1871. 



XEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



151 



enty-five acres, and all in profuse bearing. 

 It was visited by the editor of the Practical 

 Farmer, -wlio states that on the day of his 

 visit, 7,0()0 quarts had been picked ; a full 

 day's work for the persons employed would 

 be 14,000 quarts, which were fully expected 

 the following day. Thousands of the bushes 

 were bending nearly to the gi'ound under their 

 weight of fruit. The rows were eight and 

 one-half feet apart, and the plants four to 

 four and one half feet apart in the rows. No 

 weeds were to be seen. By far the largest 

 jjortion of the vines were the variety known 

 as Wilsoii's Early. It differs from the Law- 

 ton in being ripe when black ; is of good size, 

 melting and juicy, which, with its earliness, 

 being the first in the market, and treading 

 closely on the heels of the raspberry, always 

 secures the best price. 



Mr. Collins was receiving twenty cents per 

 (juart. wholesale price, at the time, which, 

 with 1-4,000 quarts, makes the round little sum 

 of $2,800 for one day's picking ! Price paid 

 for picking was one and one-half cents per 

 quart, and the average is one hundred to one 

 hundred and fifty quarts per day to each band, 

 but sometimes nmning up to two hundred 

 quarts per day. 



We shall be glad to learn whether the Early 

 Wilson is sufficiently hardy for the climate 

 north of Boston. 



The Kittatinny is said to be hardy, pro- 

 ductive, and the fruit very rich. Not yet 

 fruited by us. Neicman's ThoJiiless has the 

 merit of not pricking the hands when gather- 

 ing the fruit, but we know nothing of its merits 

 otherwise. It is said, however, to promise 

 well. 



The Sahle Queen originated in Essex County, 

 Mass., and is spoken of in the highest terms, 

 as a good grower, fruit of surpassing excel- 

 lence, and the vine hardy enough to resist the 

 cold of New England winters. 



A jicrfectly ripe blackberry, of a good va- 

 riety, is one of the best of our fruits. As the 

 peach stands at the head of the larger fruits, 

 so the blackberry stands in regard to the 

 smaller ones. We have never yet found a 

 person who did not like the blackberry. Ex- 

 cellent as it is in its fresh state, it is no less 

 so when properly preserved. It is also freely 

 used as an alterative for the bowels. 



— England uses 86,000 tons of bone-dust and 

 210,000 tons of guano a year. 



Jfor the Kew England Fm-mer. 

 "BUTTER MAKDSTG." 



I have read with much interest the many 

 articles upon butter making that have ap- 

 peared from time to time in the columns of 

 your valuable paper, and I must say that, ac- 

 cording to my experience, Carrie has come 

 nearer the common method of makiu,o- butter 

 than any other. I am not a farmer's wife or 

 daughter, and am lionesihj afraid of a loose 

 cow ; but I know how to make butter, for all 

 that, having made more or less for eighteen 

 years. During that period we have had quite 

 a number of cows, and I have come to the 

 conclusion that the quality of the butter de- 

 pends in a great measure upon the cow. Of 

 course other things must be taken into con- 

 sideration. Every woman Avho lias the care 

 of milk and is blessed with a medium share of 

 common sense, knows she must skim her milk 

 before the cream moulds on the top, or the 

 milk becomes so sour that it wheys ; and that 

 she must churn before the cream smells old in 

 summer or grows bitter in winter. But one 

 may take the very best care of the milk, 

 cream, and butter and then have butter of a 

 very inferior (juality, and even so ])oor as to 

 be unfit for table use. That I do know. 

 And what is more discouraging than mean, 

 bitter, butter, when a woman has tried her 

 best to make it good ? We all know how 

 much labor a pot of butter represents, and 

 then to have it uneatable, — dear me ! And 

 worse than all, be obliged to bear all the 

 blame and have the name of making poor 

 I butter, when the fault is in the cow ! 



It will take a wiser head than mine to say 

 why one cow makes good butter, while an- 

 other, standing by her side in the same barn 

 and having the same care and feed, milked by 

 the same hand also, makes poor. I can only 

 say in the words of "Old Aunt Tabithy," "I 

 dunno heouw they due it, but they du." 



Early last Spring my liege lord bought a 

 Jersey heifer, full blooded, of good size, with 

 the "points" of a good cow. She dropped 

 her calf the middle of May, she being then 

 three years old. The calf was a large, hand- 

 some fawn-colored fellow, and gi-ew finely, 

 weighing ahnost one hundred pounds when 

 the butcher took him in charge at the age of 

 four weeks. Since then "MoUie Jersey," as 

 we all call her, has done well. Her milk is 

 small in quantity but rich in quality, and such 

 butter ! She has made Sh pounds a week (re- 

 member she is a three-year-ohl) in good feed, 

 and during the winter has made from three to 

 five pounds a week. She gives about four 

 quarts of milk a day now. We have used all 

 the milk we need for a family of four, and 

 that is considerable ; but let me also admit 

 that all the milk used for puddings, &c., has 

 been allowed to stand over night and then 

 skimmed befo^ being made up, thereby en- 

 riching the cream-pot, and the milk was still good 

 enouirh. The butter churned last week was 



