432 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



individual member, while engaged in his avo- 

 cation, pursues a cour;.e peculiar to himself, 

 and in some respects unlike all the others. 

 Now at the club meeting, as any subject is 

 presented, ea<'h individual will of course relate 

 the results obtained from his peculiar system 

 of cultivation. It follows, then, that the best 

 possible results in that vicinity are made 

 known, and as a matter of course, each indi- 

 vidual having learned the process by which the 

 superior result was obtained, will be likely to 

 adopt the same course as nearly as circum- 

 stances will allow, not only in respect to a sin- 

 gle crop, but to all farming operations. Here, 

 then, is an exchange of experiences ; a com- 

 merce of practical facts, and no person will 

 attempt to deny that an exchange of ideas, 

 whether relating to agriculture or any other 

 subject, promotes mental improvement. 



Again, it is a self-evident fact that practical 

 experience is the most valuable, especially to 

 the farmers ; and in the farmers' club there is, 

 so to speak, a fund of really practical infor- 

 mation, garnered from innumerable sources, 

 from which each member may draw something 

 for his own benefit. 



Much benefit may also be derived from the 

 club exercises, in a social point of view. It is 

 a fact to be regretted that as a general rule 

 farmers, in consequence of the isolation occa- 

 sioned by their occupation, are less social 

 than most other classes, and if any method 

 can be adopted whereby this evil, which cer- 

 tainly is an evil, can be eradicated, it should 

 be deemed an important consideration as af- 

 fecting the well being of society in general. 

 The more intelligent the farmer, the better 

 prepared is he to understand and apply the 

 principles of agriculture, and in fact the ad- 

 vancement of the age demands that the farmer 

 should be a thoroughly educated man, and the 

 greater the amount of information that he re- 

 ceives, the more susceptible is he of receiving. 

 At the present time, book farming, as it is 

 called, is growing more popular. Now, what 

 is book farming but pursuing the methods of 

 others that have proved successful and have 

 been recorded in print ? 



Then why are not farmers' clubs more gen- 

 erally organized ? One reason which undoubt- 

 edly might be given is, that in most cases the 

 farmer ieels that his whole etforts must be put 

 forth in the cultivation of his crops and the 

 general management of his farm. This arises 

 from a sort of morbid state of intellect, per- 

 haps partly the result of severe labor. This 

 ought not to be so. There is no farmer that 

 cannot, it he chooses, easily spare an hour or 

 two each week lor the improvement of his 

 mind, especially if he keeps a close eye to bu- 

 siness, and looks well to it that every thing 

 requiring to be done should be done at the 

 proper time. Twice, yea thri(;e as much time 

 as an attendance upon agricultural meetings 

 require, is lost from not attending to what re- 

 quires to be done at the proper time and place. 



And, not unfrequently, the same men who 

 would be the first to declare that they could 

 not spend time, when asked to attend an agri- 

 cultural meeting, or to help form a farmers' 

 club, spend one, two, and even three evenings 

 in a week in the grocery or post office. It is 

 undoubtedly a fact, that all great reforms have 

 been brought about by agitation, and that too, 

 when at the outset, obstacles appeared almost 

 insurmountable. Now, as what man has done, 

 man can do, let the agitation of the subject of 

 farmers' conventions or clubs be continued 

 until the day shall dawn when agriculture 

 shall be acknowledged to be, as it truly is, the 

 most healthy, the most honest, and the noblest 

 occupation that has ever engaged man's atten- 

 tion, w. H. Y. 

 Massachusetts, 1870- 



BUTTER MAKING. 

 From the abstract in the Maine Farmer of 

 two lectures on butter making, delivered by 

 Mr. Willard, in his late course of lectures at 

 the Maine Agricultural College, we copy the 

 following, which may afford some hints to 

 farmers who wish to improve the quality of 

 this article of their productions : — 



In one quart of cream there are from 13 to 

 15 ounces of butter. Mr. Horsfall states 

 that a good cow fed on grass will yield one 

 pound of butter for a quart of cream, and 

 that when his cows have been fed on rape 

 cake and other substances containing oily par- 

 ticles, their milk has yielded from 22 to 2-t 

 ounces of butter for a quart of cream. The 

 first portion of cream that rises is rich in but- 

 ter. About 60 degrees is the temperature at 

 which cream should rise. All utensils used in 

 butter making should be thoroughly cleansed. 

 Good cream is often spoiled in the churn by a 

 taint left in it from imperfect cleansing. The 

 cream should be agitated regularly. If the 

 churning is carried on too rapidly the butter 

 will be made and unmade, and if too slowly 

 the particles of butter will not be set free. 

 The best temperature at which butter is made 

 is 55 degrees. The most desirable condition 

 in which butter exists is that of a waxy con- 

 sistency. It is then easily moulded into any 

 shape. It is not always necessary to taste 

 butter to determine its quality. Its smooth, 

 unctuous feel indicates its richness of quality, 

 its nutty smell indicates a good flavor and its 

 bright glistening cream-colored surface indi- 

 cates its state of cleanliness. 



When the butter has formed and has been 

 taken out of the churn, it should be thorough- 

 ly cleansed from buttermilk. The less the 

 butter IS handled the better. Warm hands, 

 however clean, are apt to impart a taint. A 

 butter ladle should be used in all the manipu- 

 lations. A spring-house should be used when- 

 ever convenient. Cream should be churned 



