butter. This will be admit- 

 ted, readily, by all who reflect on the very 

 small proportion, which really pure, well- 

 flavoured butter bears, to the whole quantity 

 exposed for sale in the common market, or 

 to that which is produced in the country. 



The defective quality of butter arises no 

 less from want of care and skill in the mah- 

 agement of the milk — probably much more 

 from that cause, than from any efl^ect upon 

 the milk, resulting from the difference in 

 the pasture and food of the cow; although 

 the latter has, doubtless, a powerful influ- 

 ence. So sensible are they of this influence 

 in Scotland, that we observe among other 

 curious objects, never thought of in this 

 country, a premium has been offered there 

 for the best essay on the influence of food 

 on milk and butler. We cannot but suppose 

 that the superiority of the butter in the Phil- 

 adelphia market, arises, in a great degree, 

 from the nature of the pasturage; consisting 

 of long established " English grass" mead- 

 ows. He who will take the trouble to make 

 the calculation, will be struck with the in- 

 crease of national wealth, which would ac- 

 crue from an improvement in the quality of 

 our butter, from whatever cause, that should 

 add a few cents to its price, without saying 

 anything about the increase of the quantity 

 which could be easily obtained by more care- 

 ful milking, and a belter system of dairy 

 management. — New York Albion. 



Rhubarb or Pie Plant. — This is another 

 highly esteemed esculent for early spring 

 use, and of the easiest possible culture. The 

 plants continue many years in full bearing, 

 and occupy very little room — a small num- 

 ber being sufficient for a family. The seeds 

 may be sown any time in spring, and will 

 make good strong plants in one year ; when 

 they should be transplanted to a rich deep 

 border, or any convenient spot — placing them 

 three or four feet apart. The stalks should 

 not be cut until the plants are at least two 

 years old.— OAzo Cultivator. 



Wild Birds should be sent to market in 

 their feathers, and they should never be 

 drawn if the weather is cool. No salt should 

 ever be put upon any kind of wild game until 

 it is cooking. It is the practice of all sports- 

 men to hang their birds up in their feathers 

 and undrawn, and never to clean them until 

 wanted for the gridiron. 



