08 



THE GENESEE FAR3IEK 



March 5, 1831 



THB GENESEE PARMER. 



SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1831 



CHEESE. MAKING. 



Cheese is a well known article of food, which 

 is prepared from the milk of the cow. When 

 cheese is well made, it is a healthy article of 

 food, and may be considered one of the neces- 

 sury luxuries of our tables. On the contrary, 

 when the manufacture of it i9 entrusted to un- 

 skillful persons, to use the expression of Bloom- 

 field, the moad's sweet nectar is converted in- 

 to stone. Nothing can be more unhealthy, 

 when taken into the stomach, than the hard in- 

 digestible cheese, made by some of our dairy- 

 women, not to mention the rank, disgusting 

 composition of others. 



We;know it is a generally received opinion, 

 (hat such dariy-women as make poor cheese 

 mnke more butter, or in other words, that they 

 destroy the quality of their cheese, by skim- 

 ming the milk. Now this may often be the 

 case ; yet we know of some women who will 

 make better cheese from skimmed milk, than 

 others do from new; and the celebrated Par- 

 mesan cheese of Europe, is made altogether 

 from skimmed milk. 



We have longbeen of the opinion that there 

 were no parts or operations, which were 

 connected with agriculture, which were more 

 neglected, in Old Genesee, than eider ^-cheese 

 making. No one can offer a good reason why 

 itshouldbe so; for we can boast of some dai 

 ry-women, who manufacture the article in 

 great perfection, whoso cheese in this market, 

 readily commands from seven to eight cents 

 per pound, while their neighbor's, who feed 

 '.heir cows upon (he same lands, are compell- 

 ed to part with the produce of their dairies, 

 at from tour to five cents. Now we would 

 ask, where is the necessity of this vast differ- 

 ence in the price of cheese, produced by ad- 

 joining dairies? To say that one dairy was 

 larger than the other, would not be a satisfac- 

 tory answer ; for we often find small cheese of 

 very fine quality. And for a dairy-woman to 

 say that she could not learn how fine cheese 

 were made, would be either declaring herself 

 incompetent to the task, or what is not true; 

 for thanks to the Almighty Preserver of our 

 liberties, we have not yet thought proper to 

 borrow that transatlantic custom, of shrouding 

 every usefnl discovery in impenetrable mystery. 

 Where among our house-wives is there one, 

 who being in possession of the art of making 

 the best of cheese, would not be willing to 

 communicate it to her neighbors, aye, and feel 

 a pride and satisfaction in doing it. But we 

 fear that there are more instances where peo- 

 ple are .unwilling to inquire than to be inqui- 

 red of. Now this may well be 6aid to be that 

 kind of pride " which bringoth poverty," and 

 " that maketh ashamed," for whoever saw a 

 housewife offering a poor cheese in market, 

 without being ashamed. 



But we are not prepared to lay all the blame 

 upon females. The men are entitled to their 

 share. They direct, or ought to do si}, the 

 course of education for their daughters, and 

 while ihey prefer the sublime accomplishments 

 of icaltzing, singing, and painting, to the use- 

 ful housewifery, no wonder if a few poor 

 cheese are offered, now and then, in our mar- 



ket. We have followed the vices and foiling 

 of some of the effeminate nations of Europe, 

 long enough ; let us return to the simple, vir- 

 tuous industrious habits of our forefathers, not 

 neglecting to profit by the experience of othor 

 nations ; but let us put away that Jackanapes 

 oharacttr of aping the overgrown nobility of 

 other tottering governments, whose very exal- 

 tation will prove their overthrow. 



They are the last remains of governments 

 which were established when personal prow- 

 ess was accounted greatness ; the right of e- 

 quality not having been acknowledged. We 

 live under a different dispensation — the culti- 

 vation of the mind now constitutes the man ; 

 and equal rights are the foundation of our go- 

 vernment. 



Under such circumstances, there is every en- 

 couragement for improvement. We have such 

 ■i diversity of soil and climate, that whatever 

 is found useful in practical agriculture, in any 

 other country, may be transferred to our own ; 

 added to which, we have a population, which, 

 from the freedom of their early habits, and the 

 reward offered to successful competition, are 

 very apt to learn. 



The greatest obstacle to improvements a- 

 mong us,, is the want of booke, especially 

 those treating upon the more common opera- 

 tions of life. As it cannot be expected un- 

 der our form of government, that farmers can 

 be in possession of large libraries, the cheap- 

 est alternative, is to supply the place of books 

 by papers devoted to that particular branch we 

 are wishing to pursue. The farmer, the me- 

 chanic,& even n.en in the self- denominated high- 

 erpursuits of life, can all be accommodated, and 

 at a cheap rate. As our paper is for the use of 

 farmers, we propose, hereafter to take a general 

 view of cheese making, in different countries ; 

 and shall also recommend to ourdairy-women 

 such improvements as we shall think the pre- 

 sent state of the business calls for. 



GRAFTING WALNUTS AND CHESNUTS. 



The climate of the Valley of Genesee, is 

 found to be very favorable to the growth of 

 both walnut and chesnut trees, if we are to 

 judge from the growth of thoso found grow- 

 ing wild in this region, or from those varieties 

 which have been introduced from abroad since 

 the settlement of this country; and some of 

 the natives of our forests will compare with 

 those of the valleys of Ohio or Mississippi, in 

 stateliness and size ; thereby giving proof of 

 the congeniality of our climate and soil to their 

 habits. 



Most people of observation, who have trav- 

 elled through tho different 6tates, hava noticed 

 the vast difference whieli exists in the quality 

 of the common walnuts, in size and flavor. — 

 Commencing with the eastern atbntic states, 

 and travelling west, it will be found that the 

 walnut increases in size, but diminishes in fla- 

 vor ; the shell becomes thicker, and the ker- 

 nels are not as plump. The walnuts which 

 are gathered in the northern part of Ohio, and 

 brought down the canal, to this market, arc 

 nearly doublo the size of thoso brought from 

 Connecticut, and yo) the latter command about 

 double the price of the former. Those gath- 

 ered upon the Mohawk (river are much finer 

 than tho«c gathered in tho valley of the Gene- 

 sec, although tho climato here is more mild 



than upon the Mohawk. Those gathered in 

 the northern part of Ohio, are not so good as 

 either, although the climate is allowed to soft- 

 en as we progress west in the same latitude 

 The difference in tke quality of walnuts, 

 therefore, cannot be owing to any thing unfa 

 vorable in the climate, but to the variety of the 

 trees which produce tne fruit. The walnut 

 takes readily by grafting or by budding, and 

 any fine varieties growing in the eastern states, 

 may be introduced and continued in this man- 

 ner. 



As the walnut tree lives to a great age, and 

 is not very subject to have the fruit destroyed 

 by insects, we know of no reason why the 

 cultivation of choice kinds of walnuts would 

 not be profitable in this section of country. — 

 We will suppose that one hundred walnut 

 trees would be sufficient for an acre of ground: 

 this number would not prevent the ground from 

 being cropped, as in apple orchards. We wil! 

 suppose that these trees.for the first fifty years, 

 would average half a bushel each, or fifty bush 

 els per acre. The average price for eastern 

 walnuts, has been for the last five years, about 

 one dollar and fifty cents per bushel. This 

 would bring the produce of one acre at $75 

 allowing the use of the land for gathering, 

 paying taxes, fencing, &c. Land well calcu 

 lated for walnut orchards, might be purchased 

 for twenty-five dollars per acre ; the trees wc 

 will allow to cost twenty-five dollars ; and the 

 setting- out, staking, &c. twenty-five more, 

 amounting to $75. 



Vet wo know of land that might be purcha 

 sed for twelve dollars, which has more than thr 

 requisite number or young walnut trees grow- 

 ing upon each acre, which would only require 

 to be grafted, or budded, and the orchard 

 would be formed ; and in five years, the pro- 

 duce would be quite considerable, as the ope- 

 rator might select such sized tree9 as would 

 suit his convenience. 



The cultivation of the chesnut, wc think 

 would be equally as profitable as the walnut. 

 Although the common chesnut of the northern 

 states, is a valuable timber tree, yet we arc 

 not aware that any attempts upon a large scale 

 have been made in cultivating the tree for fruit, 

 otherwise than with llie common kind. In 

 Europe, they have a kind whioh they cftll the 

 Spanish chesnut, the fruit of which is four 

 times the size of our common chesnut of the 

 country. Tho tree is equally as valuable as 

 ours for timber, and is one of the loftiest trees 

 of Europe. It attains to a great size, as the far 

 famed tree upon mount Etna, is one of this 

 kind, which is said by travellers, to be one 



hundred and four feet in circumference 



This kind takes well upon our common tree, 

 as does also the Chinquepin of the Southern 

 Slates, which is rather a shrub than a tree ; 

 yet tho fruit of it is highly esteemed. 



The fruit of the large Spanish chesnut, or 

 as it is sometimes called, the Italian, is in 

 high repute in Trance, as stuffing for tur- 

 kius. The fruit is first boiled, the shells ta- 

 ken off, and the farinaceous part mashed will, 

 cream, when it is certainly oho of the best 

 compositions, for that purpose. Wc think 

 that the introduction of this kind of chosnut. 

 into our fields, would be a source of profit IG 

 the farmer, and gratification to the Horticult" • 

 ri at. 



