J 00 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



OCTOBF.R R, IS?*, 



From the Genesfe Fanner. 

 STORE-HOUSE AND STEAMING APPARATUS 

 FOR POTATOES, <fcc. 



A WRITER ill the Southein Planter, whose re- 

 marks on fattening eattle iiiiil liogs were co|)ie(l in 

 a late niiinber of the Genesee Fanner, desires in- 

 formation upon the hest and most ecoiiondcal 

 mode of steani-hoiling food, as potatoes, pninpkins, 

 &c. on a large scale, for fattening hogs. — Tlie re- 

 marks of this writer upon the comparative value 

 of raw and boiled food, for tliis purpose, are very 

 just. The following is the mode practiseil hy a 

 young and enterprising fanner in this town, which, 

 whether it he the best that may be devised or not, 

 struck me as very convenient and excellent. 



A cheap house was built, which served as a sly 

 for fattening the swine, a store-house for their 

 food, and a place to prepare it. To give a just 

 idea of it, it will be necessary to be somewhat mi- 

 nute in the description. The house, which is suf- 

 ficiently large to fatten 20 hogs, is about 38 feet 

 by 18, built low, and containing a loft to store the 

 food before it is prepared — potatoes, pumpkins, &c. 

 — from whence it is conveniently put into the 

 steaming box lielow. One end of the house is 

 I)artitioned off about 10 feet, which contains the 

 apparatus for preparing the food. The rest of the 

 liouse is divided off into pens, with a narrow pus- 

 sage along one side for carrying the food and de- 

 positing it in the troughs. A boiler, containing 

 |ierhaps a barrel in capacity, is set in an arch in 

 the corner, (a large iron kettle or canldrcjii will 

 answer every purpose.) In this is placed a tight 

 plank cover, with a short tube inserted in it for 

 the steam to pass off into the steam box. There 

 is another hole in this cover with a ping, for re- 

 plenishing the boiler with water. Tlie end of this 

 tube which jiasses into the sleam-box is madi^ 

 very beveling, so that the box may easily he raisuil 

 from it. The box is an oblong, about 26 inches 

 square at the end, and holds about 8 or 10 bushels. 

 It is liung like a cart-body, one end resting over 

 the boiler on the tube, sloping a very little from 

 the boiler, to suffer some of the condensed steam 

 to pass off at the lower end. Lengthwise of this 

 box on the inside, directly over the hole that ad- 

 mits the steam, is nailed two narrow strips of 

 lioard full of holes, in a ridge form, to suffer the 

 steam to pass without interruption the whole 

 length of the box. Each end of the box is opened 

 by a slide or otherwise, for filling and emptying it. 

 When it is to be filled it is tilted up, which brings 

 the end whii-li rested on the boiler, into the lofi. 

 Filled and let down again upon the tube, it is 

 ready for the steaming operation. Two or three 

 lioiirs are necessary to steam this quantity of pota- 

 toes ; a mueli less time for pumpkins and apples. 

 When the heat however is once up, a second 

 batch may be boiled with a very considerable sav- 

 ing of find and lime. If potatoes are stcameil, the 

 condensed steam and juice which oozes out from 

 the lower end of the box, is suffered to run away, 

 as containing the narcotic jirinciple of the potato, 

 and probably deleterious : if pumpkins or apples 

 are steamed, it is conducted into the trough or vat 

 which is to contain the food. When the contents 

 of the box are sufliciently cooked, the box is tip- 

 ped up, the lower end opened, and the contents 

 emptied by a spout into the vat. The potatoes 

 are then jammed, and while hot u quantity of meal 

 is well mixed with them, which is cooked by the 

 Leat contained in the mass. If pumfikins and ap- 

 ples fu'8 to be mixed with the potatoes, they are to 



he steamed by themselves, as reqiiirmg noi so long 

 a time to cook. The mass, well mixed, is sulFi.retl 

 to sour a little, when it is in a lit slate to fi;eil. 



On this food hogs will fatien very l-i.-t. To 

 give hardness and sweetness lo llie pork, it is wcTi 

 to feed, for a few of the last weeks, on corn alone. 

 The apparatus we have described for steam-boiling 

 may he diminished or enlarged, according to the 

 amount of i'ood necessary to be prepared. — Other 

 modes may be adopted ; but this, on account of 

 its simplicity and convenience, especially for pre- 

 paring food on a large scale, commends iisrlf lo 

 adoption. \V. \V. U. 



Hammond sport, Sep. 8, 1834. 



From the Maine Farmer. 

 APPL.es for UOCiS. 



I BEGAN to fri'd my hogs upon apples on the 

 tenth of the eighth month (August) and 1 thought 

 that they gained very fast, lint I wished to know. 

 I therefore took a pig 4 moiilhs oid, weighing 95 

 pounds, and kept him 18 days as fuliovv.s — first I 

 gave him 2 bu.ihels of sour apples boiled wiih 6 

 quarts of oat and pea meal, weighing 4 1-2 pomiils. 

 At the end of six days he weighed 101 poniids, 

 gaining 1 lb. i)er day. 1 then kept him G days 

 ii[)nn the same quantity of boiled sweet apples 

 and meal, at the end of which time he weighed 

 107, gaining the same as before. 1 then kept him 

 6 days on lioiled potatoes and inacil, giving him 

 the same quantity as of the apples and meal, and 

 he weighed 112 lbs. gaining only five lbs. — during 

 this time I gave him noihing else, not even weeds; 

 no doubt he would have gained much more fed in 

 the usual way of mixing the milk, &c. with it, 

 but I wished to try a fair experiment, and there- 

 fore gave him noihing but the aliove stated. Pork 

 at 5 cents per lb. would give me 12 3-4 cents per 

 bushel for the apples, and one cent per lli. for the 

 meal, and the potatoes amount to only 10 1-4 

 cents per bushel. Feeling entirely satisfied my- 

 self, I thought it might be of some benefit to com- 

 municate it to others, and recommend those who 

 have oiciiards not to cut them down, but rather 

 cultivate more, f(U' if we can raise the great staple, 

 pork, from our orchards, is it not worth attending 

 to.' or instead of making cider for $1 \>er barrel, 

 which will not pay the expense of making? You 

 may also obtain your fuel from your orchard, for 

 an orchard well pruned will afford enough to lioil 

 the apples. Hogs are more fonil of sour apples 

 than of sweet, when boiled; and I consider them 

 worth full as much, though doubtless the sweet 

 are worth the most when raw. 



Paine Wingate. 



IMlowdl, 9 mo. 1834. 



NATIVE CATT1.E. 



IIavi.no lately observed a new property in the 

 native breed of cattle belonging to Mr. Ralph lias- 

 kins of Koxbury, lain desirous to inquire through 

 the medium of your paper, whether there are any 

 other ones possessing a similar quality. 



This quality consists in the remarkable richness 

 of the milk and cream, the latter of which when 

 separated from the milk for the space of twelve 

 hours, becomes of the (-onsistence of a baked cus- 

 tard, and may be turned upside down without any 

 harm, or spread on like butter. Cream in this 

 state has been repeatedly carried into State street, 

 and gentlemen in the Insurance offices have churn- 

 ed it, and brouglit the butter iu less than a ininnte. 



Mr. Ilaskins stales that notwithstnudiiig the 



ricliiiHss of the cream, the milk after it is >kuiiii i^ 

 iiini'h richer than conimoii skim milk, and the 

 cows also give as much as oilicrs usually dii. 



He has received pieiiiiimis at Hii^liloii for two 

 of them, one of which we uiidersland he iiasiali'ly 

 sold for 150 dollars. 



If any of your reailers have ever known such 

 an iiislance before, they would much oblige a sub- 

 scriber if they would meiiiion it in your paper. — 

 Boston Jidvorate. B. 



CATTLE SHOWS. 



" Tills wnjld IS nil a ' ruU/e^ sbow.'' 



As we cuUivali; a small paicli of mangel wiirt- 

 zel, potatoes and onions, and keep a <*ovv, (d'coucse 

 we belong to the Agricidlural Society, which held 

 its exhibition at Winthnq), on Wi'driesday last. 

 The (lay was very line anil the concourse large. 

 It was gratifying lo see a great number of farmers 

 take an interest in the Sorit^ty, which is the lar- 

 gest and most efiicient we believe in the State. 

 Perhaps the eatile exhibited were not mnch better 

 than they were lust year, but they appeared belter, 

 for the weather was wet and cold last year and 

 the caitle restless. A procession was ibniied a 

 little before one o'clock, and escorted to one of 

 the fiictory buildings, where a most excellent din- 

 ner was provided for the Society by Mr. Shaw. 

 The large loom was nearly filled. Among the 

 fruits of the season with which the table was load- 

 ed in profusion, were some choice peaches, pears, 

 and melons, presented by the lion. Beiij. Vangli- 

 au, of liallowell, from bis garden. As we did 

 not attend on the second day, \ve are not inform- 

 ed how the premiums were awarded. Doubtless 

 the Maine Fanner next week will have a full ac- 

 cooniofthe exbiliilioii, which we shall copy. 



The beneficial efi'ect of these exhibiiions we 

 think is obvious. They aiil in projiagaiing betti r 

 Ineeds ol' callle, better knowledge of agrii-ulliire. 

 Great credit is due lo a few intelligent limners of 

 W'inthrop and that vicinity for their persevering^ 

 efforts in past years to siisUiin this Society. U 

 now appears to bo prosperous, but a conlinuance j 

 of the same efforts is necessary to kee[) it iu sue- I 

 cessful Ojiernlion. — Kennebeck Jownal. i 



From the Maine Ftirmer, | 

 CATTliE snow AND FAIR. ' 



The annual Cattle Show and Fair of the Ken- 

 nebec County Agricultural Society, took plai-e oi» 

 the 17th and 18th nil. The weather was delight- 

 lid, and considering that military reviews were 

 held in the neighboring towns on both days it was 

 well attended. 



In a few res[iects the show was better than that 

 of last year — hut in many other respects it was 

 not so good. The show of heifers ami milch 

 cows was as good or belter than last year. — Some 

 fine cattle of the last description belonging to Mr. 

 .Sanford Howard, and some from Blr. Charles 

 Vanghaii's herd — some also belonging to Mr. Slur- 

 levant — and others whose owners we did not 

 know. The fine blooded bull, " Maine Denton" 

 b(doiiging to Capi. Pierce, of Readtield, was upon 

 the ground, as was also Darlington, a full blood 

 bull of good points, belonging to Major Thing, of 

 Mount Vernon. Many other bulls of various grades, 

 sh.-qies and pretensions were also exhibited. 



The show of working oxen was not quite equal 

 to hist year. That of horses and mares was inor* 

 numerous, and boine elegant horses were broughl 

 out.. The Swine dcpartuient was well filled, but 



