1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FAKIVIER. 



231 



property that the grass fails to receive either from 

 the atmosphere or the soil or both, from want of 

 ihe usual amount of rain. If there is some prop- 

 erty lacking in the grass or hay of a diy season, 

 cannot sonic one tell us what it is, and how it may 

 be siipiilii'd ? I have been feeding part of my stock 

 for al)out four weeks with turnips and potatoes 

 mixed together, with good results ; and if they 

 should come to the bam another fall with an appe- 

 tite for the barn-yard fence, &c., I shall give the 

 turaips ana potatoes a trial to commence with, un- 

 less some one can recommend something Vietter. 

 Cabot, Vi., March 7,1871. C. M. Fisueb. 



MAKING "WINTER BUTTER. 



A few years ago it was my good, or rather had 

 luck to have a few cows giving nnlk in the winter. 

 As there was no sale for milk we had to make 

 butter. Our method was to strain the milk in 

 pans, and set them on the top of a kettle in which 

 water was boiling, and let them remain till the 

 cream began to wrinkle, then put the pans in a 

 tloset where milk would not freeze, let it set forty- 

 eight hours ; then skim, stirring the cream as we 

 skimmed each pan. When cream enough for a 

 churning was collected, we put scalding water in 

 the chum, let it remain a few minutes, poured it 

 out, and jnit in our cream, usually churned 15 or 

 20 minutes, and alwaj's had good butter. We 

 always tjrought our cream dish into the room 

 where we kept tire, and let it remain two or three 

 hours before churning. 



Our feed was com meal and good hay. Have 

 tried oil cake (flax seed) and always had oily 

 butter. With cotton seed meal have had excellent 

 butter, — firm, sweet and good color. We simph' 

 tried the two kinds of feed for a short time as an 

 experiment. We got more milk and better butter 

 from the cotton seed. Senex. 



Cumberland, R. I., Feb. 20, 1871. 



OPIUM FROM THE POPPY. 



I see that "E. N. S." makes inquiry in Farmer 

 of February 4. conceming the proper manner of 

 gathering opium from the poppy. Allow me to 

 make a tew suggestions which the facts will bear 

 out. The best opium of commerce is gathered 

 from the Turkey or Smyrna poppy, which has been 

 introduced into this section. In general appear- 

 ance the plant cannot be told from that growing in 

 Turkey ; but the opium prepared from it contains 

 only about one-third or one-half the proper per 

 centage of morphia, and is very deficient in the 

 other properties of the true opium. The seed has 

 commanded very high prices, as high as $i'40 per 

 ounce. But I believe the acreage is diminishing 

 rapidly, and I think will be among the thhigs of 

 the past soon. Jones. 



Vermont, March 7, 1871 



WINTER CARE OF STABLE MANURE. — PLOUGHING 

 IN MANURE. 



Nearly one-half of my hay is consumed by sheep, 

 and it is ni}' practice to keep stock housed most of 

 the time in cold weather. My horses and cattle oc- 

 cupy one side of the bam, and their excrements go 

 into the cellar under them. Several times in the 

 coui-se of the winter and spring the accumulations 

 of the sheep pen are thrown into the same place. 

 My hogs have access to this manure pen and aid 

 materially in working over the contents. The whole 

 is forked over once at least and mixed say with 

 one-third its bulk of loam ; this is usually done 

 when the weather is unsuited for out-of-door work. 

 By this course of treatment the whole mass be- 

 comes thoroughly pulverized without being exces- 

 sively heated. I am aware this does not advance 

 spring work like drawing manure into the lield ; 



but I think it affords a better opportunity for put- 

 ting it in the best condition to use, and on this ac- 

 count may meet the wants of some farmers. 



A word in regard to the api)lication of stable 

 manures. Some years since in preparing a small 

 piece to seed down with wheat, one-half the plot 

 had manure under a shallow furrow, the other half 

 upon it, well harrowed in. Care was taken to have 

 the dressing uniform both in quantity and quality. 

 But, unlike your correspondent of 'N^'iluiington, 

 Vt., I found a marked difference in favor of that 

 portion of the field where the manure was ploughed 

 under, both in the wheat and grass crops which 

 followed. I do not call in question his general 

 conclusions, but this experiment convinced me 

 that under some circuinstances barn yard manure 

 will do more good a little below the surface, h. 



NoHh Weare, A\ H., 1871. , 



DRYING AND CANNING SWEET CORN. 



Will the Farmer or some of its correspondents 

 have the kindness to give the best method of dry- 

 ing and canning sweet corn for winter use ? 



Wellesly, Mass., March 11, 1871. c. B. 



Remarks. — We have had no experience in can- 

 ning sweet corn, as we have been well satisfied with 

 our process of drying it. Late in the season, or 

 whenever the corn is plenty and cheap, our folks 

 boil a good kettlcful at once, cooking it as for table 

 use. Then cut the kernels from the cob, place them 

 on tins and dry them by the stove. They might 

 probably be dried in the sun, but we have not tried 

 that way. AVhen sufficiently dry the corn is tied 

 up in cloth bags to keep out insects and kept in a 

 dry place. 



To prepare it for breakfast, if there is plenty of 

 milk and no danger of its souring, the corn is soaked 

 in cold milk over night. But if there is danger of 

 the milk souring, it may be heated before pouring 

 on the com. If milk is scarce, the corn may be 

 soaked in milk and water, or even clear water. 

 Milk, however, adds much to its palatableness. 

 In the morning it is put on the stove and warmed, 

 then buttered and salted to taste. 



THE SEASON, SUGAR, STOCK AND CHEESE FACTORY 

 IN MAINE. 



The season in Franklin County Me., is some three 

 weeks earlier than in former years. There has 

 been but little snow, not over a foot in the woods, 

 scarcely enough to accommodate the lumbermen, 

 and that is about all gone. Wheels are run through 

 to the lakes. Sugar makers are on their taps, and 

 maples are yielding bountifully. The weather is 

 very mild, promising an early spring and length- 

 ening out the hay mows. 



People in this section pay particular attention to 

 stock raising, of which many fine specimens are 

 exhibited. Butter and cheese are of secondary im- 

 portance, while in fact they should be first and fore- 

 most, as more ready money can be realized there- 

 from than by any branch of farming. There is a 

 movement on foot in the town of Strong to inau- 

 gurate a cheese factory. A company has been or- 

 ganized and officered and site located, with a capi- 

 tal stock of $'.50,000,— shares at #.30 each. Farmers 

 are taking hold with a will that insures success. 

 Strong is on the Sandy river, twelve miles north of 

 Famiington, the terminus of the Androscoggin 

 railroad, and is surrounded by a good farming 

 country which will afford every facility for the suc- 

 cessful operation of an enterprise of this character. 



Famiington, Me., March 18, 1871. Zen. 



