£I)c Jmmct's iltontljltj btaitor, 



45 



will soon build up other settlements now in the 

 leep mountain forest supplying sustenance for 

 he underground employment to new thousands 

 ingaged in the coal supply. As the wants of the 

 sountry call for an addition of fuel, so will be 

 ucreased the facilities (or procuring that supply 

 md for cheapening an article so necessary for 

 lie business and comfort of both rich and poor 

 n the colder parts of the Union. It is compara- 

 tively as of yesterday within our recollection 

 hot anthracite coal was looked upon as an im- 

 practicable material for general use : it was sup- 

 posed that the difficulty of ignition left it as of 

 10 value. First, from its greater amount of la- 

 eut heat, it became of use in smitheries. Grad- 

 lally it advanced in the public favor until it has 

 became the cleaner favorite fuel for the parlor, 

 requiring in the fixed grate not more than two 

 br three renewals to continue the comfortable 

 .-hcerful fire for the entire twenty-four hours, 

 riiis and the other coal — the bituminous being 

 [hat prevalent in the West and so abundant on 

 :he vvaters of the Ohio and its tributaries as to 

 make the cost of production almost as low as 

 :lie price of transport, and the vital article that 

 :ias built up the great business of Pittsburgh, 

 Cincinnati, St. Louis and other western cities — 

 is the more portable fuel for the steamers upon 

 [he ocean, enables them to navigate the wider 

 ;eas and oceans at distant points where wood as 

 :he feeder of the steam power must lie exhaust- 

 ed in a far lessened distance. 



Every portion of the country has its uses — it 

 is all made for wise objects, and answers the 

 purposes which Providence designed in iis crea- 

 tion. In northern Pennsylvania poorer and 

 aoorer seems to become the country turning as 

 you pass from the west down the side of the 

 Delaware valley: the coal region is over the 

 ridge beyond ; but along this distance t lie coal 

 lias to pass towards its destination. For miles 

 the track of the travelled road was over a soil of 

 Mule thickness with a surface of pebbles the 

 picking away of which would open to a new 

 supply. The country up and down, denuded of 

 its larger trees perhaps hy fire, perhaps because 

 there was not soil on which to grow — was a field 

 «f bastard oak or chtnqiiipen hushes of stinted 

 growth so low as to open a space around to the 

 view. The people acquainted with this country 

 informed us that it was considered as entirely 

 without value: of the creeping animals sustained 

 upon the ground the rattlesnakes were the al- 

 most exclusive lords of the soil. There was real 

 clanger to the traveller so great in their encoun- 

 ter that few persons ventured a field in this soli- 

 tary region: the hawk and the buzzard were 

 .safe upon the limbs of the scattered trees which 

 the fires had left: none hut the swine, whose 

 skin is impervious to the bite of the rattlesnake, 

 fearlessly ranged the "wilderness anil the solita- 

 ry place," which pained the mind as ii passed 

 along that we might here give to what was of 

 less value than " airy nothing a local habitation 

 and a name." 



The valley of the Delaware far np,thruiigh which 

 tin- New Vork and Erie railroad has been con- 

 structed at a tremendous expense, is wild in the 

 extreme. We came down and off these barrens 

 at Dairies fifteen miles below Carbondale, into 

 the loner level of the Delaware where the liver 

 was crossed, to Port Jervis: no fill t her than to 

 this place was t lie Erie railroad opened on the 

 fill- enth September, 1848, the time of our pars- 

 ing. The tardy mail slage with the driver a.- 

 ose and unaccommodating as the lace of the 



country we had just passed, made us some 

 amends by driving the three last miles at a pace 

 which brought us after crossing the ferry over 

 the river within a minute of losing the cars. 

 The distance from Port Jervis to Piermont on 

 (he Hudson is ninety-six miles : from Piermont 

 to the landing at the citj of New York is twenty- 

 nine miles. At three o'clock, P. M., we entered 

 the car at Port Jervis; at hall-past eight o'clock 

 the same evening we were in the Astor house at 

 .New Vork, having passed the whole distance in 

 the car and steamer in a little mure than five 

 hours. The track of the Erie road is six feet, 

 more than a foot and a half wider than our com- 

 mon New England cars: the cars thus widened 

 are constructed much to the ease and comfort of 

 the travellers, three of whom can sit on a side. 



Port Jervis is at the north-west point of Or- 

 ange county in New York, through the extent of 

 which the railroad passes diagonally into and 

 over the more mountainous county of Rockland, 

 which is first above the New Jersey line upon 

 the Hudson. In the valley opening the fine ag- 

 ricultural county of Orange westerly from the 

 highlands through which the railroad has its 

 way we pass several villages, the most conspicu- 

 ous of which is Goshen, the shire town of the 

 county: the largest town of the county is New- 

 burgh on the Hudson, the first town above West 

 Point in the highlands. Goshen gives the name 

 to the fine butter which i-n late years has pre- 

 served a character well understood in New York 

 and other cities further south. The railroad has 

 changed the dairying character of this part of 

 the country almost entirely. The farmers find a 

 great temptation in supplying fresh milk to the 

 city of New York: twice a day does a train of 

 cars pass over this road exclusively to carry milk 

 to the cily. This milk is all contracted lor 

 with the farmers, and is delivered at the several 

 slopping places along the line. The empty cans 

 are returned to their owners, who receive one 

 set when they go to supply another set filled. 

 This milk comes for several miles on either 

 hand, further in the winter than in summer on 

 account of its longer freshness in cool weather. 

 Since t lie change of dairying the number of 

 cows has been generally increased : farmers are 

 induced to raise all their promising heifer calves, 

 good cows being high of price. Few of the 

 Orange county farmers exceed a cultivation of 

 seventy-five acres: there are perhaps mure he- 

 low fifty acres than above. Yet so svell do they 

 understand the better methods of cultivation, 

 that twenty, thirty and forty cows are kept upon 

 the farm of less than double their number of 

 acres. The railroad opening has placed these 

 farmers, at a distance of sixty and a hundred 

 miles, as conveniently near to New York as those 

 seven miles out who transport their milk in con- 

 veyances drawn by horses. Furnishing the milk 

 at the railroad at prices not to exceed three cents 

 a quart, it might seem that these tanners fully 

 earned all their monej : yet so great is the value 

 which industry gives to such a production thai 

 the hill farms in Orange county often exceed in 

 price one hundred dollars the acre. Duchess 

 county, lying along the Hudson on the easterly 

 side, is equally valuable in its whole extent for 

 its producing farms. Rough Rocklund, environ- 

 ed by mountains, turns out a surplus for the New 

 York market which has carried great wealth to 

 its sturdy farmers: the Dutchmen there, as a 

 place of greater safety, receive and keep I < 1 1 1 ir 

 liie hard silver dollars to he divided as a selling 

 out of numerous sons and daughters, nearly all 



living under the healthy exercise of toil in a 

 pure atmosphere to grow up into men and wo- 

 men. The beautiful lakes of Rockland are turn- 

 ed into usefulness, furnishing from their bosom 

 I he hot choice ice in daily use in the city 

 through the year. 



The Erie railroad finds its way commencing 

 at the south-east corner of Rockland through 

 valleys which seem to have been left fur such an 

 outlet. The mountains along on either hand 

 rise overhead as if they might fall upon the train 

 of' cars running through. Passing in new paths 

 different portions of the Union known only as 

 we have looked over a map, the progress of en- 

 terprise every where strikes us giving new value 

 to our country and its excellent institutions. 

 May the blessing of our new experiment rest 

 upon the land until the close of time! 



(£f^ The following communication, in a most 

 beautiful hand-writing, comes from our female 

 friends of the First Family at Canterbury, of 

 whom and the graces that adorn the sisterhood 

 the Visitor intends hereafter modestly to speak : 

 For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Directions for making Sweet Butter. 



The pans or other vessels in which the milk 

 is to be set should be made perfectly sweet by 

 scalding previous to putting the milk into them. 

 A room in the basement story where the air will 

 circulate freely is preferable to a cellar (when 

 the weather will admit of it) for setting milk. 

 Forty-eight hours is a sufficient length of time 

 to raise cream for making butter to keep through 

 the winter season. 



After this cream is taken nffj the milk may 

 stand the same length of time, hut the cream 

 that rises after the first forty-eight hours will nut 

 make butler so palatable as the first which rises, 

 and should be churned separate. 



As soon as the cream is taken from the milk 

 it should be put into a tin pail and set into a ket- 

 tle of scalding water, taking care lo stir the 

 cream after, otherwise it will turn oily at the top : 

 it should remain in the kettle till the cream is 

 scalding hot, being parlieu ar lo place it in a tub 

 of cold water immediately. Stir it often till it is 

 nearly or quite cold ; ii it remains long after hot, 

 it will be injured much. It will be necessary to 

 change the water once or twice before the cream 

 can be perfectly cold. It may then be kept 

 three or four days before churning without in- 

 jury. 



After churning the buttermilk should he par- 

 tially worked out: then add one ami one-half 

 ounces of salt to one pound of butter. It may 

 i Inii be covered tight and stand till the follow- 

 ing day: then work it over again, taking great 

 care lo work out every particle of buttermilk, 

 which will prevent the butter from growing ran- 

 cid by age. It may then be formed into cakes or 

 [lacked s did in a cask, which should be perfect- 

 ly sweet and well dried. 



The inside should be sprinkled and a little 

 fine salt rubbed thereon. After the cask is filled 

 dip a cloth in melted butter, and spread il snugly 

 over the top — cover il with line sail and fasten 

 up the cask sufficiently light to keep out the air; 

 it should then lie set in a cool place lo remain 

 through the winter. 



N. B. A cask made of red oak staves is pref- 

 erable to any other for preserving the original 

 sweetness of butler. 



It will add to the flavor of butter to work in a 

 little sugar at the last working over; say, a table 

 spoonful to four or five pounds of butter. 

 «a- - 



Wet Feet. — In endeavoring to preserve 

 health, there is no subject of more importance 



than that of keeping the feet dry. We! feel af- 

 fect the whole system, even ihe head. The feet 

 may be cold, almost to freezing, without injury; 

 but damp, and more especially "el feel, for one 

 who is not in constant exercise, have a most de- 

 structive effect on health; and as a person values 

 this inestimable blessing, he should cautiously 

 guard against any thing thai is liable to de- 

 stroy it. 



Those who are exposed to waler and mud, so 



