270 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



PEB. 93, ll)4Si| '" 



ANn lloRTlCULTL'nAL RKCISTEB. 



BosTOif, VVcDicesnAT, FsiiRUAitT 23, 1842. 



BEVENTll AGRICULTURAL MEETiNGATTHE 

 STATE HOUSE 

 Subject— The Dairy. 



Mr Putnam (Kditor,) slated that having been unnble 

 to obtain any cne olse to open the dehate, he must talk 

 ■while. — It should be, on abutter farm, an ol)ject to ob- 

 tain from a given quantity of fted, aa much good butler 

 as possible. Toilo thi^, attention should be paid lo the 

 butter properties of the milk of different cows. Then; 

 is a vast difference in this respect, even among cows oT 

 the same bri;ed. Some make a comparatively Inrgc 

 quaniity ofbutter from Jiltle milk, while some free milk- 

 ers make but little butter. He had known l»'o cows, 

 one giving 40 to 48 lb?, of milk per day, in June; the 

 other giving about 3.'> lbs. ; and each makingabout 13 1-2 

 lbs. of butler per week. A two year old heiler from the 

 first of these cows, gave 10 or 11 qts. of milk per day ; 

 a two y«ar old heifer from the second cow gave 8 or 9 

 qts. per day, and each made aboiit 7 lbs. of butter per 

 week. In these instances the cow and the heifer which 

 gave the most milk, made the best butter — though all 

 was good. Is it a general rule that where the quaniity 

 of milk required for n given quantity of butler is large, 

 that the butler is better.'' Should not have e.Tpected 

 this, bat the reverse. Thinks that if the cream from 

 different cows is kept separate, the quantity of butter 

 will be greater than when mixed as is usual. This 

 opinion he holds because when the milk of the several 

 cows is kept seprrate, the result by calculation shows 

 that the qiinntily from the whole flock should be grealor 

 than it is. Rnniembers that Dr. Merriarn, of Topsfield, 

 stated in the Transactions of the Essex Agricultural Po- 

 cietv, that he <ibt.iineil about as much butter when he 

 kept but one cow as when he k«pt two, ihough the one 

 cow was one of the tico, and the pasture the same. (Was 

 not the feed of the one as good as that of the two .' ask- 

 ed Mr Buckniinstcr.) Perhaps the feed was the same 

 for one as the two, Ihough Dr. M. is not a person likely 

 to stint an animal in food. 



The morfc o/mi/Zan^' is of much consequence. (We 

 have not room to report the experiment that proves it.) 

 The operation should bo performed quickly and gently. 



The food given to the animals has much effect upon 

 the quantity and quality of the milk. Nothing is belter 

 than the ^ood natural grasses — but in this vicinity our 

 pastures dry up very much in August and September, 

 and then a good article of food is cirn fodder, or corn- 

 stalks. This ran he obtained in large quantities from a 

 given quantity of land. Among the hays, the second 

 crop or afler-malh, and fine clover are the beat for milk 

 Of the roots, potatoes uncooked will produce a large 

 quantity, but the quality is poor; when cooked, the 

 quality uf the milk is better, but it is less in quantity. 

 Carrots make rich milk. Sugar beets make a large 

 qusntitv, of good quality. Rota bag.ns increase tho milk, 

 but generally give an unpleasant flavor to milk and but- 

 ter. This may bo remedied by pulling a half pint of 

 bailing water In each gallon of milk, immediately after 

 it is drawn from the row. Pails, pans, chums, collar, 

 milk room, Su:., all should bs kept clean and sweet. In 

 ■ummur, the temperature of the cream at the time of 

 charninn;, should be kept as low as possible; but in 

 winter, if it , be kept up between CO and 70, the butter 

 will roRio without troubit). Tho grent cause of bad but- 

 ter is tho failure to work out the bultirniilk. The dif- 

 ieronce bulwean tliu worth nf good and bad butter is so 



gnat that our dairy-women ought if possible to do bet- 

 tor than ii! usual »ith lliem. 



Mr Dodge, of Hamilton, agreed with tho remarks in 

 relation to the worth of corn fodder. He sowed 1-2 of 

 an acre late in May, upon sward land. It was of a 

 small kind and ihe drought hurt it. ISut be fed well 

 twolvo cows and some young stock, from this, every 

 night for five weeks. The effects were very good ; his 

 cows did not fall off in their milk like his neighbors. 

 They were carri :d well through the dry season, and ilid 

 belter through the whole autumn for this summer feed- 

 ing.- The labor of growing the half acre is not great- 

 He shall next season sow the Southern corn — it is not' 

 so much affected by drought. The stalks of sweet 

 corn are not eaten so well by his cows as those of the 

 common corn. 



The labor and care of making butler are so great, that 

 ha wonders that peo(ile can complain of the price of 

 butter — 25 cents per pound. Tho churning by the com- 

 mon shaker churn is a tedious process. He wishes that 

 some ingenious Yankee would out do the Shakers and 

 give a bntter churn. 



Mr Quincy {President,) visited Orange co., N. Y., a 

 few years since. There they do all the churning by 

 do^i, in a sort of treadmill. The dog gets tired of it— 

 and you must catch liirn where you can. We have a 

 great many lazy dogs hero in Massachusetts, and would 

 it not be well to put them to the churn .' 



Mr Kuckminster, (Ed. of the Plowman,) agreed that 

 cows should bo milked rapidly. Has ascertained by cx- 

 periencu that il makes a great difference. If the milk 

 be not taken away fast when it be^jins to flow freely in- 

 to the baj;, it seems to be dsawn back again. In making 

 butter, the important point is to separate the buttermilk 

 thoroughly. Some insist that washing with water hurts 

 the butter ; but he deems this the result of piejudica. 

 He puts w.iter into the churn as soon as the butter has 

 rome, and keeps drawing off, adding and churning un- 

 til the water ceases to be white. You may make good 

 butter from sour croam if the butter is properly worked 

 over. 



It is a good plan to dry the salt-^tben it helps to ab- 

 sorb the moisture. 



Mr Dodge finds the women in his neighborhood full 

 in tho belief that water hurls the butter. He has been 

 laughed at for asking to have it tried. Believes that 

 where an opinion among practical dairy-women is uni- 

 versal, that ihere is some good foundaiicvn for the opin- 

 ion. 



Mr Putnam. The washing of butter is done in Essex 

 ruunly. Much that has obtained premiums there has 

 been washed. Cut il is worked over by hand after- 

 wards. 



Mr Boies, of Blanford, stated that in his vicinity it is 

 ihouirhl important to have the cream sweet. II water is 

 put upon the butler after it has been set away and be- 

 come cool, tho effect is bad. Some dairy-women arc 

 particular about the kind ofaalt used. Rock suit ground 

 is much better than common salt. Butler made " be- 

 tween hay and grass," does not keep well and is not 

 good. If he ware in Mr Dodge's situation, keeping a 

 dozen cows, he would get a dog churn and churn the 

 milk. 



The people in his vicinity mostly make cheese. The 

 raising of corn fodder may bo well where the land is 

 dry and pasturage short; but in his region it is not ne- 

 cessary. What cows wo keep, should be kept well. — 

 He would not make butter and cheese both on the same 

 farm. 



Mr Cole, (Ed. I'arniers' Journal,) when ho gives salt 

 to cows feeding upon turnips, and feeds the cows after 

 milking, finds no unpleasant taslo to iho milk. Corn 



stalks arc the cheapest fodder we can rai«e. A gen 

 men of Worcester county obtained 40 tons per acre 

 the Chinese Tree coin. That kind of corn may not 

 the greatest humbug. 



In I'eiinsN Ivania, the dairy houses usually havi 

 stream of water running through them, and the Tei 

 are set in water. This keeps tho milk cool, while 

 room is well ventilated. Prefers stone ware to 

 other for dairy purposes. 



Tho kind of salt is important. The rock salt is 

 Other salts often contain poisonous substances, 

 fodder for the hundred city horses kept at the city 

 bles, is all chopped by dog power, and our city dogs 

 the exercise. Doubts whether it is well to put watei 

 butter; thinks it may injure the flavor. Butter shoi 

 not be worked by Ihe hands. This makes it soft 

 greasy. In winter, milk set where it will freeze, giTA 

 more cream. The cream may be scraped off, builad 

 scummed and churned. The butter will be good, 

 rot juice improves the appearance of the butter, and 

 thinks also its flavor. 



Mr Thayer, of Braintree, once kept a laige number 

 cows, and made butter. All must be kept clean 

 sweet. He washed his butter. You cannot get ou 

 the buttermilk without washing. What the cow ■ 

 gives Ihe flavor to the butter. Carrots are the very bi 

 food. 



Mr Merriarn, (Ed. of Cultivator,) assigned five caui 

 of bad 1 utter, viz: sour vessels, buttermilk left in, 

 salt, bad firkins, and artificial substances to give itcoli 

 It is diflicult to make cows give much milk in winti 

 one cause is that they do not drink freely. It is n 

 give them some warm water after they have taken m < 

 much as they will of cold. ' 



Mr French, of Braintree, thinks that ho is dcniiaji 

 much advantage from having water all the time iiiirafr. i 

 diaiely before his slock, where they stand in the bai 

 The water runs in a small trough, 4 or 5 inches squi 

 immediately before the feet of each animal, and tl 

 stork drink better there than at the trough in the yard 

 or at the spring. 



(We find it the same with our stock £o.) 



Subject at the next moeling — Manures. 



H1GHG.\TE CORN. 

 A Mr Carpenter, of Lyme, N. H., has sent us a few 

 ears of corn, which he calls supurior to any other in bii 

 vicinity. It came to him from Highgale, Vt. Ilist 

 large kerneled, eight rowed corn, Ihe ear of goml nz« 

 and very bright. It very closely resembles a corn i;. cd 

 in Westboro', by L. Peters, Esq., whose seed came Ijom 

 Vermont. Wo think them the same. The corn ha 

 every appearance of being a valuable variety. 



A correapondent of the Central N. Y. Farmer, givst 

 the following recipe for killing lice on cattle : — Takt 

 the water in which potatoes have been boiled, rub it all 

 over Ihe skin. The lice will be dead within two hourt, 

 and never will multiply again. I have used ten kuiiii 

 uf the strongest poison to kill lice, all with effect, I jl 

 none so perfect as tbis. 



MR GRAY'S ADDRESS. 



We are indebted te Mr Alonzo Gray, for ■ copy ol liit 

 valuable address before tho Essex County Agriculiural 

 Seciely in September last. We shall notice it tiiors 

 fully in some future number. 



Ripe etrawhcrries were picked on the 22d of JsnOI^ 

 ry from the garden t>f a gentleman of St. AugustiD^ 

 Florida. f 



