102 



NEW i:ngland farmp:r. 



should be planted at such a distance from all other 

 kinds of squashes and pumpkins as will insure no 

 niixiiifT of the other kinds, as the hybrids are great- 

 ly inferior to the pure squash. I have had them 

 mix with our common pumpkin. After the plants 

 have started, let the ground be "mulched" with 

 straw, shavings, tan or coarse hay. 



Yours, &c., S. Bradford Morse, Jr. 



Tor the New England Farmer. 

 HOW TO MAKE GOOD BUTTER. 



Mr. Cole: — On the 59th page of the "Transac 

 lions of the Essex Society," (in the statement of 

 Mr. C. P. Preston, of Danvers,) is the remark — 

 "that during the summer months, with the cream 

 at a temperature of 62°, butter can not be produced 

 as hard as is desirable, nor of so good quality, as 

 as when churned at a lower temperature," This 

 is said to have been ascertained after a fair trial, 

 with repeated experiments. What is the best tem- 

 perature of cream for churning, is not distinctly 

 stated. I learn generally, from Mr. Preston, that 

 in his opinion, in the warm weather of summer, 

 the cooler the cream, the harder and brighter color- 

 ed will be the butter. To secure this, care is tak- 

 en to place the cream in a deep cellar, below the 

 common cellar; or to suspend it near the water in 

 a deep well, until the time of churning. The tem- 

 perature of water in such wells, is generally, I be- 

 lieve, about 48"; — consequently cream thus placed, 

 will be 10° or more below tlie temperature prescrib- 

 ed, in the use of the thcrmonicter churn. This is a 

 variation sufficient to demand careful examination, 

 by all who would produce butter of the best quality. 

 I have often seen (on the farm where 1 first learned 

 the rudiments of farming,) butter of superior qual- 

 ity, made in very warm weather, from cream thai 

 had been suspended in a well until the time of 

 churning. Butter of prime qvaUty, will usually 

 command half an much agahi (say 25 instead of 16 

 cents,) ?is \\rdX oi ordinary quality. In what nian- 

 ner can the income of the farmer be more certainly 

 increased, than by due attention to the quality of 

 butter produced? In the vicinity of a dense popu- 

 lation, the milk produced on a farm is one of the 

 best sources of income. There are several dairies, 

 within my knowledge, where the cows yield a 

 pound of butter each, daily, for at least 200 days oi 

 the year; — and milk equal to the production of 75 

 pounds more, during the remainder of the year. 

 This makes the butler produce of each cow, worth 

 at least $50 a year; — and the milk estimated at 2 

 cents a quart, worth about the same sum. I speak 

 of cows that will average from 10 to 12 quarts dai- 

 ly, during the milking season. Those that will 

 not do this, had better be exchanged for others that 

 will. 



On inquiry of Mr. P. how he obtained his cows 

 he said he >isually bought two year old hrifcrs from 

 the country droves, and then selected the best. He 

 spoke of buying /(TO, of similar age and size, that 

 came in to milk at the same time, and gave nearly 

 equal quantities. But on setting their milk separ- 

 ately, one produced 9 1-2 pounds of butter a week, 

 the other only 5 pounds;— a difference, in the but 

 ler-making qualities of the milk, of nearly 07ie hun- 

 dred per cent. J. w. p. 



^^ Rogues in rags are kept in countenance by 

 rogues in ruffles. 



Fnr the. New England Farmer. 

 FOOD FOR MILCH COWS. 



Mr. Cole: — In a late number of your paper 

 were some inquiries as to the best food for 

 milch cows. Here, we have sometimes, in plenti- 

 ful seasons, used Irish potatoes, with very satisfac- 

 tory results; the quantity of milk is very much in- 

 creased by their use, — and the general health of 

 cattle improved. They are cooling and loosening 

 in their effects Would be better pounded or 

 crushed to pieces; and adding a little sweet corn 

 meal has also a good effect. 



Yours, J. Ferris. 



Cincinnati, Jan., 1851. 



SMOKY CHIMNEYS AND FIRE-PLACES. 



There is only one general theory essential in all 

 chimneys, and that is the apportionment of the 

 throat to the opening or draught of the room; the 

 closer the room the less the throat; always keeping 

 the throat less than the compass of atmosphere ad- 

 mitted into the room. It would be well also to have 

 the fire-place large enough to build in a false wall, 

 &c., which will always place the difficulty under 

 control . 



Let the chimney be high enough not to be inter- 

 fered with by adjoining buildings. 



Let the fire-place be large enough to admit filling 

 in. 



Let the offset in the back-wall be at least one 

 foot above the upper part of the fire-place opening. 



Let the throat be contracted, leaving it largest 

 in the centre, until the difficulty is remedied. 



If these conditions are met, it matters little 

 about the size or shape of the flue above. This is 

 proved in the building of furnaces when heavy 

 draught is required. 



SWAPPING HORSES. 



Think twice beibre trading off a horse that has 

 served you well on the whole, though he may have 

 some faults. We have known men to swap off 

 horses that had but one or two faults, for others 

 that had a dozen. This generally arises from the 

 bad temper of the owner. A horse refuses to 

 draw before oxen, and he is put off for one that is 

 not willing to draw anywhere. Another is high- 

 spirited, and the women cannot drive him; he is 

 put off for one that cannot be coaxed out of a walk. 

 Another is not willing to be caught in the pasture; 

 he is exchanged for one that is worthless when 

 caugiit. 



A low horse that hardly keeps your boots from 

 the ground, is put off for one that you cannot 

 mount without a block. A lazy horse is put offfor 

 one that has no patience to let you be seated in the 

 chaise, before he must go 



On the whole, we would not advise farmers to 

 think of changing off any of their stock for slight 

 faults. — Bloomington Herald. 



PARSNIPS. 



This root has long been an inmate of the garden, 

 and was formerly much used. In the times of 

 Popery it was the farmers' Lent root, being eaten 

 with salted fish, to which it is still an excellent ac- 

 companiment. "In the north of Scotland," Dr. 

 Neill observes, "parsnips are often beat up with 

 potatoes and a little butter; of this excellent mess 



