1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



465 



to ten bushels per acre. But where they break 

 up sod-ground and let it lay until the sod has 

 become thoroughly rotted, and sow by the 

 tenth to the tifteenth of September, they get 

 from twenty to thirty bushels per acre of tha 

 first quality of wheat. But where they sow 

 after corn it is generally of the second or third 

 quality. What wheat is raised in this valley is 

 raised after corn. 



Oats. — Some oats are raised here. This 

 crop is generally raised on corn stubble. 

 Most sow their oats and plow them in with a 

 shovel-plow. 



Buckwheat. — This is put on sod, which is 

 broken up with a big plow, sowed, and har- 

 rowed in. 



GiiASS. — There is some grass cut here, but 

 it is generally allowed to stand until the heads 

 have turned brown, and often until it is dead 

 ripe. It will average about a ton per acre. 

 The farmers depend more upon their corn-fod- 

 der and straw, fed out in the fields, to winter 

 their stock on. Few take any pains to make 

 or save manure. 



We are thirty miles from Winchester, which 

 is our main market. Wheat Hour in the mills 

 now l)rings five cents per lb. ; corn, one dollar 

 per bushel ; bacon, 10 cents per lb. ; butter, 

 \.'2h cents per lb. ; eggs, 10 cents per dozen; 

 lat)oring hands on the farm, 50 cents per day 

 and board ; mechanics, fi'om $1.00 to $1.50 

 per day and board. Yours respectfully, P. 



Waidensville, Hardy Co., \ 

 West Va., Aug. 2, 1867. S 



THE DAIRY IIST ILLINOIS. 



The Fox River Valley in Illinois is well 

 adapted to the dairy business, as it has streams, 

 springs, and the soil is favorable to grasses. 

 Like most other portions of the West, it was 

 for many years after its settlement devoted to 

 grain growing. It is only about twelve years 

 since farmers turned their attention to stock 

 growing and dairying. On the 19th of June, 

 a convention of the dairymen of this section 

 was held at Elgin, at which it was stated by 

 Judge S. Wilco.x, that within a radius of five 

 miles of that {)lace, 2,000,000 gallons of milk 

 are produced, bringing to that community from 

 $20(1,000 to $250,000 annually. 



From the report of the Chicago Bepublican, 

 we make the following extracts of the re- 

 marks made b\' several of the dairymen pres- 

 ent : — 



Mr. iMcLean said : — The factory with which 

 I am connected was commenced the 1st of May, 

 1866. We worked last year 95,000 gallons of 

 milk in five months. We are increasing all 

 the time. We sold 83,000 pounds of cheese 

 last jear, averaging about ten cents per pouml. 

 We are manufacturing 1,000 gallons of milk 



per day now. In May we worked 15,550 gal- 

 lons of milk, and made 14,079 pounds of 

 cheese. The amount of the present month 

 will be larger proportionally, for when the air 

 is clear, and the days bright, we get more milk 

 and make better cheese than on wet, lowery 

 days. It required about 9 08-IO') pounds of 

 milk to make one pound of cheese in May ; in 

 April, about 9-h pounds, I think. 



The amount and quantity of the product of 

 milk depends largely upon the degree of kind- 

 ness to cows. 1 have learned that if we get 

 one or two cows irritated, and put their milk 

 with that of other cows that have been kept 

 quietly, it will sour very quickly. This will 

 account for the fact that milk so often sours in 

 transporting to Chicago, when the u-ual pre- 

 cautions are taken to prevent it, while it does 

 not sour with only the same care in other cases. 



Milk should be put into the water as soon as 

 it can be after it comes from the cow. The 

 cover should be taken from the can at first. 

 You should not stir the milk while cooling it. 

 If milk has to be taken any great distance to a 

 cheese factory, it should be cooled first. 



A gentleman made the following statement 

 concerning the Hanover factory, two and a half 

 miles east of Elgin : It is owned by three men. 

 We commenced the 1st of April with 330 gal- 

 lons of milk; this morning we had 1,308 gal- 

 lons. In April we received 13,000 gallons of 

 milk, and made 13,780 pounds of cheese. In 

 May we received 30,000 gallons of milk, and 

 made 29,836 pounds of cheese. A portion of 

 the milk received was not manufactured. 



The weather has something to do with the 

 amount of cheese to be got from a given 

 amount of milk ; but a skilful dairyman will 

 adapt his process to the change of atmosphere, 

 and will make about the same quant iiy and 

 quality of cheese from the same amount of 

 milk, every day in the year. This gentleman 

 was asked if he could communicate the process 

 in words. He replied that he could not ; it 

 was only to be attained by practical experience. 



RELATIVE PROFITS OF BUTTER AND CIIEE.SE. 



' Mr. Wilcox stated there were some advan- 

 tages in selling the milk, as compared with 

 carrying it to the factory for cheese manufac- 

 ture. 



j\Ir. Treadwell had been sending milk to 

 Chicago ten years. Latterly, he had been 

 trying to convert his herd of cows into a sum- 

 mer dairy. He is satisfied that it will cost far 

 less to keep his stock in winter, will d minish 

 the expense for labor in the ag^^re^ate fur the 

 \ear, and that the aggregate prollt for the year 

 from the same number of .cows kept as a sum- 

 mer dairy, would be greater than if milked Ijoth 

 summer and winter. He had found the profit 

 (ieriyed from his milk, when sent to the cheese 

 faetory. to be full four cents per gallon greater 

 than when shij ped to Chicago ; the extra ex- 

 pense for cans, the freights, the loss of whey, 

 which prevents the raising of calves and pigs, 



