252 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



A flfc 



ice during the hottest # weather. I can bring the 

 temperature of the room to 58° or 60° by filling 

 the ice-box, when the thermometer stands at 90 c 

 outside. 



When my milk is brought to the house, I cool 

 it during the hot weather, by putting it in tin pails 

 and putting the pails in tubs of cold water, then 

 strain in tin pans, 2^ or 3 quarts to a pan. My 

 pans are so arranged that the air can circulate all 

 around them. I let the milk stand 36 hours, then 

 remove the cream, put it in a tin pail, being care- 

 ful to keep the cream cool. I sprinkle a very lit- 

 tle salt in the cream as I gather it. I skim milk 

 morning and night, stirring my cream each time 

 when I put cream in the pail. I have the tem- 

 perature of my cream at the time of churning 

 58° or 60°, which I think is about right for warm 

 weather. I churn twice a week, and use the "N. 

 E. Air Pressure Churn." I have two other pat- 

 terns of churns, but I think, for all times, I prefer 

 the air pressure, as it churns the butter more 

 even, that is, all the cream comes to butter. 

 When the cream is churned to butter, I remove 

 the butter from the churn, work out the butter- 

 milk, salt the butter, putting one ounce of salt to 

 each pound. I let it stand twenty-four hours, 

 then work over twice, with hands, working three 

 or four pounds together first, and then each pound 

 separately, so as to be sure and get all the butter- 

 milk out. 1 then form it into pound lumps, and 

 put into boxes for the market. 



Mary T. Townsend. 



Marlboro', July, 1864. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 BIKDS— CHEEKIES— INSECTS. 



Friend Farmer : — I write a few lines to tell 

 you what I have observed in birds, as related to 

 cheeries and insects, as follows : — Birds, of what- 

 ever kind, whether robin, cherry birds or what 

 not, never wantonly destroy or feed upon cher- 

 ries. I have for two seasons particularly exam- 

 ined their depredations, and have come to the fol- 

 lowing conclusion, viz : that birds never trouble 

 fruit unless there is a worm in it ; whenever they 

 find such, (and God has given them instinct, rea- 

 son, or whatever one chooses to call it, enough to 

 enable them to seek and find their food,) they bore 

 the fruit and secure the worm. I have gathered 

 cherries which were perfectly fair and sound and 

 found a worm inside. I have examined cherries 

 which the birds have pecked, and have found in- 

 side a worn cavity larger than the hole which the 

 bird made to get at it. Birds have free access to 

 my trees — the insects do not destroy their foliage. 

 The birds are so tame, that while I am gathering 

 cherries they gather insects, and I could easily 

 catch them (the birds) with my hand. I believe 

 that the way to get rid of insects and bugs on 

 fruit is to cherish the birds, treat them as friends, 

 feed them, if necessary, to induce them to fre- 

 quent our premises. One or two or three seasons 

 of such a course may not wholly free our orchards 

 from pestiferous insects, but 1 believe that a con- 

 stant perseverance in encouraging the birds will 

 in time effectually remove all obnoxious insects 

 from our trees. There is no poison that will at 

 one application rid our premises of bed bugs, yet 

 all good housewives will tell you that by persever- 

 ance they can accomplish the end aimed at. 



Soiith Danvers, July, 1864. t. a. s. 



For the Kew England Farmer. 

 SHEEP HUSBANDRY— No. 8. 



In a former article we referred to an oily sub- 

 stance exuding from the skin of the sheep. One 

 object designed by nature in furnishing this yolk 

 appears to be to soften the scales on the exterior 

 of the fiber. To this yolk the wool is indebted 

 for.rnuch that makes it superior to hair, for it ren- 

 ders it sofler, more pliable, and more readily 

 worked than it otherwise would be. This yolk is 

 plentifully supplied in young and well fed sheep, 

 but in old and half-starved sheep it is searcely 

 perceptible, and their fleeces partake as much of 

 the character of hair as. of wool. For the want of 

 it the scales are not so soft and the fibre not so 

 pliable, and cloth made from such stock is harsh 

 and tender ; and science has failed thus far to dis- 

 cover an unction whieh can render that wool soft 

 which has been left harsh by nature not supplying 

 its own emollient. 



The ancient Romans appear to have exhausted 

 every known expedient to aid nature in producing 

 a soft and delicate filament. They smeared it 

 with fine oil moistened with wine ; the fleece was 

 combed while growing, that it might not become 

 matted, and the sheep were washed several times 

 a year. This lack of yolk in old and ill fed sheep 

 is another reason why we have urged upon the 

 farmer the necessity of keeping their sheep in 

 good condition, and disposing of them before they 

 become old. And those who have old and badly 

 fed sheep should not complain because their 

 neighbors, who have young and well fed animals, 

 obtain a higher price for their wool, though it may 

 be coarser than their own ; for it will make softer 

 and firmer cloth than finer wool from poorer and 

 older sheep. 



Though this yolk is essentially necessary to the 

 production of good wool, yet no more is required 

 than just sufficient to keep the fibres soft and pli- 

 able. Any quantity in excess of this is of no ben- 

 efit to the wool, but is sometimes injurious. Some 

 farmers feed for the purpose of exciting a large 

 supply, thinking that by so doing they obtain 

 what many may suppose a heavier fleece ; but the 

 quantity of wool is not increased by the increase 

 of yolk, and the purchaser would certainly be un- 

 fit for his business if he did not make a proper al- 

 lowance for all excess of grease and dirt, and it 

 seems to be a poor speculation on the part of the 

 farmer to feed his sheep with special reference to 

 producing a yolk. His fleece will hold from 

 twenty-five to thirty per cent, excess of the proper 

 quantity required in good healthy wool, which 

 would amount to about two pounds, and this is 

 produced in about a fortnight, and in order to 

 have this two pounds of yolk at the time of shear- 

 ing, they will produce in the course of a year from 

 fifty to one hundred pounds ; and it is not unfre- 

 quently produced at the expense of the pulp, 

 which is the source of -the wool. When this is the 

 case, the wool, though soft and pliable, will be 

 weak and stunted in growth. Generally this ex- 

 cess of yolk is produced at the expense of mutton 

 — the food of the sheep in place of building up the 

 carcass and fatting it, is expended upon the yolk 

 — and the farmer frequently finds his endeavors 

 to feed his sheep defeated. He has fed high and 

 is surprised that his sheep have not gained in 

 weight. It is also produced at the expense of milk. 

 Sheep which produce large supplies of yolk are 



