1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



331 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CAUSE OP BAKREK- GBAPE VIWE3. 



In the Farmer of Oct. 20tli, 18j9, is a commu- 

 nication from "13. C," Burlington, Vt., giving an 

 account of a grape vine that blossomed, yet bore 

 no fruit. In your reply you recommend that a 

 fruitful vine should be planted beside it, for the 

 purpose of impregnating the barren vine. 



Permit me to suggest that your plan v.-ould not 

 produce the desired result. I have seen hundreds 

 of such vines, and in every instance have found 

 them -wanting in the pistil or female organ. 



All the vines "B. C." can plant around his vine 

 will never cause it to 

 bear a single grape. As 

 the season for the blos- 

 soming of the gi'ape is 

 near at hand, "B. C." 

 v/ill, by comparing the 

 fiov.-er of his vine with 



4^4/^ 



Perfect. 



Imperfect. 



that of a fruitful one, see the difference. It is easy 

 to be distinguished by the naked eye. I send you 

 a drawing of the two flowers. 



Winchester. E. A. Bk4.ckett. 



RejVL\.RKS. — Our correspondent is undoubtedly 

 correct in his statement and illustration, as the 

 inquiry of "B. C." and others led us into an ex- 

 amination of the cause of barren grape vines, and 

 we found the fact as stated by him. "We have had 

 the flowers drawn greatly magnified, giving a 

 clear view of their formation. The cut above very 

 well illustrates the difl'erence in the flowers. 



PUKE MILK. 



Hall's Journal of Healtli for May contains the 

 following account of an association which exists 

 in the vicinity of New York for the supply of met- 

 ropolitans with pure milk : 



"Within two years, a few gentlemen farmers 

 who had friends and relatives in the city appro- 

 priated ten thousand dollars towards a plan for 

 furnishing them pure milk, fresh from farm-house 

 cows, within a few hours of the milking, and at 

 the same price with the swill article. The friends 

 of their friends availed themselves of the oppor- 

 tunity, until it has now become a business, and 

 the demand is at times greater than the supply. 

 But for the purpose of keeping to the mark of 

 their original determination to supply pure milk 

 only, and it being necessary to have a number of 

 irresponsible employees, it has been found indis- 

 pensable to institute extraordinary means of watch- 

 fulness. A special agent comes to town with the 

 milk every day ; and more, under his eye the milk 

 is poured into cans on which are placed in metallic 

 letters the name of each patron ; the can is then 

 locked, the patron having a duplicate key. Fur- 

 ther, the agent is at pains from time to time to in- 

 quire of the customers if there is any fault to be 

 found with the milk or the milkmen. 



But the farmers themselves, being in indepen- 

 dent circumstances, could not be expected to milk 

 their own cows, and must employ hirelings ; the 

 general agent has found it necessary to watch 

 these, and inspect the milk as it is delivered at 



the railroad station, thirty miles from the city. 

 Within a few v/eeks the milk of one of the oldest, 

 richest and most honorable-minded members of 

 the association was found to be largely thinned 

 with water. The member was promptly and fear- 

 lessly acquainted with the fact, and that the mat- 

 ter must at once be investigated. Knowing his 

 own integrity, this gentleman did not knock the 

 agent down, but promjjtly sifted the matter, and 

 ascertained that only that once 'the boys' had ac- 

 cidentally spilled the milk, and thought to cover 

 their negligence by adding an equal amount of 

 water. 



This milk is delivered in New York twice a day. 

 It is received by the agent, warm from the cows. 

 It is next stirred until the whole is thoroughly 

 cooled ; it is then surrounded with ice and sent 

 to the city. Thus the milk is uniformly rich, is 

 not partially converted into butter by the jolting 

 of transportation, and a drink of it is perfectly de- 

 licious to a citizen." 



THE CATTLE DISEASE. 



Some developments have taken place since our 

 last paper was issued, in relation to the sickness 

 among cattle, and among them is the intelligence 

 that it has appeared in New Hampshire. This in- 

 telligence is not based upon rumor, but upon well 

 authenticated facts. We have seen the certificate 

 of the physicians who examined the heifers killed 

 at Hillsborough, which were sent from East Lex- 

 ington. They have no doidit of the genuineness 

 of the disease in those animals. There are state- 

 ments that it has appeared in other towns in that 

 State, but we will not anticipate any calamity. It 

 is sufficiently impressive, without a particle of ex- 

 aggeration. 



We have been informed by the Commissioners 

 that the disease has appeared in twelve difierent 

 towns in this State. 



Some additional light dawns upon us, also, 

 from across the water. We have an interestinr 

 article before us from the North British Agricul- 

 turist, published in Edinburgh, Scotland, whicl: 

 says "there are very few practical men who d^' 

 not believe that the disease is contagious, anc", 

 who generally satisfy themselves that when the 

 disease does appear in their stock, it is to be 

 traced to some recent purchases in market, or by 

 their animals having come in contact with affected 

 animals, or from substances, such as straw, which 

 have been in contact with diseased animals. 



In several English counties — especially those 

 around London, and in the counties of Derby and 

 Chester, the disease has been very prevalent dur- 

 ing winter and spring. It is also prevalent in 

 dairies In the Lothians, more particularly the dai- 

 ries in Edinburgh. The stock affected are princi- 

 pally cows, which have always been more subject 

 to pleuro-pneumonia than other cattle." 



We are sorry to observe that some of our peo- 

 ple are disposed in the first place to find fault 



