1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



65 



do I say I never will. I once tliouglit I never 

 •n-ould color butter. I now think diilerently. 

 I once thought there was an exact tempera- 

 ture at which all cream should be churned. 

 I now vary nearly 10° between summer and 

 winter. In punmier I cluirn at a temperature 

 from 58° to C2°, in winter from Gi° to G8°. 

 I want the butter to come so it can be 

 worked, — not too soft nor too hard. I find 

 winter butter harder than summer butter at 

 the same temperature. 



Mv cows are at all times kept in good con- 

 dition, so I do not know whether I could chui'n 

 cream from half starved cows or not. 



If I were going to preach again about 

 churning, I should say that it is very impor- 

 tant to have all the cream of a churning alike, 

 as to temperalure, and sourness, at the time of 

 commencing to churn. 



I am very particular to stop gathering cream 

 at least twenty-four hours Vx'fore churning ; 

 and I never fail in fall, winter or spring to 

 warm all my cream over a stove ; stirring con- 

 stantly all the time, at least twelve hours 

 before churning. Then I wait for it to get 

 sour alike all through. Then bring it again 

 up to the right temperature and churn it. I 

 intend to warm it the first time up to about 70°. 

 I never scald milk or cream, but keep both 

 as near the proper temperature as possible all 

 the time. 



Now, if Mr. S. gets any new ideas about 

 churning, from having asked the question, 

 and either snceeed.i or yt/i/.y, I Avish he would 

 rei)ort, in the Fakmer ; for it is only after 

 making many experiments, and under many 

 difiering circumstances that we can be sure of 

 having gained a correct position. 



A. W. CnEE\T:R. 



Sheldonville, Mass., Jan. 7, 1871. 



For the Xnc En<jland Farmer, 

 KANSAS. 



Mr. Editor : — I have read Mr. E. M. 

 Clcv('lan(rs article on "Kansas," and your re- 

 marks appended to the same, with much nitor- 

 est. I am somewhat conversant witli tliat 

 •'Kansas region." I endorse all that ]\lr. 

 Cleveland says as to its beautiful scenery. 

 The landscapes are bohlly beaukiful, and some- 

 times rugged and picturesque. There is much 

 level and gently undulating surface ; yet there 

 is continual relief from that level tameness 

 found in many prairie countries. 



There are many features of natural beauty 

 never met with in Kansas. Tliere are no 

 ■^ iiKjuntain torrents or snow-capped peaks so 

 fie(juent further West ; no parks, canyons 

 or gorges, shut in by deep gorgeous forests ; 

 no rugged sea coast, with driving l)iil()ws and 

 ascending spray, singing the terribly tiirilling 

 music of nature, and forming fine haloes and 

 raiul)o\vs in the atuios[)hcre. 



Tlie first time I stood on Blue Blount, at 

 Manhattan, near the mouth of the liijj Blue, 



I was much impressed with the natural beauty 

 of the scenery, and the sweetness and purity 

 of the air. It was a bright September after- 

 noon. Nothing obstructed the sight in any 

 direction. The views up and down the Kan- 

 sas river, and up the Blue, were iiulccil very 

 fine. The swolK-n waters cjuite filli-d the river 

 beds, and the shrub-like timber fringed their 

 margins in groves and thickets, as far as the 

 eye could reach. 



Beyond and between the river valleys the 

 rugged tumbling prairies, elevated some two 

 hundred feet above the streams, almost con- 

 fused the senses by their picturesque undula- 

 tions, abrupt upheavals, tower-like mounds 

 and .deep ravines. At first it appeared as if 

 nature, gone mad, had thrown the hills and 

 valleys to the four winds, because she "would 

 none of them ;" yet on inspection there ap- 

 peared to be much "method in her madness.'" 

 Tlie ridges were more or less connected, and 

 could be approached, in some way, one from 

 the other, and they doubtless were all more or 

 less related to some great back-bone or divid- 

 ing ridge of table land. The valleys and ra- 

 vines all tended toward common outlets, empty- 

 ing at last into the rivers. The soil of these 

 prairies along the Kaw river, contains no 

 gravel ; but limestone crops out in quarries 

 everywhere along the hill sides. These quar- 

 ries show their gre5' outlines through the green 

 grass for miles, and form no inconsiderable 

 feature in the landscape. 



These lands have good soil, produce fine 

 grasses, and for sheep pasture or hill side 

 vineyards, appear very api)ropriate. But for 

 ploughing purposes, as we understand tiie 

 matter in Illinois, nothingcould be more absurd. 



I have now spoken of the rougiiest portion 

 of Kansas I have met with. Passing westward 

 along the Kaw river, to the mouth of the Re- 

 publican, and thence up the Smoky-hill branch, 

 past the mouth of the Solomon to Salina, near 

 the Saline river, every grade of prairie is met 

 with, from the most hilly to the deadest level. 

 At Junction City, near the Republican river, 

 is found the celebrated magnesiau limestone, 

 extensively used for all fencing and building 

 purposes. It is destitute of grit, and is readily 

 sawed into sliape by several steam sawmills 

 located in this vicinity. At Solomon City a 

 considerable quantity of salt is made from 

 water pumped from wells. South of Salina, 

 on Gyj)suni creek, are extensive beds of gyp- 

 sum, ready to be utilized when the needs of 

 the people demand it. 



The soil is, everywhere, all that heart can 

 wish, and when there in suflicicnt rain it is 

 wonderfully productive. There is a strong 

 teudcncy in tlie cIiiiKit(! toward aridity. Tlie 

 word (lniii;/tif, in Kansas, means a great deal, 

 and is much fcarc<l even by the most courage- 

 ous. The most of tlie rains, however, have a 

 wise habit of falling in April, May and June, 

 thus giving cn)])s a jrood start. (Irass and the 

 small grains from this cause generally do ^ell ; 



